By Kim McLaughlin and Gelu Sulugiuc
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish newspapers on Wednesdayreprinted one of the drawings of the Prophet Mohammad thatcaused global Muslim outrage two years ago.
The newspapers said they were republishing the drawing inprotest over a plot to murder the cartoonist.
The republication of the cartoon -- showing the Prophetwith a bomb in his turban -- drew criticism from DanishMuslims, who said it would only stoke anger.
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 Danish daily newspapers, more than 10 smaller papersand a Swedish daily reprinted Westergaard's cartoon, which hadcaused the greatest controversy before. Most Muslims considerany depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.
Denmark's Muslim community makes up about 3 percent of the5.5 million population.
An editorial in left-leaning Politiken, one of thenewspapers that reprinted the cartoon, called the murder plotan 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.
CRITICISM
Danish Muslim groups criticised the move as divisive, butsaid it regarded the issue as a local one on this occasion.
"We believe this is very foolish and does not help buildingthe bridges we need," said Mostafa Chendid, an imam at theIslamic Faith Community, a religious Muslim organisation at thecentre of the first cartoon controversy.
"It will make our young people feel more isolated," he toldReuters. "The printing of the cartoon is an insult to ourintellectual capacity."
The group, which in 2005 helped organise a delegation tothe Middle East to present a dossier of alleged Danish insultsto Muslims, said the circumstances were different.
"It's the same picture, so it's ... just a republication ofwhat was published before," Chendid said. "In the beginning itwas pure provocation to Muslims. It's two differentsituations."
The group said it had no plans to travel or "export thisproblem abroad."
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 a man of Moroccan descent, 40, had beenreleased but faced preliminary charges while two Tunisians, 36and 25, would face deportation later this week.
(Additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm;editing by Keith Weir)