Danish Cartoons reprinted Muslim protests awaited

The controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have been re-printed by 11 Danish newspapers ( The Jyllands-Posten and other major newspapers - including Politiken and Berlingske Tidende) - reprinted the caricature in their Wednesday editions in a move of defiance and protest following the Danish police uncovering a plot to kill the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. The cartoonist and his wife have been under police protection connected with the Muhammed cartoons plot for three months.

The original publication of the Danish Muhammed cartoons which satirised the "peaceful" Islamic religion caused uproar around the Islamic world. Seemingly unaware that their actions simply reinforced the picture of Islam depicted by the cartoons, the Islamic world was full of fatwas and calls for the cartoonist and the newspaper editors to be beheaded.

The republishing of these cartoons is likely to be met with a similar response, as before, from around the Islamic world and we can expect to see street protests and much flag burning in the coming days. This will as usual be accompanied by the usual religious fatwas and death sentence pronouncements from fundamentalists within the Islamic religion. Again the irony of these reactions seem likely to be lost even on the majority within the Islamic community.

Religious sensibilities and the influence of religion on the conduct of life in the public sphere has been much in the news in recent days following the Archbishop of Canteburys ill -judged call for Sharia law to be given a more formal place within the framework of UK civil law.

This is a sensitive time for relations with the Muslim community, the majority of whom are no doubt decent and law abiding people.

The Archbishop of Cantebury had every right to raise the issues that he did, no matter that the majority of the population think his proposals foolish and dangerous. This is free speech. The publishing of the Danish cartoons must be seen in the same context, it is part of a difficult and sensitive debate about the role of religion and religious sensibilities in our modern society.

The reaction to the Archbishops call and the re-publishing of the Danish cartoons both give the same message - there is a ground swell of resistance to the influence and dangers posed by fundamentalist religious groups.

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