Danes arrest three in plot to kill Mohammed cartoonist

[Muezzin]

JAN M. OLSEN

Associated Press

February 13, 2008

COPENHAGEN -- Danish authorities arrested three people yesterday suspected of plotting a cartoonist's assassination for his depiction of the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb-shaped turban that enraged Muslims two years ago.

Three of Denmark's largest newspapers said they would reprint the cartoon today to show they would not be intimidated by fanatics. It was one of 12 Mohammed cartoons published in 2005 and then again in 2006 that led to protests in Muslim countries.

In the uproar that followed, Danes watched in disbelief as angry mobs burned their flag and attacked their country's embassies in Muslim countries including Syria, Iran and Lebanon. Danish products were boycotted in several Muslim countries.

Jyllands-Posten initially refused to apologize for the cartoons, which the newspaper said it published in reaction to perceived self-censorship among artists dealing with Islamic issues, but later said it regretted that the cartoons had offended Muslims.

Investigators said they foiled the assassination plot in its early stages in a predawn raid in the western Denmark city of Aarhus. The police intelligence agency, PET, said two Tunisians and a Danish citizen of Moroccan origin were arrested.

"The case shows that, unfortunately, there are in Denmark groups of extremists that do not accept and respect the basic principles on which the Danish democracy has been built," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

Yesterday's arrests were meant "to prevent a terror-related assassination of one of the cartoonists behind the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed," PET chief Jakob Scharf said. Investigators believe the plot had not advanced far enough to try the suspects.

Chief Scharf said the 40-year-old Danish suspect faced a preliminary charge of violating a Danish terrorism law, but will likely be released after questioning. The two Tunisians will be expelled from Denmark, he said. He did not name the intended target, but Jyllands-Posten said it was the paper's cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard.

Mr. Westergaard, 73, drew one of the 12 Mohammed caricatures that were first published on Sept. 30, 2005, and then reprinted by other Western media early in 2006.

Source

This whole affair shows that human nature, be it to goad and provoke or to grossly and violently overreact, is the silliest cartoon of all.

 

[Al-Zaara]

Ah, I knew this would happen.

They are just prooving the wrong things with this action. Freedom of speech. It can be good, bad and oh so easily abused.

"The case shows that, unfortunately, there are in Denmark groups of extremists that do not accept and respect the basic principles on which the Danish democracy has been built,"

And one of them is making the same mistake twice? Just great. Go Denmark!

*sigh*

 

[krypton6]

Yesterday the picture was printed on the frontpage of a famous danish newspaper.
The 3 men suspected of planing the killing are 1 danish guy and 2 guys from Yemen, the've bin kicked out of Denmark and the last guy will probably not be charged due to the lack of evidence found.

They keep talking about freedom of speech yet forgetting the blasphemy part that is also a part of the danish law system.

Noone should be suprised if a bomb happend to blow of somewhere in Denmark in the near furture.

 

[Roasted Cashew]

Being a Muslim myself, I am ashamed that some Muslims would do such a thing and take law into their own hands. This is indeed the work of WEAK Muslims who get angry easily.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: A strong man is not he who defeats his adversary by wrestling, but a strong man is he who controls himself at the time of anger.

Indeed, I am disgusted by what the cartoonists did. It's a disgrace that people would let it go by calling it "freedom of expression" or even worse "criticism". I think people who can't differentiate between criticism and "insults" are idiots. I do believe in dialog and debate but such a thing is a direct provocation and shows how morally dead are the cartoonists and people who back them. I'm not sure how these people will behave when someone draw their mothers naked being screwed by another man. Maybe that would be "freedom of speech/expression" as well.

I am not sure how depicting Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) as a terrorist or womanizer helpful. Anyway, The Prophet was continuously berated, reviled, and denigrated. The Qur'an has documented in several verses the different accusations that were leveled at Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). Some of these charges, which probably mainly came from the polytheistic Arabs, accused Muhammad of basing the Qur'an on confused dreams; making it up; and being merely a poet, a madman, or a soothsayer:

Nay! They (the disbelievers) say: "[The Qur'an is] Medleys of dreams; nay! he has made it up; nay! he is a poet. So let him bring to us a sign as the former [prophets] were sent with" (21.5).

And they (the disbelievers) say: "O you [Muhammad] to whom the Remembrance (the Qur'an) has been revealed! You are a madman" (15.6).

Therefore continue [O Muhammad!] to remind; for by the grace of your Lord, you are not a soothsayer or a madman (52.29).

Yet, there is not a single verse in the Qur'an that told the Prophet or Muslims in general to respond to the accusers with any form of violence. If only Muslims could control their anger and behave like strong Muslims.

The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down.

 

[krypton6]

Well in fact nearly all danish newspapers have lined together and printed the cartoons on their frontpages.

How can you not do something about this? They talk about freedom of speech but as some one else said here, what if a picture of the danish queen screwing a man is printed on every newspaper on the globe, wouldnt they be mad then? What if it was a picture of their own mothers screwing a man, wouldnt they start doing some serius harm to the people printed it.

 

[Suomipoika]

How can you not do something about this? They talk about freedom of speech but as some one else said here, what if a picture of the danish queen screwing a man is printed on every newspaper on the globe, wouldnt they be mad then? What if it was a picture of their own mothers screwing a man, wouldnt they start doing some serius harm to the people printed it.

No.

Infact our mothers (and sisters and daughters) are insulted and ridiculed as cheap and fornicating prostitutes on just about every islamic board Ive visited just because they choose to live and dress differently as muslim women. Havent heard of violent reaction because of that yet.

 

[aamirsaab]

No.

Infact our mothers (and sisters and daughters) are insulted and ridiculed as cheap and fornicating prostitutes on just about every islamic board Ive visited just because they choose to live and dress differently as muslim women. Havent heard of violent reaction because of that yet.

That is disgusting to hear and am glad that there has not been any violence because of it. No benefit has come from this alleged point of freedom of speech. It has just turned people into anti-islamic and anti-danish lunatics who use freedom of speech to cause injustice as opposed to speaking out against it (which is partly the point of freedom of speech!).

I'm glad that those who were plotting to kill the cartoonist were arrested - we should rise above the taunts and show the true meanings of Islam.

 

[krypton6]

No.

Infact our mothers (and sisters and daughters) are insulted and ridiculed as cheap and fornicating prostitutes on just about every islamic board Ive visited just because they choose to live and dress differently as muslim women. Havent heard of violent reaction because of that yet.

Talking is a whole another thing, but pictures speak differently.

If a picture of your mother screwing a man was printed on the front page of newspaper wouldnt you do something about it? If not then there is something wrong with you.

When have anyone insultued your daughters, sisters and mothers for dressing differently? It is in fact people like you have have insulted Islam and how muslim woman dress and in return some muslims critisize the way that woman dress in the west, but insult? Naah..

 

[The_Prince]

lets stop attacking these Muslim brothers who were arrested because they are going to be FREED soon since there is no evidence.

this whole incident was a LIE and SHAM just to create more problems for the Muslim community.

 

[MTAFFI]

With the exception of one, it is good to see a repulsion for this sort of violence and stupidityhmmm5 thanks for the quotes

 

[The_Prince]

No.

Infact our mothers (and sisters and daughters) are insulted and ridiculed as cheap and fornicating prostitutes on just about every islamic board Ive visited just because they choose to live and dress differently as muslim women. Havent heard of violent reaction because of that yet.

well im not trying to be smart here, or condone what they said. but in the west being a prostitute is legal in many places, and fornication is also legal, and many do do it, it isnt something seen as bad or disgusting. so would calling western women prostitutes and fornicators consistute an insult or simply false claims?

i say it is simply false claims, not insults, because as i repeat according to westerners fornicating and so on isnt something bad, hence how can it be an insult when someone calls your a fornicating person? it is a mere false claim if you dont fornicate, nothing more, and nothing less.

 

[Keltoi]

well im not trying to be smart here, or condone what they said. but in the west being a prostitute is legal in many places, and fornication is also legal, and many do do it, it isnt something seen as bad or disgusting. so would calling western women prostitutes and fornicators consistute an insult or simply false claims?

i say it is simply false claims, not insults, because as i repeat according to westerners fornicating and so on isnt something bad, hence how can it be an insult when someone calls your a fornicating person? it is a mere false claim if you dont fornicate, nothing more, and nothing less.

You should be a politician...that is better than haggling over what the definition of "is" is.

 

[The_Prince]

Although the news of a plot to kill a cartoonist who drew a lampooning caricature of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) immediately made headlines, little attention was given to the fact they would soon be freed for lack of evidence.
Denmark's intelligence agency PET arrested on Tuesday, February 12, two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccan origin in the city of Aarhus.

They are accused of plotting to kill Kurt Westergaard, who drew a man described as Prophet Muhammad with a turban that looked like a bomb with a lit fuse.

The drawing, one of twelve commissioned and published by the mass-circulation Jyllands-Posten in 2005, triggered a storm of protests across the Muslim world and strained ties with Muslim countries.

Although the arrests were make after "after lengthy surveillance," PET chief Jakob Scharf admitted they would soon release the Dane and deport the Tunisians over lack of enough evidence to keep them in custody.

He justified that by saying they had to intervene "at a very early phase" because they "didn't want to take any unnecessary risks."

"The Tunisians have been in Denmark for eight years and are married to Danish Muslim women with children," Nidal Abu Arif, editor-in-chief of the Arabic-language Akhbar Denmark website (Akhbar.Dk) told IslamOnline.net over the phone from Copenhagen.

He said the pair will be expelled without court proceedings under the 2002 anti-terror law, which gives police powers to arrest and expel foreigners on suspicion.

But the government's announcement did not set well with many Danish Muslims.

"I think it is all fabricated," Munir Bin Ali, a young Danish Muslim from Aarhus, told Akhbar.Dk.

"It is the easiest thing in Denmark nowadays to concoct charges against Muslims. The charges are always there."

Frenzy


Rasmussen said he was "deeply concerned by these suspicions of a very serious crime."
The plot news made immediate headlines, not only in Denmark but overseas as well, and sparked a frantic reaction from Danes of every stripe.

Premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed deep concerns saying this "demonstrates that there are extremist groups in Denmark that do not recognize or respect the basic principles of society."

"In Denmark, we are free not only to think and speak as we please, but also to draw what we want. And the government will protect this freedom of expression," said in reminiscent tone of his stance during the cartoon crisis.

The Liberal Party added its condemnation.

"An attack against a Danish cartoonist is an attack against Danish democracy," the party's spokeswoman Inger Stoejberg said in a statement.

Jyllands-Posten chief editor Carsten Juste said it was "shameful that a man who is doing his job well and in accordance with Danish law and press ethics is rewarded with demonization and concrete murder threats."

Some newspapers reportedly plan to re-print the offensive cartoon on Wednesday, February 13, in a show of solidarity.

Even Muslim leaders were quick to distance themselves from the "plot" with a torrent of statements and condemnations.

"There is freedom of expression in Denmark…and it doesn't help our cause when some people want to seek out their own form of justice," Kassem Ahmad, the head of the Islamic Community, said in a statement.

"It is very alarming indeed and of course we condemn strongly any one violating Danish laws," Sheikh Radwan Mansour, the imam of a mosque in Aarhus, told Akhbar.Dk.

"But I call on politicians and media outlets not to level impromptu charges before law takes its course to figure out whether these youths were victims of victimizers."

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...57843285&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout

no one was planning to kill anyone, end of story.

 

[Gator]

well im not trying to be smart here, or condone what they said. but in the west being a prostitute is legal in many places, and fornication is also legal, and many do do it, it isnt something seen as bad or disgusting. so would calling western women prostitutes and fornicators consistute an insult or simply false claims?

i say it is simply false claims, not insults, because as i repeat according to westerners fornicating and so on isnt something bad, hence how can it be an insult when someone calls your a fornicating person? it is a mere false claim if you dont fornicate, nothing more, and nothing less.

So, just to clarify, according to you all women in the West are fornicating prostitutes.

Got it. Buy the way, that would be considered an insult.

Thanks.

See no violence.

 

[*Hana*]

Being a Muslim myself, I am ashamed that some Muslims would do such a thing and take law into their own hands. This is indeed the work of WEAK Muslims who get angry easily.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: A strong man is not he who defeats his adversary by wrestling, but a strong man is he who controls himself at the time of anger.

Indeed, I am disgusted by what the cartoonists did. It's a disgrace that people would let it go by calling it "freedom of expression" or even worse "criticism". I think people who can't differentiate between criticism and "insults" are idiots. I do believe in dialog and debate but such a thing is a direct provocation and shows how morally dead are the cartoonists and people who back them. I'm not sure how these people will behave when someone draw their mothers naked being screwed by another man. Maybe that would be "freedom of speech/expression" as well.

I am not sure how depicting Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) as a terrorist or womanizer helpful. Anyway, The Prophet was continuously berated, reviled, and denigrated. The Qur'an has documented in several verses the different accusations that were leveled at Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). Some of these charges, which probably mainly came from the polytheistic Arabs, accused Muhammad of basing the Qur'an on confused dreams; making it up; and being merely a poet, a madman, or a soothsayer:

Nay! They (the disbelievers) say: "[The Qur'an is] Medleys of dreams; nay! he has made it up; nay! he is a poet. So let him bring to us a sign as the former [prophets] were sent with" (21.5).

And they (the disbelievers) say: "O you [Muhammad] to whom the Remembrance (the Qur'an) has been revealed! You are a madman" (15.6).

Therefore continue [O Muhammad!] to remind; for by the grace of your Lord, you are not a soothsayer or a madman (52.29).

Yet, there is not a single verse in the Qur'an that told the Prophet or Muslims in general to respond to the accusers with any form of violence. If only Muslims could control their anger and behave like strong Muslims.

The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down.

Salam Alaikum!

Jazak Allah Khair, brother for posting this.

I for one am sick and tired of Muslims that react with violence, disrespect and vandalism to protest violence, disrespect and vandalism, and those that sit on their butts in front of a pc and try to justify it.

There is not ONE word in the Qur'an or hadith that justifies this pathetic behavior and, in fact, it is totally outside the teachings of Islam. Anyone that thinks behaving this way somehow shows the truth and beauty of Islam is way out of line and is contributing to the false image news agencies report.

And, of course, typical response is to exaggerate (like a fornicating mother), which is a ridiculous, disgusting and a pointless analogy, to try to justify one bad behavior for another. If your mother is shown in a picture fornicating, you may have other more important issues to contend with. :embarrass

The poor behavior and choices of a Non-Muslim to disrespect our belief has nothing to do with pornography and should, in no way, effect our lives to the point where we are made to react like savages.

Why don't we hear more screaming and ranting when some Muslims choose to butcher our faith! When they make Islam and Muslims look like intolerant, uneducated barbarians!? Where is THAT outrage??!! Does any Muslim truly believe Prophet Muhammed, pbuh, would encourage that and behave that way?

Prophet Muhammed, pbuh, and His companions endured far more than this and NEVER ONCE behaved in this manner. How can your faith be so incredibly weak that you allow a fake picture drawn by a non-Muslim, or the uneducated words of a non-Muslim bring you so far outside the teachings of Islam. Wallahi, it boggles my mind!

We have to stop behaving like everything is a conspiracy and start taking responsibility for our own bad behavior. If we put as much energy into uniting the Ummah instead of using all that energy to blame everyone else for our division, we might actually progress!

Anyway, that's my rant.

Hana

 

[Gator]

Well in fact nearly all danish newspapers have lined together and printed the cartoons on their frontpages.

How can you not do something about this? They talk about freedom of speech but as some one else said here, what if a picture of the danish queen screwing a man is printed on every newspaper on the globe, wouldnt they be mad then? What if it was a picture of their own mothers screwing a man, wouldnt they start doing some serius harm to the people printed it.

Are you really this primitive or are you simply a troll?

 

[*Hana*]

well im not trying to be smart here, or condone what they said. but in the west being a prostitute is legal in many places, and fornication is also legal, and many do do it, it isnt something seen as bad or disgusting. so would calling western women prostitutes and fornicators consistute an insult or simply false claims?

i say it is simply false claims, not insults, because as i repeat according to westerners fornicating and so on isnt something bad, hence how can it be an insult when someone calls your a fornicating person? it is a mere false claim if you dont fornicate, nothing more, and nothing less.

Are you saying this doesn't happen in predominately Muslim lands?? I got news for you, brother! It DOES happen. Whether or not you see it in the open is one thing, but just because it is hidden, doesn't mean it doesn't happen!!

Not everyone in the west is running around fornicating and prostituting themselves. Let me tell you something else, someone out prostituting themselves or having multiple sex partners IS seen as inappropriate and disgusting by MANY living in the west!!

Please stop with the generalizations here, brother, and realize all countries have the same issues, it's just that in some countries it is hidden and denied!

Hana

 

[crayon]

Being a Muslim myself, I am ashamed that some Muslims would do such a thing and take law into their own hands. This is indeed the work of WEAK Muslims who get angry easily.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: A strong man is not he who defeats his adversary by wrestling, but a strong man is he who controls himself at the time of anger.

Indeed, I am disgusted by what the cartoonists did. It's a disgrace that people would let it go by calling it "freedom of expression" or even worse "criticism". I think people who can't differentiate between criticism and "insults" are idiots. I do believe in dialog and debate but such a thing is a direct provocation and shows how morally dead are the cartoonists and people who back them. I'm not sure how these people will behave when someone draw their mothers naked being screwed by another man. Maybe that would be "freedom of speech/expression" as well.

I am not sure how depicting Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) as a terrorist or womanizer helpful. Anyway, The Prophet was continuously berated, reviled, and denigrated. The Qur'an has documented in several verses the different accusations that were leveled at Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). Some of these charges, which probably mainly came from the polytheistic Arabs, accused Muhammad of basing the Qur'an on confused dreams; making it up; and being merely a poet, a madman, or a soothsayer:

Nay! They (the disbelievers) say: "[The Qur'an is] Medleys of dreams; nay! he has made it up; nay! he is a poet. So let him bring to us a sign as the former [prophets] were sent with" (21.5).

And they (the disbelievers) say: "O you [Muhammad] to whom the Remembrance (the Qur'an) has been revealed! You are a madman" (15.6).

Therefore continue [O Muhammad!] to remind; for by the grace of your Lord, you are not a soothsayer or a madman (52.29).

Yet, there is not a single verse in the Qur'an that told the Prophet or Muslims in general to respond to the accusers with any form of violence. If only Muslims could control their anger and behave like strong Muslims.

The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down.

Exactly.:sunny:

 

[MTAFFI]

Salam Alaikum!

Jazak Allah Khair, brother for posting this.

I for one am sick and tired of Muslims that react with violence, disrespect and vandalism to protest violence, disrespect and vandalism, and those that sit on their butts in front of a pc and try to justify it.

There is not ONE word in the Qur'an or hadith that justifies this pathetic behavior and, in fact, it is totally outside the teachings of Islam. Anyone that thinks behaving this way somehow shows the truth and beauty of Islam is way out of line and is contributing to the false image news agencies report.

And, of course, typical response is to exaggerate (like a fornicating mother), which is a ridiculous, disgusting and a pointless analogy, to try to justify one bad behavior for another. If your mother is shown in a picture fornicating, you may have other more important issues to contend with. :embarrass

The poor behavior and choices of a Non-Muslim to disrespect our belief has nothing to do with pornography and should, in no way, effect our lives to the point where we are made to react like savages.

Why don't we hear more screaming and ranting when some Muslims choose to butcher our faith! When they make Islam and Muslims look like intolerant, uneducated barbarians!? Where is THAT outrage??!! Does any Muslim truly believe Prophet Muhammed, pbuh, would encourage that and behave that way?

Prophet Muhammed, pbuh, and His companions endured far more than this and NEVER ONCE behaved in this manner. How can your faith be so incredibly weak that you allow a fake picture drawn by a non-Muslim, or the uneducated words of a non-Muslim bring you so far outside the teachings of Islam. Wallahi, it boggles my mind!

We have to stop behaving like everything is a conspiracy and start taking responsibility for our own bad behavior. If we put as much energy into uniting the Ummah instead of using all that energy to blame everyone else for our division, we might actually progress!

Anyway, that's my rant.

Hana

I am with you 100%... Great post

 

[Muezzin]

It's definitely good they were arrested, if the allegations are true. Like that nutter who murdered Theo Van Gogh.

Just because somebody says something offensive doesn't give anyone else, whether they're Muslim or non-Muslim, the right to harm or kill them. That's just... insanity.

Would the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have reacted so? I think not.

EDIT: I thought it would be prudent to add a poll. Whoo-hoo.