The Swedish government has acted swiftly to prevent what could have been another "cartoon war" when it canceled a contest planned by a Swedish right-wing party on cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
"Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds decided to halt the Web site of the small nationalist party Sweden Democrats, which planned the Prophet cartoons contest," Abdul Razik Wabri, official of the Islamic League of Sweden, told IOL Friday, February 10.
Freivalds blamed the right-wing party, Sweden Democrats, a party too small to be represented in parliament, for provoking threats against the Swedish interests, Agecne France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"It is terrible that a small group of extremists are exposing Swedes and Swedish interests to obvious danger.
"In the current heated atmosphere I consider this very serious. This is a small group that does not have any support in our country," she said.
This is turning logic around. Who is threatening Swedes and Swedish interests? Not the cartoon contest, but rather the Muslims, both in Sweden and outside it. Sweden should be deciding now how far it's willing to go when it backs down when the real extremists threaten Swedes and Swedish interests.
"I apologize for the fact that we in Sweden have individuals who are so ruthless that they consciously offend other people's religion," Freivalds added.
The Swedish official also hailed the responsible freedom of expression practiced by the Swedish press over the cartoon row.
"Our freedom of expression and the press requires taking responsibility, something Swedish media so far has done, and I would expect the same even of the Sweden Democrats," she told public radio, referring to the fact that no Swedish newspapers have republished the Danish caricatures.
Source: Islam Online (English)
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