AMMAN -- The Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Danish honorary consul in Jordan to discuss the controversial cartoons deemed insulting to Prophet Mohammad and Islam, which were published in a Danish newspaper, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported.
Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib had telephoned his Danish counterpart Per Stig Moller to express "Jordan's rejection of acts to insulting Islam, and calling for measures to put an end to these acts," according to Petra.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom's Professional Associations Council (PAC) criticised the "international community for its silence on the crime committed against the Prophet.
"The silence of Muslim and Arab regimes is an uglier crime than insulting the Prophet. This represents absolute helplessness and double standards," PAC said in a statement released yesterday.
The associations called on the Arab and Muslim people to sever diplomatic, economic and media relations with Denmark and Norway and boycott products from the two Scandinavian countries.
"The professional associations reject and condemn unfairness against Islam and Prophet Mohammad, who built a civilisation based on justice, freedom, equality and preserving human rights and freedoms," the statement said.
Late last year, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published an article on freedom of speech saying that artists were unwilling to depict the Prophet and were withholding their identity for fear of retribution from the Muslim world. The article included 12 depictions of Prophet Mohammad by several Danish cartoonists.
Last December, a Norwegian monthly magazine also published the cartoons.
In one of the drawings, an image presumably of the Prophet, appears with a turban shaped like a bomb strapped to his head.
Several Arab and Muslim countries have expressed their dismay over the "cartoons."
Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday he had written to his counterparts in Denmark and Norway to protest over the publication of "ridiculous and revolting" cartoons, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"We hope not to see such ridiculous and revolting insults by mercenary writers anymore. They hurt the feelings of more than one billion Muslims," AFP quoted the minister as saying.
The Saudi ambassador to Copenhagen was recalled to Riyadh last week in protest at the Danish government's position on the publication of cartoons, and Kuwait said Saturday it would summon the Danish ambassador over what it called "despicable racism."
On the popular level, several Islamic organisations are conducting a campaign on the Internet for the boycott of Danish and Norwegian products.
Danish food giant Arla Foods said it was being targeted by a boycott in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, a poll published on Saturday showed that the majority of Danes feel their government and media should not apologise to Muslims over the cartoons.
In a poll for Danish Radio conducted by the Epinion research institute, 79 per cent of those questioned said the government should not apologise on Denmark's behalf, 18 per cent said it should and three per cent were undecided.
The poll, which questioned 579 people in Denmark, also indicated that 62 per cent said Jyllands-Posten should not apologise, 31 per cent said it should and seven per cent were undecided.
A statement released by the Danish embassy in Damascus last Thursday denied that the cartoons were part of a smear campaign against Muslims in Denmark, and said the Danish government respects Islam as one of the world's major religions.
Last week, the Norwegian foreign ministry asked its diplomats posted in Muslim countries to express regrets to their host governments about the reprinting of the cartoons.
Also on Saturday, Reporters Without Borders voiced concern about what they said was a call from the Jordanian Parliament to punish the cartoonists.
"Islam forbids any representation of the Prophet and we realise that these cartoons may upset some people, but it is not acceptable for the parliament of a supposedly democratic country to call for the cartoonists to be punished," the press freedom organisation said.
Last week, the Lower House of Parliament issued a statement condemning the newspapers for their "ugly crimes."
"This practice is a manifestation of hidden hatred, racism and sick-mindedness that tries to insult the Prophet whose message was based on respect for all prophets and religions," the Lower House statement added.
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
© Jordan Times 2006
