Fallout and response continue from the August 19 publication by the Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda of an artist's drawing of the head of the Prophet Muhammad on the body of a dog. (See prior posting.) Turkey's Department of Religious Affairs issued a statement protesting the caricature, calling for "a legal arrangement and agreement that will determine the limits between freedom of press and speech and desecration of religious values." It added: "Desecration of religious values of Islam fuels a global crisis and tension between the two worlds and leaves behind deep sorrows." (Turkish Press.)
Meanwhile the youth branch of the Islamic Felicity Party staged a demonstration in front of the Swedish embassy in Ankara, the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference criticized the paper, and the Muslim Council of Sweden, filed a lawsuit against the newspaper and artist Lars Vilks who drew the illustration. (Today's Zaman).
Nerikes Allehanda plans to run an Arabic translation of an editorial it has already published defending its position on free speech grounds. (Crosswalk).
