Egypt Bans Four Foreign Newspapers Over Republication of Anti-Prophet Cartoons

By: Egypt banned editions of four foreign newspapers including the New York-based Wall Street Journal and Britain's The Observer for reprinting the controversial Danish cartoons criticizing the Prophet Muhammad, the state-run news agency reported Tuesday.

Two German newspapers, Frankfurter Allgemeine and Die Welt, were also banned, according to the Middle East News Agency, quoting Information Minister Anas el-Fiqi. The papers are only sold in Egypt at newsstands specializing in foreign publications.

The issue of the cartoons, which exploded in 2006, returned to prominence recently when more than a dozen of leading Danish newspapers reprinted the 12 cartoons in a gesture of solidarity after police revealed a plot to kill one of the artists.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit announced Tuesday he had summoned the Danish ambassador to Egypt to voice his country's displeasure over the cartoons _ the Danish diplomat, however, denied it was a summons.

"It's disappointing to see persistence of the Danish media circles to repeatedly harm the religion of Islam," Aboul Gheit spokesman said in a statement. "The insulting cartoons have proven before, without any doubts, that such shameful actions lead to nothing but more tension, confrontation and anger," he said.

Christian Hoppe, the Danish ambassador, however, said in a live telephone interview on Denmark's TV2 that he had not been summoned to the ministry, but rather the issue came up during a regular scheduled meeting Monday.

"I have not been called to meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Cairo," he said.

The re-emergence of the cartoon issue also prompted thousands of students to demonstrate in the southern conservative university of Assiut against the insults to Islam's most revered figure.

"Anything but our prophet," students led by their dean and professors chanted while marching around campus. "Jews, Jews, watch out, the army of Muhammed will return," they also said.

In January and February of 2006, angry mobs burned the Danish flag and attacked Danish and other Western embassies in Muslim countries including Syria, Iran and Lebanon. Danish products were boycotted by many Muslim consumers. Protesters were killed in Libya and Afghanistan.

On Sunday, the Mecca-based Muslim World League urged Muslims, Islamic organizations and centers in Denmark to maintain calm following the reprinting of the cartoons.

"Muslims should not get caught in a whirlwind of emotional reactions," it said.