Saudi Arabia - Denmark, a love story?

[TransformX]

Saudi recalls ambassador over Danish cartoon row
Saudi cleric warns Denmark over cartoon row

[Tjalfe]

here are the cartoons in question.

http://www.newspaperindex.com/blog/2005/12/10/un-to-investigate-jyllands-posten-racism/

Denmark has freedom of press, the government has backed this and not apologized.

Muslim immigrants in Denmark have travelled to muslim countries lobbying the governments there to do something about it.

Danish politicians have called this treason.

[Umfriend]

Seems to me that that (the Danish politicians') is a sensible position.

[schmosef]

Muslim immigrants in Denmark have travelled to muslim countries lobbying the governments there to do something about it.

Not only that. They've lied about the cartoons.

Brochures that they are handing out in Muslim countries contain more cartoons than were actually printed by the paper.

[TransformX]

Anyway, it could serve for a great debate about democracy, free speech and where hurting some people's feelings draws a/the line, if at all.

[Elie]

This cartoons were funny!!

[KvHagedorn]

[schmosef]

How resolute is the Danish government's stance?

I've read about boycotts of Danish businesses being organized in Saudi Arabia and just now about recent threats of suicide attacks. All over these cartoons.

Will they cave? I hope not. Canada, under the former Liberal party government, would. Not sure what our new Conservative parther government would do.

[Admiral]

I move for simmilar boycotts in Denmark

[schmosef]

The Saudi's only export of note is oil. And I'm all for spending billions or even trillions of dollars to develop new sources of energy. The Saudis would have zero influence if not for oil.

[Tjalfe]

How resolute is the Danish government's stance?

I've read about boycotts of Danish businesses being organized in Saudi Arabia and just now about recent threats of suicide attacks. All over these cartoons.

Will they cave? I hope not. Canada, under the former Liberal party government, would. Not sure what our new Conservative parther government would do.

we will have to wait for some of the danes to check in and give us a heads up. I can translate any and all of the local newspapers, but they, living there, would have a much better idea what exactly is happening.

[schmosef]

Norway Apologizes over Muhammad Cartoons

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/722

[KvHagedorn]

Nutless worthless government.

[JTD]

As it looks at the moment, neither our govenment nor the newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) will give an outright apology.
In an opinion poll made yesterday, the danes (around 60-70%) make it very clear that no one should apologise for the drawings. The chief editor from Jyllands-Posten has written an open letter to the arab countries (perhaps Tjalfe can make better translation of it than i can. )

Another reason for this happening now (and not 4 months ago when the drawings was actually in the news paper) is most likely because Saudi Arabia has internal problems. The saudi govenment needs to draw attention away from these problems and what's easier than blaming others for something else (especially when you can bring religion in to it).

Now it seems that Kuwait and Iran has joined (or is about to join) this boycot (which according to the saudi govenment isn't arranged by them), but if this boycot escalates further, there is talk of bringing in the EU commission.

Some may think that Jyllands-Posten shouldn't have brought the drawings in the first place, but we have a long tradition for making satiric drawings (and starting a debate with them) in the papers, and no one can escape this (our govenment is usually the main target for these drawings).

[schmosef]

As it looks at the moment, neither our govenment nor the newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) will give an outright apology.
In an opinion poll made yesterday, the danes (around 60-70%) make it very clear that no one should apologise for the drawings. The chief editor from Jyllands-Posten has written an open letter to the arab countries (perhaps Tjalfe can make better translation of it than i can. )

Another reason for this happening now (and not 4 months ago when the drawings was actually in the news paper) is most likely because Saudi Arabia has internal problems. The saudi govenment needs to draw attention away from these problems and what's easier than blaming others for something else (especially when you can bring religion in to it).

Now it seems that Kuwait and Iran has joined (or is about to join) this boycot (which according to the saudi govenment isn't arranged by them), but if this boycot escalates further, there is talk of bringing in the EU commission.

Some may think that Jyllands-Posten shouldn't have brought the drawings in the first place, but we have a long tradition for making satiric drawings (and starting a debate with them) in the papers, and no one can escape this (our govenment is usually the main target for these drawings).

That's really encouraging news JTD!

For anyone who's not seen the cartoons, you can see them here: http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/698.

(you have to scroll down a little bit)