Islamic scholar calls off ban imposed on a Danish firm

Doha: Islamic scholar Yousuf Al Qaradawi has called off a ban on products distributed by Danish firm Arla after the company publicly condemned the publication of the controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), a local daily said here yesterday.

Qatar daily Peninsula said Doha-based imam Al Qaradawi called off the ban during an international conference in support of the Prophet being held in Bahrain this week.

"Islamic scholar Yousuf Al Qaradawi has stated that curbs imposed on Danish firm Arla will be withdrawn," the daily said.

"He praised Arla's stand for stating that there was no need to publish such cartoons unnecessarily. Because of this stand, he said that curbs should be withdrawn and the company's position would enable the opening of the avenues of dialogue for further such initiatives."

Arla had announced its position in a 52-page insert in an Arabic-language magazine, the daily said.

Al Qaradawi, an Egypt-born leading cleric and chair of the International Union of Muslim Ulema called for a ban of Danish products after 12 caricatures of the Prophet, first published in Denmark in September, were reprinted elsewhere provoking violent protests across the Muslim world, where they were condemned as blasphemous.

Following his appeal, retailers in Qatar and other Gulf countries started pulling Danish products off the shelves.