STOCKHOLM,
February 10, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The
Swedish government has acted swiftly to prevent what could have been
another "cartoon war" when it canceled a contest planned by
a Swedish right-wing party on cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him).
"Swedish
Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds decided to halt the Web site of the
small nationalist party Sweden Democrats, which planned the Prophet
cartoons contest," Abdul Razik Wabri, official of the Islamic
League of Sweden, told IOL Friday, February 10.
The
move was taken after talks Thursday, February 9, between the Swedish
top diplomat and the political parties in the Scandinavian country, he
added.
The
Web site launched a competition for Prophet Muhammad cartoons on
January 10.
One
of the 40 contributions it had received had already been published on
the site.
The
drawing depicted Prophet Muhammad from the back holding up a mirror.
The reflection of his face has the eyes barred over and the caption
reads "Mohammedan self-censorship".
Last
September, Jyllands-Posten ran 12 cartoons of Prophet Muhammad
including one wearing a bomb-shaped turban and another showing him as
a knife-wielding nomad flanked by shrouded women.
Many
European papers and magazines reprinted the drawings, considered
blasphemous under Islam, triggering an outcry across the Muslim world
and calls to boycott Danish products.
Provocative
Freivalds
blamed the right-wing party, Sweden Democrats, a party too small to be
represented in parliament, for provoking threats against the Swedish
interests, Agecne France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"It
is terrible that a small group of extremists are exposing Swedes and
Swedish interests to obvious danger.
"In
the current heated atmosphere I consider this very serious. This is a
small group that does not have any support in our country," she
said.
"I
apologize for the fact that we in Sweden have individuals who are so
ruthless that they consciously offend other people's religion,"
Freivalds added.
The
Swedish official also hailed the responsible freedom of expression
practiced by the Swedish press over the cartoon row.
"Our
freedom of expression and the press requires taking responsibility,
something Swedish media so far has done, and I would expect the same
even of the Sweden Democrats," she told public radio, referring
to the fact that no Swedish newspapers have republished the Danish
caricatures.
Newspapers
which have published the cartoons claim they were exercising their
right to freedom of speech.
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File photo of the Islamic Center in the Swedish capital.
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The
Muslim activist, on his part, hailed the stance of the Swedish
government, urging the Arab and Muslim countries to show support to
Sweden over the issue.
He
said that the Swedish government is expected to come under rebukes
from the anti-Muslim groups on claims of freedom of expression.
On
Friday, Freivalds also visited the headquarters of the Islamic League
in Sweden and met with leaders of the Muslim minority in Sweden.
The
top diplomat applauded the role played by the Muslim minority in
closing ties between Sweden and the Muslim world.
The
Muslim leaders, for their part, welcomed the stance of the Swedish
government and press on the insulting drawings of Prophet Muhammad.
They
also pledged to highlight the pro-Muslim Swedish stances in the Arab
and Muslim mass media.
Muslims
in Sweden are estimated at some 500,000, with 70% of them attending
schools and universities.
Islam
has become the second official religion in Sweden after Christianity,
despite the fact that the Muslim community is a relatively new one,
unlike that of other European countries such as France.
