http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1703501,00.html
Gwladys Fouché and agencies
Monday February 6, 2006
MediaGuardian.co.uk
Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the cartoons of the
prophet Muhammad that have caused a storm of protest throughout the Islamic
world, refused to run drawings lampooning Jesus Christ, it has emerged today.
The Danish daily turned down the cartoons of Christ three years ago, on the
grounds that they could be offensive to readers and were not funny.
In April 2003, Danish illustrator Christoffer Zieler submitted a series of
unsolicited cartoons dealing with the resurrection of Christ to
Jyllands-Posten.
Zieler received an email back from the paper's Sunday editor, Jens Kaiser,
which said: "I don't think Jyllands-Posten's readers will enjoy the drawings.
As a matter of fact, I think that they will provoke an outcry. Therefore, I
will not use them."
The illustrator told the Norwegian daily Dagbladet, which saw the email: "I see
the cartoons as an innocent joke, of the type that my Christian grandfather
would enjoy."
"I showed them to a few pastors and they thought they were funny." He said that
he felt Jyllands-Posten rated the feelings of its Christian readers higher than
that of its Muslim readers.
But the Jyllands-Posten editor in question, Mr Kaiser, told MediaGuardian.co.uk
that the case was "ridiculous to bring forward now. It has nothing to do with
the Muhammad cartoons.
"In the Muhammad drawings case, we asked the illustrators to do it. I did not
ask for these cartoons. That's the difference," he said.
"The illustrator thought his cartoons were funny. I did not think so. It would
offend some readers, not much but some." The decision smacks of
"double-standards", said Ahmed Akkari, spokesman for the Danish-based European
Committee for Prophet Honouring, the umbrella group that represents 27 Muslim
organisations that are campaigning for a full apology from Jyllands-Posten.
"How can Jyllands-Posten distinguish the two cases? Surely they must
understand," Mr Akkari added. Meanwhile, the editor of a Malaysian newspaper
resigned over the weekend after printing one of the Muhammad cartoons that have
unleashed a storm of protest across the Islamic world.
Malaysia's Sunday Tribune, based in the remote state of Sarawak, on Borneo
island, ran one of the Danish cartoons on Saturday. It is unclear which one of
the 12 drawings was reprinted.
Printed on page 12 of the paper, the cartoon illustrated an article about the
lack of impact of the controversy in Malaysia, a country with a majority Muslim
population.
The newspaper apologised and expressed "profound regret over the unauthorised
publication", in a front page statement on Sunday.
"Our internal inquiry revealed that the editor on duty, who was responsible for
the same publication, had done it all alone by himself without authority in
compliance with the prescribed procedures as required for such news," the
statement said.
The editor, who has not been named, regretted his mistake, apologised and
tendered his resignation, according to the statement
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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