DL thank you for a proper link (even if monty python doesn't in fact steer future international relations:), and for not pointing out my appalling punctuation and grammar which made the a), b) and c)'s in one para ambiguous when they weren't intended to be.

Another interesting op-ed was posted today on the cartoon capers which may be of interest to posters, hopefully this link works. If not it'll be on the COFR site. http://www.cfr.org/publication/9861/

Arab journalists jailed over cartoons
Monday 13 February 2006, Al Jazeera
Algeria and Yemen have arrested journalists working for newspapers that have reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that led to protests around the world.
"On Sunday, Algeria closed two newspapers and arrested their editors for printing the images of the cartoons of the Prophet.
Kahel Bousaad and Berkane Bouderbala, respectively editors of the pro-Islamist weeklies, Errisala and Iqraa, were detained last week and will appear before an investigating judge in Algiers on Monday, staff of the two Arabic newspapers said.
A member of Iqraa's staff said: "The cartoons published in our weekly were [deliberately] fogged. They were accompanied by an article denouncing them."

The authorities were not immediately available for comment.

The Algerian authorities have condemned the cartoons and urged the Danish government to punish those behind their publication.

Reprinting in Yemen

Yemen detained three journalists on Sunday and is seeking a fourth after closing three publications that printed the cartoons. Al-Hurriya, Yemen Observer and al-Rai al-Aam were shut and their case sent to prosecutors.

The officials said those detained are Mohammad al-Asaadi, the editor-in-chief of the English-language Yemen Observer, Akram Sabra, the managing editor of al-Hurriya weekly newspaper and reporter Yehiya al-Abed of Hurriya.

The prosecution has issued a warrant for Kamal al-Aalafi, the editor-in-chief of al-Rai al-Aam.

The Yemeni journalists' association called for the release of the journalists and for the annulment of the closure decrees "because these measures were not ordered by a court".

"Reprinting the drawings was in the framework of responding to what the Danish newspaper published and informing the public about the offence to the Prophet," the message said.

This is not the first time the cartoons have appeared in the Arab press.

In October, the Egyptian Newspaper Al Fagr printed and condemned the cartoons, and last month two Jordanian newspapers published the images.

Jordan arrested Hashem al-Khalidi, editor-in-chief of a weekly tabloid called Al-Mehwar and Jihad Momani, the former editor-in-chief of Shihane newspaper...."

At http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3A6809B2-A7A4-4170-9B94-099FAEE84761.htm

Former President of USA, Bill Clinton, during the visit of Pakistan said, yesterday that publishers of cartoons be convicted and no media should be allowed to play with people’s religious sentiments’.
Bill Clinton on Friday strongly condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures, saying “it was a mistake and infringe the feelings of Muslim world,” and urged the countries concerned to convict the publishers. Talking to newsmen in Pakistan he said, “I strongly disagree with the creation and publication of sketches.” He said he was the first person who spoke against these blasphemous sketches. He said there is need to promote interfaith harmony the world over and stand together on the issue. Clinton said religious convictions of the people should be respected at all costs and no media should be allowed to play with the religious sentiments of people of any faith.
He said media can criticise issues including government, policies and people but no one has the right to play with the religious sentiments. Clinton said people in America have also condemned the publication and they are deeply concerned on it and added they respect Islam as it is fast growing religion in US. He said the world should avoid such things which could damage or harm the religious feelings of any group including Muslims.

So Malik, Bill Clinton has used his right of free speech and has condemned the cartoons. He also said that Muslims had squandered a great opportunity to improve understanding between the West and Islam.
The disproportionate response from the Muslim world to these cartoons, which, by the way, have also been published in newspapers in the Middle East and Asia, has only gone to prove that their message is in fact true.
There is also the lie that Islam proscribes images of the Prophet. That is not true, because there have been representations of the prophet in Islamic art over the centuries.
http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/

People in the West question the sense of proportion of Muslims who can riot, burn buildings, cause general mayhem over a few stupid cartoons, and issue death threats against the cartoonists with bounties on their heads, yet say nothing when innocent people in New York, Madrid, and London are killed by Islamic fundamentalist bombers.
They also say very little about the fact that it is largely Muslims of the Shiite variety who are being killed by their fellow Muslims who happen to be Sunnis, in Iraq.
If Islam is truly a religion of peace, how come we are seeing very little “peace” coming from them?

Alchemist,
Having just re-read your posts on this thread one could only conclude you are bordering on lunacy by your constant vindictive diatripe. It is obvious that because you constantly talk about the danger of religion and the control of religion it is you who live in paranoid fear.

Note the following:
1 - "The only way to stop this happening is remove relgion in this country and if the expression of their religion is more important than the safety and freedom of this country, then throw them out, their traitors."
Friday, 10 February 2006 6:58:56 PM

2 - "Religion want control, Christians as well... Because of the huge amount of weight that Religion has upon the powers that be, it looks like we will have to enter another huge war until the religious are reduced to levels where they can be pushed into their kindergarten churches and kept there... That may mean the death of billions in the end."

3 - "It's frightening to see theres no difference between the 3 opposing religious sides, christian, muslim, jew... same suspect history, same violent pasts, same violent present... the intelligent people of the world are petrified as to what the followers of god are taking...The virus religion, is rapidly spreading throughout the world, contaminating and destroying everything it touches...Your destroying this country, our cities, suburbs, ways of life."

"Once the people [atheists] get control, they won't want treacherous religions here, none of them."

The alchemist, Sunday, 12 February 2006

4 - "That makes them evil and dangerous.."

Posted by The alchemist, Sunday, 12 February

WHO ON THIS THREAD CONSTANTLY EXPRESSES FEAR AND LOATHING OF OTHERS VIEWS? WHO ON THIS THREAD IS CALLING FOR WAR THAT COULD WIPE OUT BILLIONS? A MAN OF PEACE EH? A HYPOCRITE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER!

Well what offends Muslims?Anything that can subjugate or lessen the power of the West.

It has nothing to do with Allah or the Prophet.Gods cannot be insulted.Only mortal feeble minded men who suffer from the inadaquacy of their own flawed reason can feel affronted.

Muslims jump up and down and scream murder only when it suits them.People like Bill Clinton cower in feigned respect only to placate the violence and not to address issues of freedom of thought and expression.

Bill Clinton disappoints me,even though I think that the Bush Administration is a farce,we don't need the PC attitude of not confronting all beliefs with logic,whether they be Christian,aethiests Muslims or agnostics.If any belief system cannot stand up to satire,ridicule or the rigors of analysis,it based on a lie and thus is being used to to enslave the masses for the glory of a few mortal men.

If we cannot parody the Muslim faith,then that means I can start a religion called Nazism whose beliefs laws and actions cannot be questioned.