Iran’s sense of proportion failure
Three people were arrested in Denmark last week for plotting to murder cartoonist Kurt Westergaard who drew one of the Muhammed cartoons way back in 2005. The Danish press responded, commendably, by reprinting the cartoons in order to demonstrate their commitment to free speech and refusal to be threatened into silence. Now Iran has decided to stir things up - and display their ignorance of how a free society works - by demanding an apology from Danish MPs.
The nine members of Denmark’s foreign affairs committee were due to travel to Iran on Monday for a three-day trip focusing on human rights and the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme. On Saturday, the Iranians demanded the MPs condemn the cartoon on their arrival in the country.
So the MPs cancelled their trip.
“We are not the ones to apologise,” said Villy Soevndal, the leader of Denmark’s Socialist People’s Party.
“If anyone needs to apologise for freedom of speech, human rights, imprisonments, executions and lack of democracy, it is the Iranians.”
Quite
Tuesday 19 Feb 2008 | Paul | Iran, Denmark