More than 50 per cent of Norwegians are of the opinion that it was wrong to publish the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed. This is shown by a survey made for Aftenposten by Norsk Respons.
Of those asked, 57 per cent said it was wrong to pubish the drawings, while 30 per cent say it was correct to publish them. 13 per cent were unsure.
The opposition to publishing is strongest among women. A noticeable majority of voters in all political parties, except the right wing Progress Party (FrP), are of the opinion that the drawings should never have been published.
FrP-voters are divided: 45 per cent say it was correct to publish, while 44 per cent are opposed.
A majority of those asked in the survey believe that in the long term the relationship between Muslims and other Norwegians will suffer from the publishing.
Nearly 60 per cent of those asked say the Norwegian government has handled the controversy in a very good or quite good manner.
