Swedish Media Reprint Cartoon That Inspired Alleged Murder Plot
TIMES ONLINE: Three leading Swedish newspapers and the national broadcaster today carried a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body after an alleged plot to murder the artist was unveiled in Ireland.

The threat to Lars Vilks was a threat against all Swedes, the country's biggest daily, Dagens Nyheter, proclaimed, adding that the New Year axe attack on a Danish cartoonist for drawing the Prophet meant that Scandanavian values of openness were being assaulted.

The drawing by Mr Vilks was published in the Stockholm-based Dagens Nyheter and Expressen newspapers and the Malmo daily Sydsvenska Dagbladet in defence of one of the cornerstones of Sweden's constitution. This states that Swedes have the right to freedom of speech and cannot be restrained from the lawful expression of their views.

But the newspapers stopped short of running the controversial cartoon on their websites because of their wider accessibility around the world. Islam forbids representations being made of the Prophet.

"In September 2007, al Qaida leaders set a price on Swedish artist Lars Vilks’ head," said Dagens Nyheter in an editorial comment. His "alleged crime" was to draw a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad as a "roundabout dog", a type of street installation popular in Sweden where sculptures are often placed in the middle of roundabaouts.

It added: "The latest development including the arrests in Ireland stresses the serious situation and the failed axe attack on Danish Mohammad cartoonist Kurt Westergaard further emphasises the weight of the threat.

"If anyone views the attacks on Westergaard and Vilks as individual criminal cases it is time for them to think again. The threats are attacks on one of the most fundamental rights – the freedom of speech – and should be viewed as a wider treat against an open and free society.

"The al-Qaeda individuals who would like to silence the Scandinavian artists are denying the most basic values which upholds a democracy. A threat against Lars Vilks is a threat against all Swedes*." >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

*This is a threat against all Westerners, not just against Swedes. For this reason, all Western newspapers should publish all the cartoons. But they haven’t; and they won’t. The reason: They are too cowardly to stand up for the freedoms they espouse. Shame on them all! – © Mark

Mohammed Cartoonist's Home Attacked With Firebomb
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The home of a Swedish cartoonist who sparked controversy by drawing the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog has been attacked with a petrol bomb.

The property belonging to Lars Vilks in the village of Nyhamnslaege was slightly damaged during the incident, the latest in a series of similar attacks in the country.

Police later arrested a 21-year-old Swedish national of Kosovar origin, from the southern city of Landskrona, at his home 25 miles away.

A spokesman said he was detained after personal items were found near Mr Vilks' house.

Police found glass bottles containing petrol inside the house which was empty at the time of the attack. >>> | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Swedish Mohammed Cartoonist Attacked During Free Speech Lecture
THE TELEGRAPH: A Swedish cartoonist whose sketch of the Prophet Mohammed enraged many Muslims, was attacked while giving a lecture about freedom of speech.

A spokesman for Uppsala police said about 20 people tried to attack Mr Vilks after interrupting his lecture. Photo: The Telegraph
Lars Vilks, who depicted the Prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog in 2007, said he was headbutted by a man sitting on the front row as he spoke at the University of Uppsala, about 44 miles from Stockholm.

"He head-butted me and I fell into the wall and lost my glasses," Mr Vilks said. He added he was unharmed.

A spokesman for Uppsala police said about 20 people tried to attack Mr Vilks after interrupting his lecture, adding that the police had to intervene to stop them. Two people were detained.

Mr Vilks was not immediately available to comment further. He says he has received death threats since his Prophet sketch.

In March an American who called herself "JihadJane," was charged with plotting to kill the Swede and using the Internet to enlist co-conspirators. >>> | Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Related here and here

Two Muslim Men Charged Over Alleged Plot to Kill Swedish Cartoonist Lars Vilks
Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was allegedly the subject of a murder plot after depicting the Prophet Muhammad's head on the body of a dog in 2007. Photograph: The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Two Muslim men were charged last night in the Irish Republic in connection with an alleged plot to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, whose artwork outraged many Muslims after he depicted the Prophet Muhammad's head on the body of a dog in 2007.

Algerian Ali Charafe Damache and Abdul-Salam Mansour al-Jehani, from Libya, were brought before a specially convened court in Waterford, south-east Ireland late last night.

Damache, 44, was charged with sending a menacing text message while al-Jehani, 32, was charged with an immigration offence after allegedly giving a false name. Both men were remanded in custody until Friday after Irish detectives said they were not convinced of the authenticity of the men's identities.

The men, who both gave Waterford addresses to the court, were among seven people arrested last Tuesday morning over an alleged conspiracy to kill Vilks. >>> Aidan Jones | Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Muhammad Cartoonist Lars Vilks Installs Panic Room and Booby-trapped Art
TIMES ONLINE: A Swedish cartoonist whose controversial image of the Prophet Muhammad led to a series of death threats said today that he had secured his property with a homemade panic room and booby-trapped artwork.

The latest threat to Lars Vilks emerged yesterday when seven people were arrested in Ireland accused of plotting to kill the 63-year-old artist.

Mr Vilks responded by saying that he was ready for them. “If something happens, I know exactly what to do,” he said.

His home in southern Sweden now contains a barbed-wire sculpture that could electrocute potential intruders, a secure space to hide in and an axe which will allow him “to chop down” anyone breaking in through his windows.

He said he had learned from American media reports that the woman held in the US Colleen R. LaRose, who had called herself Jihad Jane in a YouTube video, had visited the area where he lives, but he did not know whether that was true. “I’m glad she didn’t kill me,” Mr Vilks said.

The artist, who has dishevelled hair and thick-lenses glasses, said his life was like the plot of a film. “It’s a good story,” he said. “It’s about the bad guys and a good guy, and they try to kill him,” he said.

“They have this woman also which I think is a good part of the plot with this fantastic name, ‘Jihad Jane’ who is actually doing some scouting there in the surroundings,” Mr Vilks added. “As I can see it, you have something of a film there. But as I said, I believe they’re a bit low-tech.”

Three leading Swedish newspapers and the national broadcaster today carried the notorious cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body. >>> Nico Hines and David Charter | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Prize comment of the day in The Times apropos of this story:

The "Peaceful" religion of Islam strikes again. The Islamic religion/Muslims are the MOST intolerant of ALL people/religions in the world. The fact that their "moderate" wing doesn't stand up and protest their own extremists proves they are also gutless and cowards. Warm Regards, Eric [Simpson] [Source: The Times] | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Copenhagen Attack Cartoonist Lars Vilks Wins Award

Lars Vilks has been living under police protection in Sweden

BBC AMERICA: A Swedish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog has made his first public appearance since attending a debate that was targeted in a gun attack in Copenhagen last month.

Lars Vilks received a prize for courage from a free press group, at a heavily secured event in the Danish parliament.

His cartoon offended many Muslims and he now lives under guard in Sweden. » | Saturday, March 14, 2015

Muhammad Cartoonist Had $100,000 Bounty on Head
THE GUARDIAN: Lars Vilks's sketches drew a furious reaction from Muslim groups and countries, and death threats from al-Qaida

Lars Vilks, the Swedish artist at the centre of an alleged assassination attempt, was put under police protection in 2007 when al-Qaida offered a reward for his "slaughter". Vilks's depiction of the prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog in a series of drawings prompted the terrorist group to put a $100,000 bounty on his head.

The sketches had sparked a furious reaction from Muslim groups and countries including Pakistan and Iran. Some Islamic traditions consider it blasphemous to make or show an image of the prophet, and Vilks's drawings were regarded as especially derogatory as dogs are a symbol of filth for many Muslims.

In 2006 there were riots over Danish cartoons of the prophet, including one by Kurt Westergaard depicting Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb. Westergaard was subjected to death threats and attempts on his life. >>> Matthew Weaver and agencies | Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Festnahme in Irland: Mordplan gegen Mohammed-Zeichner vermutet
WELT ONLINE: Der schwedische Karikaturist Lars Vilks sei "wie ein Lamm zu schlachten". Dies forderte Al-Qaida nach dem Erscheinen seiner Zeichnung in einer schwedischen Zeitung 2007, in der er Mohammed als Hund darstellte. In Irland wurden nun Verdächtige festgenommen, die Mordpläne gegen ihn geplant haben sollen.

Wegen des Verdachts auf Mordpläne gegen einen schwedischen Mohammed-Karikaturisten sind in Irland vier Männer und drei Frauen festgenommen worden. Sie seien nach Ermittlungen europäischer Sicherheitsbehörden und des US-Geheimdienstes CIA gefasst worden, teilte die irische Polizei mit.

Das Terrornetz Al-Qaida hatte 100.000 Dollar Kopfgeld auf den Künstler Lars Vilks ausgesetzt. Vilks' Zeichnung des Propheten Mohammed als Hund hatte 2007 Proteste aus der islamischen Welt ausgelöst. Die Verdächtigen im Alter zwischen 20 und 40 Jahren wurden im Süden Irlands festgenommen und sind nach Medienangaben Muslime aus arabischen Ländern. Sie seien aber legal in Irland. >>> dpa/jm | Dienstag, 09. März 2010

Islamisten drohen Karikaturisten mit "Schlachtung"
WELT ONLINE: In einer Videobotschaft rufen Extremisten zum Aufbruch ins Terrorlager auf und drohen dem Zeichner Vilks mit "Schlachtung".

Das Video hier abspielen.
In einem islamistischen Propagandavideo aus Somalia droht ein vermummter Dschihadist dem schwedischen Mohammed-Karikaturisten Lars Vilks. Das Ungewöhnliche daran – der Dschihadist selbst ist offenbar Schwede.

Das dschihadistische Video, das "Welt Online" vorliegt, zeigt neben Terrorausbildunglagern und Gefechtsszenen aus Somalia in erster Linie ausländische Kämpfer in den Reihen der somalischen al-Shabaab-Organisation. Zu sehen sind Dschihadisten aus Großbritannien, Pakistan, Sudan, Kenia und Tansania, die vor der Kamera ihre Landsleute aufrufen, sich dem Dschihad in Somalia anzuschließen.

Ein maskierter Islamist namens "Abu Zaid" spricht auf Schwedisch und ruft schwedische Muslime auf, nach Somalia zu reisen und sich Al-Shabaab anzuschließen. "Ich rufe euch auf, die Auswanderung in dieses Land zu machen", so der Extremist. Anschließend droht er dem Karikaturisten Lars Vilks mit dem Tod. >>> Autor: Florian Flade | Mittwoch, 24. November 2010

Amerikanerin vor Gericht: "JihadJane" rekrutierte Terroristen übers Internet
WELT ONLINE: In Pennsylvania muss sich eine US-Amerikanerin vor Gericht verantworten, weil sie mit fünf über den Erdball verstreuten Komplizen Männer für Terroranschläge in Europa und Südasien angeworben haben soll. Colleen LaRose wollte auch selbst morden. "JihadJane" habe dafür einen "direkten Befehl" erhalten.


”Jihad Jane”, auch als Fatima LaRose bekannt. Foto: Welt Online
In einschlägigen Kreisen ist sie als „JihadJane“ und „Fatima LaRose“ bekannt. Ihre Mission: Mit Hilfe des Internets, Kämpfer für den islamischen „Heiligen Krieg“ (Dschihad) zu finden. Jetzt klagte die US-Justiz Colleen LaRose aus dem US-Staat Pennsylvania an, weil sie mit fünf über den Erdball verstreuten Komplizen Männer für Terroranschläge in Europa und Südasien angeworben haben soll.

Die Gruppe habe zudem Frauen rekrutiert, die mit unverdächtigen Pässen in Europa umherreisen und den „Dschihad“ unterstützen könnten, teilte das US-Justizministerium mit.

Die 1963 geborene Frau habe überdies einen „direkten Befehl“ erhalten, einen schwedischen Staatsbürger in seiner Heimat zu ermorden. Damit solle „die ganze Welt der Ungläubigen“ das Fürchten gelehrt werden, hieß es in der Mitteilung, allerdings ohne näher zu erwähnen, wer den Befehl erteilte. LaRose sei daraufhin nach Europa gereist und habe das potenzielle Opfer über das Internet ausgekundschaftet, „mit dem Ziel, die Aufgabe zu Ende zu bringen.“ Im Falle einer Verurteilung muss sie mit lebenslanger Haft und einer Geldstrafe von bis zu einer Millionen Dollar (741 000 Euro) rechnen. >>> dpa/fas | Mittwoch, 10. März 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

US 'Jihad Jane' Charged With Planning Terror Attacks in Europe >>> Tom Leonard in New York | Thursday, March 09, 2010

WELT ONLINE: "JihadJane" plante Mord an Mohammed-Zeichner >>> dpa/jm | Mittwoch, 10. März 2010

Jihad Jane: American Blonde Accused of Terror Plot
Colleen LaRose, as shown in a police mugshot. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: A blonde American woman who went under the online alias "Jihad Jane" has been accused of plotting to murder a Swedish cartoonist for drawing a picture of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, it emerged today.

Colleen LaRose, a 46-year-old Muslim convert from Pennsylvania, was said by prosecutors to have used the internet to make contact with jihadists overseas and was persuaded to use the fact that she was a white American to get through security surrounding the artist, Lars Vilks.

A US Justice Department official said last night that the case "shatters any lingering thought that we can spot a terrorist based on appearance".

Ms LaRose was arrested in Philadelphia in October last year, but her indictment remained sealed until after the arrest in Ireland yesterday of seven people - three women and four men - involved in a suspected plot to murder Mr Vilks.

The cartoonist has been holed up in a rural hideout since his cartoon appeared in a Swedish newspaper in 2007, a year when the publication of similar cartoons in Denmark sparked violent protests across the Islamic world.

Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the Prophet - even favourable - for fear that it could lead to idolatry, and al-Qaeda put a bounty of $100,000 on Mr Vilks's head.

Three Swedish papers reprinted his image today in a gesture of solidarity. One, Dagens Nyheter said in an editorial that "Vilks doesn’t stand alone in this conflict. A threat against him is, in the long term, also a threat against all Swedes."

A federal indictment charges that Ms LaRose, who also called herself Fatima Rose, agreed to kill Mr Vilks on orders from the unnamed terror contacts and went to Europe to carry out the killing.

It also alleged that Ms LaRose, who has blond hair and blue-green eyes, indicated in her online conversations that she thought her appearance would help her move freely in Sweden to carry out the attack. >>> Philippe Naughton | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Jihad Jane II: Second US Woman Arrested Over Cartoonist Murder Plot
THE TELEGRAPH: An American woman who converted to Islam last year and was lured to Europe by online extremists was arrested in Ireland in connection with a suspected plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist, her mother said on Saturday.

Jamie Paulin-Ramirez is the second American woman arrested in a plot to kill the Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. Photograph: The Telegraph
Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, the second American woman to be linked to the plot, had vowed to "strap a bomb" for the jihad cause, said Christine Mott.

Miss Paulin-Ramirez was a troubled single mother who taught her six-year-old son to hate Christians, said Mrs Mott. The 31-year-old had the "mentality of an abused woman" and had fallen in with extremists to escape her loneliness, according to her mother.

"She doesn't have the sense God gave a goose. She's book-smart and common-sense-dumb," said Mrs Mott.

Miss Paulin-Ramirez, a former trainee nurse from Leadville, Colorado, was one of seven people arrested in Ireland last week over an alleged conspiracy to murder Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who had depicted the prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog.

In a development that has caused alarm in the United States, she was the second American woman to be linked with the plot. >>> Tom Leonard in New York | Sunday, March 14, 2010

*Yet another American dumb blonde taken in by the false teachings of the prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Where and when will it all end, if indeed it ever will? By allowing Islam to put down roots in the West, we have given ourselves a right headache: a headache that no simple Tylenol or Beechams will eradicate. – © Mark

Related:

For the Love of Islam: A Second American Woman Is Arrested in Cartoonist Case >>> Vanessa O’Connell in New York, Stephanie Simon in Colorado and Evan Perez in Washington | Friday, March 12, 2010

Malmö Mayor Concerned about Islam-critical Show
THE LOCAL (SWEDEN): The mayor of Malmö has slammed an upcoming exhibition of work by controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks, saying he hoped no one would visit the gallery to see artwork he said was "associated with xenophobes".

"Of course he has the right to display what he calls art anywhere he wants," Mayor Ilmar Reepalu told the TT news agency.

"But as far as I can gather, this is pretty bad art and I think they want to use the gallery for political ends," he added.

"Vilks is increasingly associated in people's minds with xenophobic groups at the far right of the political spectrum. I hope not a single person visits the gallery."

News of the show, set to open in July, prompted representatives from different religions in the multicultural southern city to call an emergency meeting,

Some observers appeared frightened that the show would provoke a violent reaction.

"I urge everyone to avoid violence in their demonstrations, because then the cause will be lost,” said Björn Lagerbäck of the municipal anti-discrimination project Dialogforum.

Vilks has faced numerous death threats since his drawing of the Muslim prophet with the body of a dog was first published by Swedish regional daily Nerikes Allehanda in 2007. It was published to illustrate an editorial on free speech.

The new paintings of Mohammed would show the prophet - still with a dog's body - transplanted into famous works by artists including Claude Monet, Peter Paul Rubens and Anders Zorn, Vilks told the AFP news agency. » | TT/The Local/AFP/og | Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Prophet Cartoonist Defiant After Attack
THE TIMES OF INDIA: STOCKHOLM: A Swedish artist whose drawing of the Prophet Muhammad offended Muslims said today he hopes to get another chance to deliver a lecture on free-speech that was interrupted by violent protests.

But officials at Uppsala University said they doubted they would invite Lars Vilks again after police used pepper spray and batons to help him escape a furious crowd Tuesday.

"It's nothing that we're discussing right now, but it's not very likely given how it turned out here," university spokeswoman Anneli Vaara said.

While Vilks escaped the incident with broken glasses and a degree of shock, he said it raised concerns about the freedom of expression at Sweden's oldest and most prestigious institute of higher learning.

"What you get is a mob deciding what can be discussed at the university," Vilks told The Associated Press, adding he was ready to repeat the lecture if re-invited. >>> AP | Thursday, May 13, 2010

Muhammad on Broadway?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Several drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the European press have already scandalized the Muslim world. Now, a Swedish cartoonist is converting his controversial work into a musical.

Almost two years ago, 12 unflattering caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad appeared in the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten. After a bit of PR work by some radical imams in Denmark, the Muslim world erupted in protest.

Never one to leave well enough alone, Swedish artist Lars Vilks decided to keep the scandal going, and last summer, he drew a cartoon depicting the prophet's head on the body of a dog, which was published in the tiny Swedish paper Nerikes Allehanda. The caper earned him numerous death threats and a $100,000 bounty on his head, courtesy of al-Qaida -- who promised a $50,000 bonus if the murder was accomplished by slitting his throat.

Undeterred, Vilks has now come up with a dubious new idea: Why not turn the entire scandal into a musical? He has already started work on the project -- with the working title "Dogs" -- and envisions a stage production in the mold of "Jesus Christ Superstar" or "Cats."

"Muhammad is also a superstar in the modern sense of the term," Vilks told the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. Controversial Cartoon Inspires Musical (More)

Mark Alexander

Swedish Cartoonist Target of Foiled Attack

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Swedish cartoonist who has received death threats for depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog was the target of a planned attack in Gothenburg earlier this month, according to reports.

The daily Metro said it had obtained classified documents that showed the prosecutor believes three men arrested on September 10 had planned to kill cartoonist Lars Vilks.

The Swedish prosecutor's office refused to comment on the report.

An elite counter-terrorism unit arrested four people in Gothenburg and shortly afterward evacuated hundreds of people from a building hosting an art fair "after concluding that there was a threat that could endanger lives or health or cause serious damage."

Vilks had initially said on his blog that he would attend the art fair though he did not in the end.

One of the suspects had bought a pocketknife to be used in the attack, and one of the men had asked for Vilks at the art fair, according to Metro. » | Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Meet the Salman Rushdie of Sweden and Other European Freedom Fighters

Ezra Levant of TheRebel.media interviews Swedish artists Dan Park and Lars Vilks, and Danish publisher Lars Hedegaard, all of whom have been attacked by both Muslims and their own governments for criticizing Islam.

How Much Longer is the Weak West Going to Tolerate this Nonsense?
BBC: The Swedish cartoonist at the centre of a row over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad says police have taken him to a secret location for his own safety.

Lars Vilks said he was only able to pick up a few things when he returned from Germany at the weekend before police escorted him from his home.

The purported head of al-Qaeda in Iraq has offered $100,000 (£49,310) to anyone killing Mr Vilks. Swedish cartoon drawer in hiding (more) »

Mark Alexander

Fall-Out Over the Depiction of Prophet Muhammad as a Dog

Cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad with a dog’s body

THE LOCAL: Leading figures in Sweden's media industry have backed newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, which has been criticised by Iran for publishing a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog. The paper itself has meanwhile defended its decision to publish.

PeO Wärring, deputy chairman of the Swedish Newspaper Publishers' Association (TU), said that regardless of what people thought of the cartoons it was important that they could be published and debated.

"The strength of freedom of expression lies in the fact that it tolerates - and protects - not only comfortable, harmless and uncontroversial opinions, but also those that are tasteless, controversial, upsetting and offensive," he said in a statement.

The cartoon in question, by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, depicted Muhammad's head on the body of a dog. Vilks had found it hard to find a gallery willing to display his work, and Nerikes Allehanda published the cartoon alongside an editorial on freedom of expression.

A Swedish diplomat was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday to receive a protest from the Iranian government about the cartoon. Paper defends Muhammad dog cartoon (more)

Mark Alexander

Seven Muslims Arrested Over 'Plot to Kill Cartoonist'
TIMES ONLINE: Seven people have been arrested in the Republic of Ireland over a suspected plot to kill a Swedish artist who portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a dog and had a $100,000 (£66,000) al-Qaeda bounty on his head.

Anti-terrorist units used information from the CIA, FBI and European intelligence agencies to identify the suspected terrorist cell of three women and four men. They are believed to include Algerian, Libyan, Croatian, US and Palestinian citizens and at least one naturalised Irish citizen.

They were arrested in Cork and Waterford after a four-month international investigation.

The artist, Lars Vilks, has received death threats this year and was forced to go into hiding after his depictions of the Prophet were printed in a Swedish newspaper in 2007.

After the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard was threatened by a Somali axeman in January, Mr Vilks said he had received calls from “a Swedish-speaking Somali” who said: “Now it’s your turn.” >>> David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent | Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Verbunden / Related:

WELT ONLINE: Festnahme in Irland: Mordplan gegen Mohammed-Zeichner vermutet >>> dpa/jm | Dienstag, 09. März 2010

Culture Clash: European Art Provokes Muslims
Tell us what doesn’t provoke Muslims? – Mark
ASSOCIATED PRESS: LONDON — With the West locked in conflicts across the Muslim world, why would anyone throw fuel on the fire?

A small group of Europeans have been doing just that — provoking death plots and at least one murder by turning out art that derides the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran in the name of Western values.

Behind the scenes is something bigger: a rising European unease with a rapidly growing Muslim minority, and the spreading sense that the continent has become a front in a clash of civilizations.

Recent events — including surprising electoral success by an anti-Islamic Dutch party, moves to ban veils in France and minarets in Switzerland, and arrests in Ireland and the U.S. this week in an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist — are signs of the rising tensions.

Swedish artist Lars Vilks says he was defending freedom of speech when he produced a crude black-and-white drawing of Muhammad with a dog's body in 2007. Authorities say that set him in the crosshairs of an assassination plot by extremists including Colleen LaRose, a 46-year-old Muslim convert from Pennsylvania who dubbed herself "Jihad Jane."

Vilks said in a recent interview with The Associated Press that he wasn't interested in offending Muslims as an end in itself, but wanted to show that he could make provocative art about any topic he chose. "There is nothing so holy you can't offend it," he said.

The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten also said it was defending free speech in 2005 when it printed 12 cartoons of Muhammad, one in a bomb-shaped turban, setting off protests and the torching of Western embassies in several Muslim countries. And bottle-blond Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders said he was promoting European values by producing Fitna, a 15-minute film that lays images of the Sept. 11 attacks alongside verses from the Quran. The film was shown in Britain's House of Lords this month.

The cases are extreme, but millions of moderate Europeans also are re-examining the meaning of the liberal values widely cherished across the continent. How, many are asking, should a liberal society respectfully deal with immigrants who often espouse illiberal values? Should the immigrants adopt the values of their adoptive land — or, to the contrary, should society change to accommodate the newcomers who now form part of it?* >>> Michael Weissenstein | Sunday, March 14, 2010

Associated Press Writers Karl Ritter in Stockholm and Art Max and Mike Corder in Amsterdam contributed to this report.

*This is an absurd question to ask! It is clearly incumbent upon the immigrant to adapt to the host country, not the other way around. Many of these immigrants, after all, are here in Europe ILLEGALLY. And even when they aren’t, they came here for a better life. They came here to get away from backwardness and poverty. We should stop engaging in such banal and useless belly-aching! Were I to have house-guests refusing to abide by the rules of the house, I would show them the door. So it should be with a country. Abide by the laws of the country, or get out! – © Mark

Swedish Cartoon Controversy

Video 2: Muslim outrage in Sweden over Lars Vilks' Cartoons
Video 3: Counter-Bounty for Swedish Cartoons

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)