Muslim Organisation Calls for Boycott of Denmark
Copenhagen Post, December 28, 2005
An Islamic cultural organisation has called upon its 51 member states to boycott Denmark in response to cartoons of the prophet Mohammed printed three months ago in national daily Jyllands-Posten.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) stated on its webpage that it sought a condemnation of ‘the aggressive campaign waged against Islam and its Prophet’ by Jyllands-Posten.
Abdulaziz Othman al-Twaijri, the organisation’s secretary general, reportedly told Arabic TV station Al-Arabiya that member states would impose a boycott until an apology was offered for the drawings.
‘We encourage the organisation’s members to boycott Denmark both economically and politically until Denmark presents an official apology for the drawings that have offended the world’s Muslims,’ al-Twaijri said.
Egypt’s ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attiah, warned against not taking the boycott seriously.
‘The organisation has a broad appeal among the world’s Muslims, and if the government doesn’t make new efforts, Muslims around the world will follow the boycott and international pressure against Denmark will increase,’ she told daily newspaper Information.
Tensions have run high between Muslims and official Denmark since the newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons in September that depicted the prophet Mohammed. The newspaper said printing the cartoons was a way to ensure the freedom of speech in the face of intimidation from radical Islamists.
Trade organisation Danish Industry said that so far, none of its members had reported feeling the effects of a boycott, however.
