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Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has spoken out about the need for Sweden to stand up for press freedoms following the controversy surrounding the publication by a local newspaper of drawings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Asked whether Sweden risked being drawn into a similar situation as that faced by Denmark two years ago, Reinfeldt replied: "I think it's important to say two things. First, we are eager to ensure that Sweden remains a country in which Muslims and Christians, people who believe in God and people who don't believe in God, can live side by side in a spirit of...

Pakistan has added its voice to that of Iran in condemning the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in newspaper Nerikes Allehanda. Sweden has told Pakistan it is sorry if the publication hurt Muslim feelings. The protest concerned a cartoon by artist Lars Vilks, which showed the head of Muhammad on the body of a dog. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad said Pakistan condemned the publication "in the strongest terms." Related Articles Paper defends Muhammad dog cartoon 28th August 2007 Ahmadinejad claims 'Zionists' behind Swedish cartoon 28th August 2007 Iran protests over Swedish...

Sweden risks crisis over Prophet picture By David Ibison in Stockholm Published: August 29 2007 23:11 | Last updated: August 29 2007 23:11 What began as a harmless artistic experiment in Sweden is at risk of erupting into a repeat of last year’s crisis in Denmark that followed the publication of allegedly insulting cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The growing dispute in Sweden is linked to rondellhund – roundabout dogs – which are amateur and usually humorous sculptures of dogs placed covertly on roundabouts around the country as a form of counter-cultural expression.   When Lars Wilks, a Swedish...

The Swedish Foreign Ministry has played down the row surrounding a Swedish newspaper’s recent publication of a picture depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog. A spokeswoman for Foreign Mininster Carl Bildt told the newspaper ”Dagens Nyheter” that the Swedish government does not get involved in what newspapers write. The Foreign Ministry says it now considers the incident closed. The drawing, by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, appeared in a local newspaper in the city of Örebro, on August 19. Vilks originally produced three drawings depicting Mohammed as a roundabout, or traffic circle, dog. Iran lodged an official complaint with Sweden...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that "Zionists" were behind a cartoon in Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, which depicted the head of the Prophet Mohammed on a dog's body. The drawing sparked an official protest by Tehran to Stockholm. "They do not want the Swedish government to be a friend of other nations. I strongly believe they are behind it (the cartoon). They thrive on conflict and war," he said.

Leading figures in Sweden's media industry have backed newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, which has been criticised by Iran for publishing a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog. The paper itself has meanwhile defended its decision to publish.

  The United Nations and European Union have reached agreement to issue a joint statement condemning cartoon "insults to Islam" that were first published in a Danish newspaper and have been widely reprinted recently, resulting in a rash of violence throughout the Muslim world. According to a report in WAM, the United Arab Emirates news agency, the agreement is the work of Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference. The agreement, according to Ihsanoglu, will mean a formal rebuke by the U.N. and EU of the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten for publishing the offensive cartoons. The statement, he...

  Twisted ... 'suicide bomber' at Saturday's demo in London   LATEST NEWS 'Bomb' nut says I'm sorryBy PAUL THOMPSON and SUN ONLINE REPORTER A MUSLIM protester who dressed as a suicide bomber today apologised 'wholeheartedly' to the families of the July 7 bomb victims.  Omar Khayam, 22, claimed it was not his intention to cause offence.But he said his protest was still valid because of the hurt caused to Muslims across the world following the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.The Prime Minister's official spokesman today said the Government would support the police if they decided to take...

Ban on cartoons 'worrying' 05/02/2006 22:40  - (SA)     Related Articles SA Sunday papers gagged Cartoons offend SA Muslims    Johannesburg - The ban on the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in South Africa was worrying and conflicted with press freedom, the Media Institute of Southern Africa said on Sunday. Misa's Raymond Louw said the Johannesburg High Court's ruling on Friday stated that the right to dignity outweighed the right to freedom of expression. Judge Mohammed Jajbhay concluded that the cartoons were offensive and an affront to the dignity of the Muslim people. "Misa regards the ban as an...

There has been widespread condemnation of a demonstration by Muslim protesters who threatened violence during a march. Shadow home secretary David Davis said some of the messages on the placards amounted to "incitement to murder". The protest on Friday in London over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad saw slogans such as "7/7 is on its way". The police say they are studying photographs of those who attended and that arrests, if necessary, will be made at the "most appropriate time". Separate protests held on Saturday passed off peacefully. Police said more than 100 complaints had been received about the protests....