By Kim McLaughlin
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish newspapers on Wednesdayreprinted one of the 12 drawings of the Prophet Mohammad thatcaused global Muslim outrage two years ago, to protest againsta plot to murder one of the cartoonists.
The republication of the cartoon showing Mohammad holding abomb drew criticism from Muslims, who said it would only stokeanger.
A Danish citizen of Moroccan descent and two Tunisians werearrested on Tuesday for planning to murder 73-year-old KurtWestergaard, a cartoonist at Jyllands-Posten, the Danish paperthat originally published the drawings in September 2005.
Five major daily newspapers, 10 smaller papers and aSwedish daily reprinted Westergaard's cartoon, the one that hadcaused the greatest controversy before. Most Muslims considerany depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.
"We believe this is very foolish and does not help buildingthe bridges we need," said Imam Mostafa Chendid, a leadingDanish Muslim cleric.
Chendid, an imam at the Islamic Faith Community, areligious Muslim organisation at the centre of the firstcartoon controversy, condemned all violence but said it wouldbe difficult to absorb the anger young Danish Muslims mightfeel.
"It will make our young people feel more isolated," he toldReuters. "The printing of the cartoon is an insult to ourintellectual capacity. We are not against freedom of speech butwe are opposed to continued discrimination of the Muslimminority in Denmark."
Three Danish embassies were attacked and at least 50 peoplewere killed in rioting in 2006 in the Middle East, Africa andAsia. Several young Muslims have since been convicted inDenmark of planning bomb attacks, partly in protest at thecartoons.
The Security and Intelligence Service said Tuesday'sarrests near Aarhus in western Denmark were made after lengthysurveillance to prevent a murder that was in an early stage ofplanning.
Danish media said the man of Moroccan descent had beenreleased but faced preliminary charges while the two Tunisianswould face deportation later this week.
An editorial in left-leaning Politiken called the murderplot an attack on Denmark's democratic culture.
"Regardless of whether Jyllands-Posten at the time usedfreedom of speech unwisely and with damaging consequences, thepaper deserves unconditional solidarity when it is threatenedwith terror," it said.
(Additional reporting by Gelu Sulugiuc and Simon Johnson inStockholm; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
