A New Modoggie Protest in Örebro

Update: Carpenter has sent us a link to a video report on the demonstration. It’s in Swedish, with no subtitles, but you can get a look at the crowd, which seems bigger than last week’s. One of the signs reads “This is an attack against all Muslims” (my translation).

Also according to Carpenter, Lars Vilks has received new death threats. The news story is in Swedish, but the relevant part, translated by Carpenter, says this:

“There have been many threats. It’s about several death-threats via telephone, e-mail, and comments on my blog,” says Lars Vilks to TV4.

Muslims in Örebro demonstrated against the Modoggies last Friday, and they’ve just recently finished another demonstration today:

Demonstrators in Muhammad picture protest

Just after 2pm on Friday a group of around 300 demonstrators marched the short distance from the Islamic Cultural Centre in Örebro to the offices of Nerikes Allehanda newspaper. The demonstrators chanted slogans and bore placards demanding an apology from the newspaper and calling for a ban on insults to Muhammad.

The Islamic Cultural Centre said it was protesting against the newspaper’s decision to publish a drawing by artist Lars Vilks, whose series of pictures depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad as a dog was rejected by galleries in western Sweden.

So what is it about Fridays? Do they get all fired up by the imam’s Friday sermon at the mosque? Or is there another reason for the scheduling?
- - - - - - - - -
Sweden’s “secular” Muslims have a dissenting opinion about the demo:

But not everybody in the Swedish Muslim community has applauded Friday’s demonstration — the second in the space of a week.

“I think the demonstration is counterproductive and will only serve to reinforce any prejudices people have about Muslims,” Mohamed Omar, the editor of Minaret magazine told The Local.

“Nerikes Allehanda published the picture to illustrate a story. It’s irrational to regard their decision to publish as being offensive to Muslims.”

However, Minaret has changed its story about its own offer to show Mr. Vilks’ drawings:

Contrary to initial reports, Mohamed Omar says that Minaret never intended to exhibit the pictures, which he regarded as questionable from an ethical standpoint.

“Exhibiting them would have just contributed to anti-Muslim sentiment. Although Nerikes Allehanda had a legal right to publish, I am critical of their decision for the same reason that I didn’t want any part in exhibiting the pictures.”

That’s not what the magazine said a couple of weeks ago. Regular readers will recall that Minaret offered to co-sponsor an exhibit of the Modoggies, all in the name of freedom of speech.

Evidently something made them reconsider their decision…

Persons of Swedish background had their own demonstration in front of the newspaper’s offices, but this one was in support of the right to publish Modoggies:

The Islamic Cultural Centre was not the only group protesting outside Nerikes Allehanda‘s offices. An hour earlier, representatives from the Liberal Party’s youth wing showed for a demonstration in support of freedom of expression.

“We are doing this to protect freedom of expression and freedom of the press. It has come to our attention that there are people don’t think people should be able to say what they want and that makes us angry. Freedom of expression is absolutely central,” spokeswoman Hannah Ström told TT.

Several Swedes and Danes are keeping me up to date with breaking news on the Modoggie caper. There will be undoubtedly be more information later.

Stay tuned.


Hat tip: CG.

Previous posts on this topic:

The Swedes Narrowly Avert Their Own Motoon Crisis
Modoggie #2
The Prophet as an Obedient Retriever
That Doggone Mohammed
Swedish Muslims Will Exhibit the Modoggies
Lars Vilks Dogged by Death Threats
Modoggies Make it into the Swedish MSM, But…
Oh, No! It’s Happening Again!
Sweden Gets Sent to the Woodshed
An Ironic Rondellhund
Now We Know Who’s Behind the Modoggies
Swedish Muslims Form Anti-Free Speech Committee
Pakistan Objects to the Modoggies
The OIC is Barking Now