COPENHAGEN, January 31, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) Representatives of Danish Muslims said Tuesday, January 31, they accepted the apology of a Danish newspaper for its blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), urging more reasonable tone about Islam and Muslims and steps to stop a boycott of Danish products in the Muslim world.
"We will clearly and articulately thank the prime minister (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) and Jyllands-Posten for what they have done," Kasem Ahmad, spokesman for Denmark's Islamic Faith Community, said Tuesday, January 31, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Carsten Juste, editor-in-chief of Jyllands-Posten, apologized Monday for his daily's printed blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Published last September, the 12 cartoons included portrayals of the Prophet wearing a time-bomb shaped turban and showed him as a knife-wielding nomad flanked by shrouded women.
Initially passing with little comment, they were later reprinted in a Norwegian magazine, prompting an international uproar and calls for an apology from leading Muslim scholars and politicians alike.
Ending Boycott
Danish Muslims have also urged cooperation to stop an economic boycott of the Danish products in the Muslim world following the daily's apology.
"We have to work together now to establish a more reasonable tone in the debate and a good dialogue about Islam and Muslims. And then we have to work on how we can stop this boycott that is harming business in Denmark," Amhad was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, a prominent Muslim figure in Denmark, echoed similar calls for ending Muslim boycott of Danish products.
"We are against economic boycotts and are sincerely sorry that it has come to this. It was not our intention that Denmark should be hit by such sanctions," Abu Laban said.
Muslim countries have stepped up boycott of Danish products following the anti-prophet cartoons, with Gulf retailers pulling Danish products from their shelves.
Danish-Swedish dairy giant Arla Food, one of Europe’s largest dairy producers, has been the hardest hit by the Muslim boycott and was forced on Monday to shut down production completely in Saudi Arabia.
Arla Food sells an estimated two billion kroner (268 million euros, 328 million dollars) worth of products every year to Saudi Arabia.
Not Enough
But some Danish Muslims said the Jyllands-Posten apology was not enough, calling for more conciliatory steps over the issue.
Jihad El-Fara, President of the Muslim Council in Denmark, said he felt sorry for the losses sustained by the Danish companies over the boycott, but said the paper’s apology is not enough.
"Muslims shouldn’t be complacent about an apology," Fara told IslamOnline.net over the phone from the Danish capital.
He said the incident should be used by Danish Muslims to press for an official representative body and for an official recognition of the Muslim faith in the European country.
"We want to be treated as equals with Christians, Jews and Sikhs, whose religions are officially recognized by the state," he fumed, putting the unofficial number of Muslims at some 180,0000 people.
"We must have a grand mosque in the city capital with a minaret, which will serve as a center for disseminating true information on Islam and helping clear stereotypes."
Fara admitted that Danish Muslims were not trying their best, but added that the Danish government is also to blame for disunity.
"The Belgian government, for instance, has moved recently to encourage Muslims to have an official umbrella body," he said.
Islam is Denmark's second largest religion after the Lutheran Protestant Church, which is actively followed by four-fifths of the country's population.
