Another Cartoon Row?
Courrier International.com – August 30, 2007
Nerikes Allehanda, a provincial Swedish newspaper, has triggered protests in Iran by publishing a Muhammad cartoon by artist Lars Vilks. The cartoon – which the Truth Seeker will not show out of respect to our Muslim readers – depicts the prophet as one of Sweden's popular "roundabout dogs" - sculptures of dogs that have been appearing on Sweden's traffic roundabouts for some time now. At the same time the newspaper published an appeal which also appeared in English in favour of freedom of expression. The Swedish ambassador to Iran was ordered to appear before Iranian authorities and the Swedish Islamic Centre has called a mass demonstration against the newspaper for Friday. Dagens Nyheter comments: "The Iranian protests against the publishing of Muhammad cartoons highlight the fact that freedom of the press is not to be taken for granted, that it must be constantly defended and entails responsibilities... Iran's reaction conceals the same political motives as the dispute over Denmark's Jyllands-Posten cartoons. Pictures become a barrier in a cultural battle, a means of diverting the attention of the masses from the real problems and impeding the progress of freedom and diversity."
http://europe.courrierinternational.com/eurotopics/imprimer.asp?langue=uk&publication=30/08/2007&cat=MEDIA
Last updated 02/09/2007