Monday, March 10, 2008

Danes to Dutch: Buck Up.

Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, whose cartoon of Islam's prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban provoked worldwide rioting by Muslims, is urging the Dutch to show the controversial film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders that is critical of Islam:

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Danish cartoonist behind controversial images of the Prophet Mohammad has urged a Dutch right-wing politician to broadcast a film expected to be critical of the Koran despite fears it might spark violence.

Kurt Westergaard is the author of a series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed including one showing him with a bomb as a turban which triggered riots in the Muslim world and a boycott of Danish products when they were published in 2006.

Westergaard told the Dutch Volkskrant daily on Monday no Danish politician would dare to suggest blocking the film.

"That would mean political suicide. A Danish politician knows that you should not limit freedom of expression. Wilders must just show his film," he said in an interview.

Westergaard, who said he is about to move to a sixth hiding place and expects to need protection for the rest of his life, said he did not regret drawing the cartoons.

"In Denmark we have criticism of everything: the Queen, politicians, religion ... provoking debate is the job of the newspaper and so also of the cartoonist. Muslims have to accept that," he said.



Big Clanging Brass Balls. Bravo, Kurt Westergaard.

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