Muslim cleric wants shutdown of Danish paper

COPENHAGEN: Egypt s top Sunni Muslim cleric on Friday called for the editor of Jyllands-Posten, the Danish daily that published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, to be imprisoned and for his newspaper to be closed down. The cartoons were first published in Jyllands-Posten last September and then reprinted by other media in Europe and the United States after Muslim protests began early this year. The satirical drawings of the Prophet Mohammad are one of the most serious crimes ever committed. The editor should be imprisoned for one, two or three years, Grand Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi told Danish newspaper Berlingske in an interview. In addition, one should forbid the paper from being published for a number of years, he said. Many Muslims regard any depiction of the Prophet as an offence against their religion. Denmark s government declined to apologize for the cartoons, saying the country s media is free and independent. Tantawi, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, one of the oldest and most revered seats of Islamic learning, said the Prophets, Jesus, Moses, Abraham and Mohammad were God s chosen. The West must understand that you can t treat Prophets the same way as presidents or regular people. The row over the cartoons sparked attacks on Danish embassies in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East in which more than 50 people died. Jyllands-Posten has expressed regret over the offence that was caused. Jylland-Posten s editor Carsten Juste was not immediately available to comment on the interview but Flemming Rose, the paper s culture editor, told Berlingske Tantawi s views underlined the need for dialogue. Reuters