Afghanistan Seething Over Swedish Sketches of Blasphemy

Sat, Sep 1, 2007 at 10:38:40 am PDT

Now Afghanistan has joined the list of countries with nothing better to worry about than some Swedish artist’s sketches: Indignant Afghanistan slams Prophet Mohammad sketch.

(Notice the exaggeratedly deferential tone of this Reuters article, in every reference to Mohammed.)

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan on Saturday condemned the printing of a sketch of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog in a Swedish newspaper, calling it hostile towards the Muslim world.

The sketch has also drawn condemnation from neighbouring Pakistan, which said it was blasphemous. Muslims believe images of the Prophet are forbidden and consider dogs to be impure.

“Our Holy Prophet’s cartoon in a Swedish paper has provoked all Afghans,” wrote The Kabul Times, publishing a statement by religious scholars, imams and the Ministry of Islamic Guidance.

“The sold-out enemies of Islam draw the cartoon of the respected Prophet of Islam once more. This has disturbed the Islamic world and aroused the indignation of all Muslims,” the statement said.

It demanded those responsible be handed over to a court for prosecution and punishment.