In 2005, political cartoons depicting the image of Muhammad appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. After they were reprinted in a Norwegian newspaper, the cartoons caused an uproar among devout Muslims who felt they were an insult to one of their greatest religious figures.
On April 8, 2009, Denmark's Free Press Society announced that they would be selling prints of one of the cartoons, specifically one which depicted the Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban with a lit fuse sticking out of the top of its top. 250 prints will be available, each being sold for around $250 each.The Straits Times: Mohammed cartoon on sale
Republishing
The cartoons were republished in 2008 by several Danish newspapers, including Jyllands Posten, a day after three people were arrested for plotting to kill the cartoonist who created the images.
The editor who initiated the cartoons' creation later apologized. However, the illustrations have been reprinted in all types of media as a symbol of support for free speech. The reprinting continued to spark outrage in the Muslim community and led to death threats against both employees of Jyllands-Posten and one of the artists, Kurt Westergaard.
Muhammad Cartoons Central Figures
- Jyllands-Posten is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper
- Wikipedia: Jyllands-Posten
- Kare Bluitgen is a Danish writer and journalist
- Wikipedia: Kare Bluitgen
- Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the Prime Minister of Denmark
- Official Site: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Cartoons appear in Jyllands-Posten on September 30, 2005
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Cartoons printed as part of debate over censorship in Denmark
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At least 50 have died in protests
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Fact:
Three arrested in plot to kill artist Kurt Westergaard on February 12, 2008
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Fact:
Denmark Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen believes press should be able to print Mohammad caricatures
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Fact:
Denmark's Free Press Society sold limited edition prints of one of the cartoons in April 2009The Straits Times: Mohammed cartoon on sale
