Scandinavian cartoons of Prophet criticised

Riyadh: Two groups of Muslim and Arab nations condemned on Thursday the publication by a Norwegian newspaper of cartoons showing the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The Organisation of Islamic Conference has said the caricatures could provoke acts of revenge.

The 12 cartoons drew fierce Muslim protests, even death threats, when they first appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September. Islamic tradition does not allow depiction of prophets.

On January 10, the Norwegian evangelical newspaper Magazinet reprinted the drawings in the name of defending free expression.

On Thursday, the Organisation of Islamic Conference, which groups 57 Muslim nations, said in a statement from its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that it "strongly denounces what the Norwegian newspaper has done by publishing again caricatures that mocked the Prophet."

The statement said what Magazinet had done "went beyond mere freedom of the press or expression to breaching international morals and principles."

The republishing of the cartoons "did not strengthen understanding between civilisations, cultures and religions. On the contrary, it falls into the trap set up by fundamentalists and fosters acts of revenge," the statement said.

It did not elaborate on the possible acts of revenge.

Shameful act

The OIC urged Christian and Jewish organisations to adopt "clear positions" on the issue.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups the six Arab states of the Gulf, said Thursday that Magazinet had committed a "shameful act," and urged the world to put a stop to similar incidents.

The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

Earlier on Thursday, the Iran Embassy in Oslo, Norway, denounced the cartoons, saying they "mock all religions, especially Islam and Muslims."

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Iranian diplomats had called on the ministry on Wednesday to protest the drawings.

The Gulf Cooperation Council said on Thursday that Magazinet had committed a "shameful act," and urged the world to put a stop to similar incidents.