From: EurasiaDigest (digest@eurasianet.org)
Date: Fri Feb 03 2006 - 10:18:13 EST
AFGHAN PRESIDENT CALLS DANISH CARICATURES OF PROPHET AN 'INSULT TO ALL MUSLIMS'
In press released on 2 February, Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, the official Radio Afghanistan reported. The cartoons were initially published by a Danish paper and were later reprinted in several other European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Speaking at a news conference in Davos, Switzerland, Karzai said the media should respect the beliefs of all people and added that, if such acts recur, the perpetrators should be sacked and punished in accordance with the law. Afghan Information, Culture, and Tourism Minister Sayyed Makhdum Rahin in a statement released on 2 February called the publication of the cartoons an "inhuman and immoral" act, Pajhwak Afghan News reported. "We strongly believe in freedom of the press. However, we strongly condemn abuse of freedom of the press that can harm Muslims," Rahin said in the statement. AT
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