Cartoons cause cleric uproar
2006-01-21 17:55
Cairo - An international group of Muslim scholars has threatened to call a boycott of Danish and Norwegian products following the publication of cartoons they deemed offensive to their religion.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars released a statement on Saturday, calling on "the leaders of Denmark and Norway to take a firm stance against these repeated attacks on the Muslim nation and the prophet".
Cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, published in a Danish daily last September, and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine earlier this month, have sparked an uproar in the Muslim world, since images of the prophet are considered blasphemous.
The scholars warned that failure to withdraw the cartoons would result in the group urging "millions of Muslims across the world to boycott Danish and Norwegian products.
The body is headed by radical Egyptian-born cleric, Yusef al-Qardawi.
Officials in Muslim countries and various religious bodies have voiced their indignation over the cartoons, while the editors of the newspapers have retorted they were simply exerting their freedom of expression.