Egypt bans Western papers over prophet cartoons

LIT FUSE: Demonstrators burn a Danish flag to denounce the publishing of a cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed. (Getty Images)

Egypt has banned the sale of four international newspapers for printing pictures "offensive to the prophet Mohammed", the official Mena news agency reported on Tuesday.

Under a decree issued by Information Minister Anas al-Fiqi, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Welt, Britain's Observer and the US Wall Street Journal will not be sold, Mena said.

"Any newspaper or magazine which publishes anything offensive to the prophet... and reprints the offensive caricatures of the prophet or anything offensive to the three heavenly religions will be banned," Fiqi said.

It was not immediately clear which day's editions were banned.

Last week, at least 17 Danish newspapers published the controversial cartoon, vowing to defend freedom of expression a day after Danish police said they had foiled a plot to murder the cartoonist.

The caricature, featuring prophet Mohammed wearing a turban that looked like a bomb with a lit fuse, was one of 12 cartoons published in September 2005 by the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper that sparked bloody riots in the Islamic world.

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READERS' COMMENTS

well done EGYPT
Posted by tanweermahmoodallah, dubai, UAE on Sunday 24 February 2008 at 17:13 UAE time

The Egyptians are the only Islamic country that took a stand against the West! All Islamic countries should ban Danish products completely, then we will see how "freedom of speech" will be supported. Individual boycotts will do very little.

You completely missed the point
Posted by Didi Ala on Sunday 24 February 2008 at 08:08 UAE time

Anne Jones completely missed the point of the whole issue.‎

Moreover, where did you get the idea that Muslims think that the Prophet (PBUH) is above ‎comment!!!‎

Muslims believe that ALL Prophets - and in fact every human being for that matter - are above ‎insults, derision and mockery.‎

Your comments are ridiculous!‎ If Muslims wanted to kill every one who was offensives them or the Prophets, there would have ‎been massacres.‎

There are many books that study history, and some of them accuse the Prophet (PBUH) with ‎many false claims, and these books are SOLD in almost all Muslim countries, because they ‎are presenting their views in a scientific way.‎

As for the rest of your topic, talk is very cheap!‎

Many westerns live in Muslim countries, and many Muslims live in western countries.‎

After 9/11 almost all Muslims in every western country faced a hell of difficult times, threats, ‎harassments, injuries and even death.‎

As for the westerns living with us, ask them, did any one say any thing to them when Muslim ‎countries were invaded, hundred of thousands Muslims were killed, many tortured in Abu ‎Ghraib, ... etc.
‎
Ask the westerners living in Muslim countries.‎ Don't let your prejudice and emotions control you.‎ Think positively. ‎

Missing the point
Posted by Anne Jones, London, UK on Thursday 21 February 2008 at 20:04 UAE time

This is ridiculous. The Danish papers have reprinted the cartoons in protest at the death threats against the cartoonist - something entirely glossed over by the previous comments. He published cartoons in a country whose laws permitted him too, in an accepted medium, within the remit of the publication. You may not like it, but it isn't a country that abides by the laws of Muslim countries. The prophet Mohammed (PBUH) may be important to Muslims but in a western country - that does not abide by Muslim values - he is not above comment. People who do not share your religion should not be expected to share your views. And before we launch into the "freedom of speech/ we should respect other people's values and views" argument, I'd like to say that I am grossly offended by numerous practices in the Middle East (permitted domestic violence, the practices of the religious police in Saudi Arabia, the treatment of domestic and labour workers in both the UAE and Saudi...and the list goes on) but I recognise that they don't abide by the laws of western countries. And I don't advocate murder as an answer to these issues, which all of you - by protesting against the papers and saying nothing about the death threats to the cartoonist's - are effectively endorsing.

Be self dependent
Posted by N. A. Mirza, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday 20 February 2008 at 12:22 UAE time


February 20, 2008

It’s a move to weaken the Muslim solidarity and unity. Muslims all over the world need not get provoked with the reprinting of controversial cartoons on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It may be even be a conspiracy to divert Muslims' attention and engage them in flare-up activities which ultimately help the publishers sell more copies of the newspapers while the Muslims will protest and the Muslims countries will boycott the Danish products. Past experience shows the boycott did not work and after a few days the Danish products were in the shelves of the supermarkets. What is needed at this and all the time for the Muslims is to keep their cool, be patient and plan long term strategies with options. Hitting the miscreants financially could one of the strategies but before that the Muslims countries will have to avoid dependence in every walk of life. This will automatically yield positive results.

N.A. Mirza

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