[Reader-list] The Slimes of India's Patna edition reprints Danish cartoon

[Shivam]

This seems to me rather mischievious from the very start: first print
them and then say sorry. What a convenient alibi, an apology.
S.



Muslims angry at newspaper over cartoons; editor apologises

http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=3691


Patna: Muslims Monday burnt copies of the Times of India here to
protest the publication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad in the
local edition of the newspaper.

Hundreds of Muslims, most of them youths, shouted slogans and demanded
dismissal of the editor-in-chief of the Times of India for publishing
the cartoons of the prophet that were originally carried by a Danish
newspaper.

Raj Kumar, resident editor of the Patna edition of the Times of India,
said: "We tendered an unqualified apology on Sunday to a delegation of
prominent Muslims and also published an apology on the front page of
the newspaper.

"Our intention was not to hurt the Muslims, but to show how
blasphemous cartoons were being published abroad. But we have realised
this was a mistake on our part, and we are sorry for it," Raj Kumar
told IANS.

Some protestors threatened to block the sale of the newspaper across
Bihar. "We will not allow the sale of newspapers like the Times of
India unless they publicly apologise to Muslims," said Anwar Karim, a
student participating in the protests.

Rahmat Ansari, a government employee, said the publishing of the
cartoons of Prophet Mohammad was tantamount to playing with the
sentiments of millions of Muslims.

The protesters said the cartoons were first published three days ago,
leading to angry reactions from Muslims.

"Members of the community took out a protest march and submitted a
memorandum to the editor in charge of the local edition," said
businessman Salamat Khan.

The cartoons were originally published by the Danish daily
Jyllands-Posten last September. Islam forbids the depiction of the
prophet in pictures or drawings.

There have been protests against the cartoons in several Muslim
countries. Some Muslim nations have recalled their envoys from
Copenhagen and the Scandinavian capitals.

Newspapers in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Hungary
reprinted the caricatures, saying that press freedom was more
important than protests and provoking boycotts.