admin
08-29-2007, 03:44 PM
Swedish paper defends publishing Mohammad drawing
Wed Aug 29, 2007
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL2983558320070829
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish newspaper on Wednesday defended its
publication of a drawing depicting the head of the Muslim Prophet
Mohammad on the body of a dog, following an official protest from
Iran.
Daily Nerikes Allehanda published the drawing last week, prompting the
Iranian government to summon Sweden's charge d'affaires in Tehran on
Monday to object to what it called a disrespectful drawing.
The drawing was by Swedish artist Lars Vilks and was part of a series
which art galleries in Sweden had declined to display. The newspaper
published the image in what it called a defence of free speech.
"This is unacceptable self-censorship," the newspaper wrote in an
editorial on its Web site on Wednesday, referring to the reluctance by
galleries to exhibit Vilks's drawings.
"The right to freedom of religion and the right to blaspheme religions
go together," it wrote.
Last year, Muslims around the world launched a firestorm of protest
after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad
that were reprinted by other European newspapers.
Sweden's Muslim Council, an umbrella organisation for Islamic groups
in the country, took issue with Nerikes Allehanda's arguments.
Helena Benauda, chair of the council, said she was surprised because
the newspaper had been involved in a dialogue with Muslims following
the Danish controversy.
"I think they did understand our point of view -- that you should not
publish pictures that could be seen as racist, xenophobic or
anti-Semitic," Benauda told Reuters.
Ulf Johansson, editor-in-chief of Nerikes Allehanda, said there was a
difference between how his newspaper was approaching the issue and the
Danish case.
"This newspaper has always been very eager to defend Muslim rights in
Sweden and freedom of religion overall. But we are also very clear
that the freedom of speech goes hand-in-hand with that."
Wed Aug 29, 2007
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL2983558320070829
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish newspaper on Wednesday defended its
publication of a drawing depicting the head of the Muslim Prophet
Mohammad on the body of a dog, following an official protest from
Iran.
Daily Nerikes Allehanda published the drawing last week, prompting the
Iranian government to summon Sweden's charge d'affaires in Tehran on
Monday to object to what it called a disrespectful drawing.
The drawing was by Swedish artist Lars Vilks and was part of a series
which art galleries in Sweden had declined to display. The newspaper
published the image in what it called a defence of free speech.
"This is unacceptable self-censorship," the newspaper wrote in an
editorial on its Web site on Wednesday, referring to the reluctance by
galleries to exhibit Vilks's drawings.
"The right to freedom of religion and the right to blaspheme religions
go together," it wrote.
Last year, Muslims around the world launched a firestorm of protest
after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad
that were reprinted by other European newspapers.
Sweden's Muslim Council, an umbrella organisation for Islamic groups
in the country, took issue with Nerikes Allehanda's arguments.
Helena Benauda, chair of the council, said she was surprised because
the newspaper had been involved in a dialogue with Muslims following
the Danish controversy.
"I think they did understand our point of view -- that you should not
publish pictures that could be seen as racist, xenophobic or
anti-Semitic," Benauda told Reuters.
Ulf Johansson, editor-in-chief of Nerikes Allehanda, said there was a
difference between how his newspaper was approaching the issue and the
Danish case.
"This newspaper has always been very eager to defend Muslim rights in
Sweden and freedom of religion overall. But we are also very clear
that the freedom of speech goes hand-in-hand with that."