Copenhagen, Denmark – A Danish court rejected a lawsuit Thursday against the newspaper that first printed the controversial Prophet Muhammad cartoons.
Arab politicians and intellectuals warned that the verdict would widen the gap between Westerners and Muslims but said mass protests were unlikely.
The City Court in Aarhus rejected claims by seven Danish Muslim groups that the 12 drawings printed in the Jyllands-Posten daily were meant to insult the prophet and make a mockery of Islam.
Islamic law forbids any depiction of Prophet Muhammad, even positive ones, to prevent idolatry.
The court conceded that some Muslims saw the drawings as offensive but found there was no basis to assume that “the purpose of the drawings was to present opinions that can belittle Muslims.”
“The dismissal of the lawsuit against the newspaper, which was expected, confirms the ongoing intention to harm our religion and our prophet,” said Mahmoud al-Kharabsheh, an independent legislator who heads the Jordanian parliament’s legal committee.
The plaintiffs plan to appeal the verdict, spokesman Kasem Ahmad told Danish radio, adding that he feared Muslims around the world would be upset by the ruling.
Jyllands-Posten’s editor in chief hailed the court’s decision as a victory for freedom of speech.
