Danish PM on Al-arabia tonight

at. 8 PM, danish time. (7 GMT standard) in an - I´m afraid - absolutely futile effort to explain to the arabs how freedom of the press works here. Will they understand him ?
An illustration of the gap he has to cross:
One arab said : "How could the danish censurship allow these cartoons?"

video, min 11:52: excerpts form the interview (english):

http://www.dr.dk/Forms/Published/PlaylistGen.aspx?qid=149332

(foto from danish TV screen. Interview recorded yesterday)

Le Monde

leading french newpaper Le monde, has a drawing of it´s own. The sentence that makes up the picture is, "I am not allowed to draw Muhammed".

French minister of interiors Nicolas Sarkozy, says the muslims are overreacting.

"I´d rather have too many cartoons, than to much censurship. Freedom of speech is not negotiable, and I see no reason for giving any particular relgion special treatment".

Le Monde will publish all JP cartoons on saturday.

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3214,36-737160@51-735567,0.html

PS: It should be noted, that we do have a law against blasphemy in Denmark. But it is de facto not in use any longer, and has not led to conviction since 1938. There is now a majority that wants to get rid of it, once and for all.

Drawing the line
Publishing controversial cartoons and being damned
Some two decades ago, political relations between Europe and the Islamic world were convulsed by the controversy surrounding the publication of the book The Satanic Verses.

It is depressing that cartoons first printed in a Danish newspaper last autumn appear to have had much the same effect now. It should also not, alas, be surprising. The cultural chasm has, if anything, grown in the past 20 years. Many in Europe today think nothing of mocking the most revered aspects of Christianity — often in a crass, tasteless manner — while the corruption and failure of secular regimes in the Middle East have helped to inspire a revival of Islam, including an extremist strain.
***********
Consistency would also be a virtue. The anger directed at these cartoons by certain Muslims would carry more weight if pictures that crudely insult Jews and Christians were not found regularly in the Middle East. To contend that faiths of many forms merit a degree of deference, but not absolute protection, is one notion. To insist that this principle be applied selectively is another, quite indefensible, assertion.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2022354,00.html (Leading editorial)