Poll finds the majority of Danes against newspaper apology

Posted by Robert Eisenhart on March 9, 2010 at 10:59 AM

A recent poll conducted by the Megafon Institue found that the slight majority of Danes (51%) did not support the recent apology made by the Politiken newspaper for re-publishing cartoons negatively depicting the Prohpet Mohammed in 2008. Politiken's decision was largely influenced by Muslim organizations that promised to drop legal action if the newspaper published a public apology.

The Danish cartoon controversy is an ongoing affair that began in September 2005 when cartoons were published in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper portraying the Islamic Prophet Mohammed hiding a bomb in his turban. Members of the Muslim community found the images extremely offensive, demanding that they be removed and an apology issued. The controversy soon escalated into a question over the limits of the right of freedom of speech.

When one of the original cartoonists life was threatened for his drawing in 2008, Danish newspapers made the collective decision to reprint the images in an effort to demonstrate their solidarity and support for freedom of expression. Reprinting the articles increased tension, resulting in complaints, protests, and threats of legal action from Muslim communities across the globe.

Despite the backlash for reprinting the cartoons, several members of the Danish government continue to support the freedom of expression. As the AFP said, freedom of expression is "considered a cornerstone of Danish democracy," and many view the recent apology for publishing the cartoons as "sacrificing" that freedom even if the articles are considered offensive by some.

Sources: AFP