OIC Slams Danish Book of Prophet Mohammad Cartoons

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on Thursday condemned the republication of blasphemous cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that triggered violent international protests five years ago.

In a statement on Thursday, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said Danish authorities should take moral responsibility for the republication of the cartoons published this time in a book called the "The Tyranny of Silence".

Flemming Rose, cultural editor of the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten, reproduced Thursday the cartoons by Kurt Westergaard, originally published by the newspaper in 2005.

According to the OIC website, SG Ihsanoglu said "The publication of the book is a deliberate attempt to stir up sectarian feelings and undermine the efforts of the international community to strengthen mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between followers of various religions."
"Further, it is a violation of the 20th article of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966, besides violating article 140 of the Danish law that stipulates the protection against ridiculing religious sentiments and article 266 for the protection against religious contempt," he added. 

Diplomats from Muslim countries based in Copenhagen had urged the Danish government to halt the publication of Rose's book, which features 12 anti-Islamic cartoons.
Five years ago, the newspaper ran a front-page spread with the same cartoons featuring the Prophet. The drawings sparked outrage across the Muslim world and led to violent protests against Denmark and Danish interests in 2006.