Anti-Islamic Video in Denmark, Middle Eastern Muslim Outrage

Egypt’s largest Islamic group urged Muslims across the world Saturday to boycott products from Denmark after viewing a web video that mocked Islam’s founder, Mohammed.

In the video, a young Danish woman appeared to be participating in a drawing contest that was held last summer by the populist Danish People’s Party Youth. A group of men and women in their 20’s and 30’s were laughing and talking in the video filmed at a camp held August 4-6th. The woman, who was not identified, sketched a picture of a camel and told the other contestants it had the “head of Mohammed” and beer bottles for humps.

Danish People’s Party Youth Chairman Kenneth Kristensen expressed regret, saying the young politicians would have to take responsibility for what they had done, but refused to apologize for the video. Kristensen said only that the clip was in “bad style” because it “overshadows [our] political line,” according to the Associated Press. The political group is known for its anti-immigration views.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest Islamic organization, condemned the video which first appeared late last week, saying it represented “new Danish insults” to Islam. The organization urged the world to boycott countries that allow any religiously-offensive material to be produced and publicized.

The Brotherhood was careful to emphasize the concept of non-violent protest in its statement, however, urging Muslims to “express denouncement through peaceful means, by demonstrations and protests.”

Depictions of Mohammed in 12 cartoons a year ago by Danish artists led to violence and bloodshed in worldwide demonstrations – including numerous demonstrations of Muslim rage in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. The protests came after the caricatures were published by a Danish daily newspaper in September 2005. Islamic law forbids the drawing or any other depiction of Mohammed.

What Muslims Should Be Outraged Over:

The cartoons were eventually distributed and published internationally, setting off demonstrations which in several instances ended in bloodshed. For weeks afterward, Islamic communities in numerous countries continued to hold violent protests and call for revenge against newspapers which published the cartoons.

The Danish government steadfastly refused to apologize to the Islamic community, saying the pictures were produced by independent media, not state-run newspapers. In response, some Islamic clerics called for assassination of the artists who drew the caricatures.

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