Boycotts Against Denmark Spread

Boycotts and outrage towards Denmark continue to increase after the Danish government announced it would not apologize for the publication of satirical cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed in Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten.

The scandal has been costly for Denmark and the international dimension of the incident has begun to increase.

EU authorities handled the issue at the General Affairs Council Monday and focused on "respect for beliefs".

After Libya closed down its representative office in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Palestinians protesting the cartoons raided an EU office in Gaza and an Iraqi group demanded attacks be instigated against Danish targets.

Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassadors to Copenhagen and the boycott against Danish products quickly spread to other Gulf countries and Egypt as well.

The dairy company, Arla Foods, has halted all exports to the Middle East and is considering laying off employees as it is losing around 1.3 million euros a day in lost sales.

Arla, unable to sell goods in the country, was forced to close its factory in Riyadh yesterday and halted the construction of its new factory. The pharmaceutical products of Novo Nordisk, selling 30 million euros annually, were removed from pharmacy shelves. Danish goods were also removed from stands in Kuwaiti markets, and the United Arab Emirates joined the boycott chain yesterday.

The organization of Muslim Brothers, the main opposition in Egypt, called for a boycott against Danish goods.

Marianne Carstenskiold from the Danish Industrialists Association said they are helpless, "We want to conduct dialogue with the region, but even if the problem is solved, it will take time to return to the old days."

The boycott also negatively affects Muslims living in Denmark. Some Danes have demanded via messages sent the local SMS network, "Do not buy anything from the restaurants and shops belonging to Muslims.".

Two Arla workers were beaten in Saudi Arabia and the EU office in Palestine was over taken by an armed group. The supporters of al-Fatah who raided the office demanded an apology from Denmark and Norway. The armed group called, Jaish al-Mujaheeden, called on its supporters to attack Danish and Norwegian targets. The Norwegian government had apologized when the Norwegian newspaper, Magazinet, reprinted the cartoons from Jyllands Posten. Scandinavian countries have asked their citizens not to travel to the Middle East.

The EU Commissioner for Commerce, Peter Mandelson, emphasized they will seek action from the World Trade Organization (WTO) if Saudi Arabia supports the boycott.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik stated after the EU General Affairs Council gathering yesterday, "With the help of freedom of expression and the press, some basic religious values should not be humiliated in order to find a solution."

The EU High Representative, Javier Solana, stressed “religious values should be respected and no religion should be humiliated."

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, backing the insulting cartoons published in Jyllands Posten on the grounds of "freedom of expression," said he did not approve of the cartoons adding, "I would never approve of the portrayal of Prophet Mohammed, Jesus or any other person in a humiliating way."

Rasmussen remarked that the government "will try its best to deal with the unfortunate events," while he continued to avoid making an official apology.

The country's leading cheese and butter producer, Arla's annual exports to Gulf countries reaches 400 million euros.

The Danish pharmaceutical firm, Novo Nordisk, and Danpo Chick and Grundfoss Water Pump companies export large amounts of goods to the region. Denmark's most fundamental trade partners among Muslim countries include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt, and Indonesia. Saudi Arabia tops the list with 300 million euros in exports; while Turkey imports 280 million euros annually from Denmark.

Do Not Boycott Danish Products

Mohammed Al-Jazairy

http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=3598

In front of one the exam halls of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, a young man stopped me with a smile and handed me a piece of paper. On it, clearly emotional words were written calling for the immediate boycott of Danish imports. Later, that same day, a text message appeared on my mobile phone demanding the same thing and asking me to spread the message to as many people as possible. The background for such a request is well known. A Danish newspaper, in a racially prejudiced manner, published a series of cartoons mocking our beloved Prophet Mohammad.

To start with, an economic boycott would be economically futile because the majority of the products that featured on the leaflets or were mentioned in the text messages are part of Saudi-owned franchises. This means that those who will suffer the most are in fact the local franchise owners. For example, amongst the products that we are asked to boycott is a product that is being marketed by a Saudi businessman who employs possibly up to three thousand Saudi people in his firm.

A story should be recounted at this point. During the peak of the call for boycotting American products, I discovered that every part of a sandwich sold by a certain American fast food chain was 100% Saudi. This chain alone employed seven thousand Saudis all over the kingdom. Moreover, that chain in particular plays a role in humanitarian efforts such as organizing excursions for orphans.

What is simultaneously distressing and funny about the boycott campaign of Danish products, is that some columnists seek a false heroism by stirring emotions. Others see the issue as an opportunity for readers to swallow their less radical opinions in other matters at other times. Finally, there are those who simply could not find a better topic to meet the deadlines of their publication.

What puzzled me even more was how a fish restaurant could promote that it boycotted Danish imports unless the owner had found this an excellent opportunity to promote his own restaurant through condemning foreign products, all at the expense of people's emotions. Surely, the Danish newspaper in question has committed an unacceptable act on all humanitarian levels. Surely, a strong reaction should be taken. However, the correct reaction is more along the lines taken by the Muslims of Denmark, that is, by filing a lawsuit in the Danish courts against the newspaper in defense of our religious symbol, because there they realize that freedom of the press is not without regulations and rules. As for the Saudi fish restaurant owner, it would be more respectable and effective for him if he supported financially the organizations that are filing the lawsuit.

We all condemn the newspaper and reject its unjustifiable attitude. However, playing on collective emotions should be abhorred. The responses of some Muslim communities in the West in dealing with the crisis are far more civilized than the Middle Eastern responses. Remember the Muslim Swedes who mourned for the Swedish Foreign Minister who died two years ago and prayed for her soul despite the fact that she was a Christian. Does this not resemble more the message of our beloved Prophet?

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