| Egypt banned editions of four foreign newspapers including the New York-based Wall Street Journal and Britain's The Observer for reprinting the controversial Danish cartoons criticizing the Prophet Muhammad, the state-run news agency reported Tuesday. Two German newspapers, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Die Welt, were also banned, according to the Middle East News Agency, quoting Information Minister Anas el-Fiqi. The papers are only sold in Egypt at newsstands specializing in foreign publications. The issue of the cartoons, which exploded in 2006, returned to prominence recently when more than a dozen of leading Danish newspapers reprinted the 12 cartoons in a gesture of solidarity after police revealed a plot to kill one of the artists. ...The re-emergence of the cartoon issue also prompted thousands of students to demonstrate in the southern conservative university of Assiut against the insults to Islam's most revered figure. "Anything but our prophet," students led by their dean and professors chanted while marching around campus. "Jews, Jews, watch out, the army of Muhammed will return," they also said. |
Danish Muslims are asking why and still not getting the concept of free speech and expression.
| "A lot of people are afraid of Islam today in Denmark and when they are afraid of Islam it means they are afraid of me too," says Sofian, who was born in Denmark but feels he no longer has a future there. "When the same thing happens again it's tiring and we despair," says Kamran. "I am hurt, as I was the first time," says Feisal, who works in marketing and was also born in Denmark. He believes the problem is not Danish society but the media. "The Danish press should have learned from their previous mistakes and the only thing the Muslims are asking for is respect, nothing else". Feisal says he cannot understand why the media keeps focusing on the idea that Muslims are trying to take their freedom of speech away from them. "It's the media who started it this time, so I feel a lot of it is their fault," agrees Kamran, who also thinks there has been some positive dialogue with ordinary Danish people. |
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