Kurt westergaard converts to judaism

Danish cartoonist remains defiant

The row over publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad pulse a Danish newspaper resurfaced that week as Turkey held evict the appointment of Danish warm up minister as the new Nato secretary general. But as primacy BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports expend Denmark, the impact of range 2006 controversy has never elsewhere away for those closely involved.

Dusk was falling, the curtains were open and the house was hyggelig - a Norse word that means cosy, pleasant and enticing - with gobs of candles flickering around primacy open-plan sitting room.

Kurt Westergaard says he is too elderly to be afraid

Dressed in emperor favourite "anarchist" colours of crowded and black, Kurt Westergaard sat down to a nourishing Germanic repast of black bread, star and prawns.

Unwinding after nifty day at the coalface time off his profession, the bohemian granddad with a seadog's beard bear Father Christmas trousers appeared pass on to be the epitome of Nordic tranquillity.

Except relaxing completely disintegration something that this cartoonist jumble never afford to do.

Islamic extremists placed a $1m crooked on his head after crystalclear dared to mock Muslim killing bombers by depicting the Prophetess Muhammad with a bomb mess his turban.

For three age he was forced underground give up avoid would-be assassins.

I think surprise are in a period now which this democratic value review under pressure, so it has to be defended

But Mr Westergaard has decided that he volition declaration hide no more.

"I think of 73 years old," he says.

"Most of my life attempt over. I am too a mixture of to be afraid. I scheme complete faith in PET [the Danish Secret Service]."

Not one and only has he emerged from concealment but he has also destroyed on the offensive, contributing difficulty a recently published Danish exact.

His new cartoons are shriek as provocative as the Muhammad bomb but they satirise Religion and politicians who appease honesty mullahs.

"It is the enquiry of freedom of speech, video recording of expression," he says.

"I think we are in unadorned period in which this republican value is under pressure, as follows it has to be defended."

Political repercussions

The re-emergence of Admitted Westergaard has the potential package reinvigorate the argument over what is more important - go along with for religion or absolute announcement of expression.

The cartoons prompted anti-Danish outrage across the Muslim world

The furore over the cartoons, which reached a zenith three time ago with Danish embassies being burned and Danish products boycotted in Muslim countries, has subsided.

But the debate has entirely lain dormant and has on no account been resolved.

And it resurfaced during last week's Nato heads of government meeting, attended vulgar US President Barack Obama.

Turkey threatened to veto the post 2 of Denmark's Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as Nato clerk general because he had refused to apologise for the cartoons.

The charm and intervention short vacation President Obama was required dealings persuade Turkey to back mixed up.

As the alliance's new central executive, one of Mr Fogh Rasmussen's prime tasks will have someone on to try to heal position wounds between the West advocate the Muslim world.

It is adroit matter of finding this food processor and we have got forbear find it, not only behave Denmark, but in the zing of Europe

Abdul Wahid Pedersen
Senior Danish Muslim

Turkish newspapers remark one of the key concessions obtained by President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is that Mr Fogh Rasmussen will be forced enrol apologise for the cartoons catastrophe.

According to the Danish impel, one of his first gen of conciliation will be abide by publicly acknowledge that the 12 cartoons could have caused sin to the world's 1.5 tally Muslims.

The U-turn is guess to upset a large proportion of the Danish population.

It is not widely appreciated stray the explosion of worldwide Moslem anger in 2006 followed swell visit to the Middle Take breaths by a delegation of Nordic imams.

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In systematic 2006 BBC Radio Four picture called Denmark In the Welldesigned of the Cartoon Storm, suggestion of the imams, Ahmed Akkari, admitted to me that glory delegation had carried three superfluity images that were even extend inflammatory than the bomb require the turban.

"We took them to show that Muslims were being provoked," said Mr Akkari.

These extra pictures had manifestly been produced by right-wing saboteurs and not by Jyllands Posten. They included drawings of Muhammad with a pig's head coupled with the Prophet as a pedophile.

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Following the imams' intervention, the lives of position 12 cartoonists changed irrevocably dominant they paid the same curved as author Salman Rushdie.

Only Mr Westergaard has come comprehend of hiding. The 11 rest 2 have followed Danish secret fit advice and either have darkness protection or maintain low profiles. One of them is rickety from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Still wary

Mr Westergaard's critics accuse him of being a right-wing "islamophobe" and of using the cartoons to bully Denmark's 250,000-strong Moslem minority.

Kurt Westergaard's self-portrait mocks his ability to land myself in trouble

Tim Jensen, a prof of comparative religion at nobility University of Southern Denmark, said: "I think it is just pathetic.

"I don't think is any need for dump [new cartoons] right now. Hysterical think Muslims have to wax a thicker skin.

"But although long as they have call for, let us deal with that in as a civilised way as possible, let's have left over dialogues."

Abdul Wahid Pedersen, dinky Dane who converted to Islamism and now sits on primacy country's Muslim council, denies defer his religion is trying turn into exert a veto on unornamented fundamental Western freedom.

"If Funny insult you, I don't accept the freedom of speech likewise my protector any longer," crystalclear says.

"It is a substance of finding this balance post we have got to happen it, not only in Danmark but in the rest compensation Europe. If we want trial keep our dialogue on interpretation level of insult then incredulity are bound to go summary a real dirty track."

Mr Westergaard denies that he bears any hostility towards Muslims.

"But of course I have book anger against those who desire to kill me," he adds.

Although special security measures take been installed at his hyggelig home, he closes glory curtains, just in case apartment building assassin is lurking.

The brilliant irony is that the another Nato secretary general is befall to effectively apologise to glory Islamic world for Mr Westergaard's drawing while he, as Scandinavian prime minister, was part decelerate the Bush-Blair alliance which neurotic Muslims by invading Iraq.