Muslims in Bangladesh are seething and burning things and calling for the arrest of another cartoonist who “hurt the religious sentiment of the people.”

Dhaka, Sept 18: Authorities in Bangladesh on Tuesday ordered the arrest of a cartoonist and confiscated copies of a major newspaper’s weekly supplement for publishing a “blasphemous” caricature.

“The government has confiscated the issue as the cartoon hurt the religious sentiment of the people. Moreover an order was issued to arrest cartoonist Arifur Rahman,” an official statement said, referring to the weekly caricature supplement “Alpin” of the Prothom Alo newspaper.

The mass-circulated daily, however, immediately apologised and announced withdrawal of the cartoon.

A group of people torched copies of the paper after publication of the cartoon yesterday and several Islamic groups protested, saying the drawings ridiculed prophet Mohammad and his close aides.

They demanded “exemplary punishment” of the paper’s editor and the cartoonist.

(Hat tip: Killgore.)

UPDATE at 9/18/07 8:50:10 am:

From a Bangladeshi blog, here’s the dreaded cartoon of blasphemy—it’s the Meow-hammed cat!

Translation:

* Boy, what is your name?
- My name is Babu.
* It is customary to mention Muhammed before the name.

* What is your father’s name?
- Muhammed Abu

* What’s this in your lap?
- Muhammed cat