CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak warned Thursday that the reprinting by several European newspapers of cartoons deemed offensive to Islam risked provoking a terrorist backlash.
The president warned of the near and long term repercussions (of the) campaign of insults against the noble Prophet, Mubarak s spokesman said in a statement in English.
Irresponsible management of these repercussions will provide further excuses to the forces of radicalism and terrorism, the statement said.
The furor began after the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten ran a series of 12 cartoons in September last year, some of them depicting the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist.
The caricatures were reprinted by a Norwegian magazine last month and the row snowballed over the past few days into a full-fledged diplomatic crisis that has led to a wide boycott of Danish and Norwegian products.
The Danish government has consistently rejected Arab and Muslim calls for an apology, arguing that it had no other option but to respect freedom of expression.
Freedom of opinion, expression and of the press – which we guarantee and respect – cannot be used as an excuse to insult sanctities, beliefs and religions, said the statement from Mubarak s office.
The president called upon the states and peoples of the world to deal wisely and cautiously with all matters that might offend humanity s beliefs, religions and sanctities.
The Egyptian press chastised European newspapers for reprinting the offending cartoons.
The international community should understand that any attack against our prophet will not go unpunished, wrote Samir Ragab, editor-in-chief of Al-Gomhurriya, one of Egypt s top three state-owned dailies.
It is not a question of freedom of opinion or belief, it is a conspiracy against Islam and Muslims which has been in the works for years and if no serious measures are taken this campaign will gain momentum, he said. AFP
