Muhammad cartoon reprinted
Danish newspapers have reprinted one of several caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad which sparked violent protests across the Muslim world in 2005. The newspapers said they wanted to show their commitment to freedom of speech after an alleged plot to kill one of the cartoonists behind the drawings was foiled. The cartoon was also broadcast on national television.
However, the re-publication of the image provoked thousands of people in Afghanistan to protest against the actions of the Danish newspapers, which they say are insults to Islam. At the scene of the biggest protest, in the western city of Herat, police say more than 10,000 people took to the streets to denounce Denmark. The crowd condemned the planned release of a Dutch film critical of the Koran and burned Dutch and Danish flags.
