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Tehran - A Brazilian was the first to officially enter an Iranian newspaper's contest for cartoons about the Holocaust, said Masoud Shojai, head of the contest secretariat, on Monday. The contest was devised by Hamshahri, one of Iran's top five newspapers, in response to publication in the West of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The newspaper said its contest was a test of the Western world's readiness to print cartoons about the Nazi slaughter of six million Jews in World War II. The first entry depicts a man, smoking a cigarette and wearing a blue and white striped prison uniform,...

While I am a frequent poster on Free Republic, some events at times compel me to post an article, a commentary. Now is such a time. Obviously we are all familiar with the events engulfing Europe, the ubiquitous "Mohammed Cartoon Story". I feel this is an appropriate time and forum to post some personal observations I have made regarding the events resulting from the publishing of catoons that have caused an uproar in the Islamic world. I am not a professional journalist, so please bear with me as I attempt to put my feelings to words. In my usual style...

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark urged its citizens to leave Indonesia on Saturday, warning of "clear and present danger" from Muslim extremists seeking revenge for Danish newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. The foreign ministry said all Danes should leave the world's most populous Muslim country as soon as possible. "Concrete information indicates than an extremist group wishes to actively seek out Danes in protest for the publication of the Prophet Mohammad cartoons," a ministry statement said. Denmark has been the target of protests in Islamic countries since cartoons of the Prophet, first published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September,...

Danes in Indonesia 'under threat' Danish embassies have been the target of angry protestors Danish nationals have been urged to leave Indonesia over fears they may be targeted in the row over cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad. The foreign ministry says intelligence reports suggest an extremist group is actively seeking out Danes and Danish interests in Indonesia. It is the most serious yet in a string of advisories issued by Copenhagen to Danish nationals in Muslim countries. Denmark has temporarily shut its missions in Indonesia, Iran and Syria. Embassy staff in the first two countries were withdrawn after threats were...

The affair of the offensive Danish cartoons gets murkier by the day. After two months of legitimately and unsuccessfully trying to squeeze an apology out of the Jyllands Posten newspaper and its cultural editor, Flemming Rose, Imam Ahmad Abu Laban launched a campaign to spread the word to the wider Muslim world. Encouraged by several interviews with the Egyptian ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attia, Abu Laban set off for Cairo in December brandishing copies of the cartoons as well as three others that were not published and were even more offensive. His tour to drum up support for his...

Some other Americans expressed concern that perhaps this means America is losing its edge. Does this mean that we are NOT the Great Satan this week? Now Denmark is the Great Satan? Is America losing its greatness? Can we get it back? Is this a result of our failing competitiveness in the maths and sciences? (sigh) Americans, Americans, Americans. You have nothing to fear. Being "The Great Satan" -- just like being the original Satan -- is not a position you can apply for. Either you are the Great Satan or you aren't. You want proof? Who was the Great...

Danish paper won't run Holocaust cartoons Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST Feb. 9, 2006 The top editor of the Danish newspaper whose caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad sparked rage throughout the Islamic world said Wednesday the daily would not reprint Holocaust cartoons being solicited by an Iranian newspaper. Editor-in-Chief Carsten Juste said his newspaper Jyllands-Posten "in no circumstances will publish Holocaust cartoons from an Iranian newspaper." A prominent Iranian newspaper has said it would hold a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust to test whether the West extends the principle of freedom of expression to the Nazi genocide as it...

Muslims continued to react violently to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad today, prompting Denmark’s prime minister to call the situation a “global crisis” that is resulting in more deaths and destruction with each passing day. The decision of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten to publish the cartoon last September—and media in Europe and American to follow suit—has ignited a firestorm of violence from Syria to Lebanon and Afghanistan to Indonesia. The debate is even raging in America. Former Republican presidential candidate Pat Buchanan blamed the European press for inciting a religious war, while syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin has repeatedly asked U.S. newspapers...

New York - At the National Black Fine Art Show, a painting by Harlem artist "Tafa" depicts an upside down "Christ-like" figure with a face that resembles Osama bin Laden. No Christians have threatened the artist, or bombed the building where it is displayed, or attacked the city government. Throughout the Middle East, state-controlled newspapers regularly depict Jews and Israeli leaders in despicable, stereotypical and anti-Semitic caricatures. These cartoons show Jews with hooked noses; Stars of David morphing into swastikas; Palestinian and Arab blood drips from Jewish hands and Jews are blamed for creating AIDS. Neither those newspapers, nor Arab...

In 1945, the anti-Nazi German pastor Martin Niemoller wrote the following: "First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." This famous statement can be updated for Europeans: First they came for Israel, and we didn't speak up because we weren't Jews....

As world leaders pleaded for calm in the Mohammed cartoon row yesterday, the Danish Muslim leaders who set the crisis in motion insisted that they had been trying to promote a "dialogue of civilisations". They also angrily denied allegations from moderate Muslims and European intelligence services that hidden "masterminds" triggered the sudden explosion of protests, a full four months after 12 cartoons of the Prophet were first published in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, February 6, 2006 About 2,000 students of the Jamia Milia Islamia University clashed with police on Monday when they were stopped on their way to the Danish embassy to protest against caricatures of Prophet Mohammed. Prophet Mohammed caricatures had appeared in a Danish newspaper. Police said the students started to gather on the Janpath Road in central Delhi in the afternoon and wanted to go to the Danish embassy to protest. "When we tried to stop them, they started pelting us with stones," said Manish Agarwal, additional deputy commissioner of police. He added that water...

Orchestrated Muslim "Rage" by Charles Moore, Telegraph It's some time since I visited Palestine, so I may be out of date, but I don't remember seeing many Danish flags on sale there. Not much demand, I suppose. I raise the question because, as soon as the row about the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in Jyllands-Posten broke, angry Muslims popped up in Gaza City, and many other places, well supplied with Danish flags ready to burn. (In doing so, by the way, they offered a mortal insult to the most sacred symbol of my own religion, Christianity, since the Danish...

(Side Bar excerpt with picture): Young Danes in Copenhagen hold up a banner reading "Sorry" in support of those offended by the newspaper Jylland-Posten. The newspaper has apologized for publishing caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, but key editors say they don't regret the decision.

The Danish government stepped up efforts Tuesday to curb the damage caused by the publication of cartoons in a Danish newspaper linking the Prophet Muhammad to terrorism. But the moves failed to allay Muslim anger as retailers boycotted Danish goods in the Middle East and protesters in Gaza set fire to photos of Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. The economic fallout continued, with the French supermarket chain Carrefour announcing it was pulling Danish goods from its shelves in Arab countries. A day after the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, apologized for offending Muslims, the Danish foreign minister, Per Stig Moller, handed out...

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members hold anti-Denmark demonstration Sunday to protest recent publication of caricatures mocking Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspaper, threaten to harm Danish nationals in territories and urge them to leave area immediately. Dozens of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members held a demonstration against Denmark Sunday at the main square in the West Bank town of Nablus, shouted anti-Danish slogans and threatened to harm Danish targets located in the West Bank and Gaza. Sunday's demonstration is the last in a string of Muslim rallies to protest the recent publication of a series of caricatures mocking Muslim prophet Muhammad in the...

Five Danes guilty of Iraq abuse Capt Annemette Hommel was sent home early from Iraq A Danish army captain and four military police sergeants have been found guilty of abusing prisoners while they were based in southern Iraq. But the judge ruled that because of "extenuating circumstances", the five would not be punished. He said they had not received clear guidelines from the Danish military. Capt Annemette Hommel and the others were convicted of verbal humiliation and forcing prisoners to maintain painful postures during interrogation. Hard line Capt Hommel, 38, and the four other defendants had denied the accusations relating...

Recently, when a Danish author complained that he couldn’t find anyone to illustrate his book on the Muslim prophet, Mohammed, the cultural editor of Jyllands-Posten invited cartoonists to submit artwork for publication. Twelve responded, and, true to his word, editor Flemming Rose ran their cartoons in the newspaper. As we know, depictions of Mohammed are forbidden by Islam. Muslim immigrants to Denmark made outraged representations to an unrepentant Rose, claiming that the newspaper had deliberately provoked and insulted Muslims. “This type of democracy is worthless for Muslims,” Imam Raed Hlayhel wrote in a statement. “Muslims will never accept this kind...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - A Danish pizzeria owner was jailed Tuesday for refusing to serve French and German tourists in protesting their countries' opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq. A Danish court found Aage Bjerre guilty of discrimination and fined him $900. Bjerre refused to pay, and will now serve an eight-day sentence. "I'm doing it to show my sympathy with the United States. It shows how seriously I mean it," he told The Associated Press by telephone. "But one should also remember that eight days is a small price to pay when American soldiers go to Iraq and...

Per Stig Moeller wants a clear advice on the future of the treaty Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller has suggested that his country's referendum on the EU constitution may be called off.Danes had been due to take part in a legally binding vote on 27 September, but the re-think follows the French and Dutch rejection of the treaty. Mr Moeller said he did not expect EU leaders meeting this week to give a clear answer on the fate of the text. The charter has been ratified by 10 of the 25 member states so far. EU foreign ministers...