Muslim Outrage at Danish Cartoons

By: Sarah_Jones

Worldwide protest prompted by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have spread to New Zealand and explosively, to Beirut, where the Danish Embassy was set ablaze. There, thousands of Lebanese troops and police used tear gas to quell riots and the country's Interior Minister has resigned. In Afghanistan, one protestor was shot dead and others were wounded. And in Turkey, a Catholic priest has been gunned down on the doors of his church in apparent retaliation. And, as Stephen McDonell reports, now the cartoons have been published in Australia, where debate continues over insensitive media comment versus freedom of speech.

What's begin the outrage ?
Ingrid Mattson, professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary, said Muslims aren't upset just because the Danish cartoons disregard their religious beliefs. "These are racist depictions," she said. "They are along the lines of anti-Semitic depictions once seen in Europe. They are deliberately offensive and aimed at a minority which is already feeling marginalized."

Other Muslim activists said the images misrepresented the prophet by showing him as a terrorist, whereas he was a peace-loving man. The problem with the Danish cartoon seems to be that it insults Islam's most revered figure at a time when Muslims are particularly sensitive to Western perceptions.

What impact on the Danish Economy ?
Calls for Muslim consumers around the world to boycott Danish products . As a result, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Libya, Kuwait and the Palestinians pledged to join the boycott, and more Muslim countries are sure to follow. The boycott is already having an impact on sectors of Denmark's economy, with workers being laid off and businesses put at risk.

© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.