Bahrain pressure for apology from Denmark grows

Manama: Bahrain's official and popular pressure for an official apology from Denmark for the publication of cartoons offensive to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Muslims intensified on Sunday.

MPs have called for severing political and commercial ties, political societies expressed denunciations, the government sent a condemnation note to the Danish authorities and supermarkets threatened to boycott Danish products.

Fourteen MPs yesterday said that they would today ask the government to sever all political and commercial ties with Denmark at an emergency session by the Council of Representatives, normally in recess until February 14.

No equation

"We have requested the presence of the foreign minister to explain the government's position on the issue," MP Adel Al Mouawda said. "It is a highly critical matter and all Muslims must be united against anyone who targets Islam and the Prophet," he said.

Islamist MP Mohammad Khalid told Gulf News that the cartoons could not be equated with freedom of speech.

"Depicting the Prophet in a scabrous manner is not freedom of expression and must be resisted because it targets a religion and hurts the feelings of all Muslims. It is a provocatively distorted message that perpetuates the notion that Muslims are terrorists," he said.

In a memorandum to the Danish consulate, Bahrain said that it "condemned the cartoons which disrespect religion and hurt Muslims' feelings. "We also deplore the indifference of the Danish authorities to the protests of Arab and Muslim countries against this act," the government said.

Consul denies role in smear campaign

Denmark's honorary consul in Bahrain, Bjorne Bidsted, yesterday said his government was not in any way involved in a smear campaign against Muslims.

"The Danish government respects Islam as one of the world's major religions and has no wish or agenda to insult, mock or in any way behave disrespectfully towards Muslims," he told Gulf News.

Bidsted said that the Danish foreign minister, writing an OpEd in a Danish newspaper on January 4, warned against disrespect for religions.

"We have always had excellent ties with Muslim countries and we hope that the storm will be over soon so that we can work together towards a common future of peaceful co-existence and mutual help," he said.