View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
June 9, 2008

Bombing ‘revenge for publishing cartoons’

By Press Gazette

A car bomb that killed at least six people at the Danish embassy in Islamabad on Monday is thought to be in retribution for the publishing of cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper.

At least 35 people were hurt as the bomb ripped through the embassy and its neighbouring building in a wealthy district of the Pakistani capital at 1.15am, local time.

Danish foreign minister Per Stig Moeller said the attack could be linked to recent calls by Al Qaeda deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri for strikes on Danish targets in revenge for the publication of the images of Muhammad.

Danish paper Jyllands-Posten first published a series of caricatures of Muhammad in late 2005 which led to worldwide protests and diplomatic disputes the following year.

Hours before the blast, at the World Editors Forum in Gothenburg on Sunday, three editors defended their reasons for reprinting the cartoons in their publications.

Philippe Val, publisher and editor of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, said he reprinted the infamous cartoons as part of a campaign of solidarity with Jyllands-Posten, which saw French daily La République and Spanish paper El Pais and others do the same.

No UK national or regional paper published the cartoons, although there were protests outside the Danish embassy in London.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

Val said he received threats to his life but remained adamant that while the press should not wilfully offend any minority, its right to offend if necessary should be defended.

Also on the panel was Ulf Johansson, editor-in-chief of Swedish regional paper Nerike Allehande, who republished the cartoons after a local art exhibition refused to show the original images.

Johansson received death threats from someone claiming to be from Al Qaeda and was given police protection.

The panel also included the former editor of Jordanian newspaper Shihane, Jehad Momani, who faces blasphemy charges over his reprinting of the cartoons, for which death is the maximum penalty in his country.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network