BTB
The honorary consulate of Denmark in Surabaya is indefinitely closed following a series of protests against the publication of caricatures on Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers last year.
“In principle we are still open to explain the stance of the Danish Government,” Secretary of the Danish Consulate Linda Irawati said here Tuesday.Linda said that the consulate passed on the explanation and statement of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen concerning the caricature publication, addressed to Muslims all over the world.
The honorary consulate also informed the apology of the editor-in-chief of Morgennavisen Jyllands Posten which first published the cartoons in September 2005, and later picked up by a dozen publications across Europe. Some European publications have also apologized for such an offense. Rallies staged on Friday (Feb. 3) by a Muslim group called the Anti-America and Anti-Israel Muslims’ Committee and on Monday (Feb. 60 by the Prosperous and Justice Party (PKS) in front of the consulate ran peacefully. The dialogues between the consulate’s officials and the protestors were also smooth.
However, the demonstration launched by another group called the Forum of Community Caring for Islam (Fompi) was quite anarchy so that a dialogue could not be carried out, she said.
“Therefore, for the shake of security, we take a step to temporarily close the Danish Consulate indefinitely,” she said.
The gate of the consulate is now guarded by a number of security officers. Islam proscribes the depiction in images of the Prophet Muhammad, and the publication of the cartoons has touched off a wave of angry protests by Muslims around the world. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said recently the Indonesian government condemned the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and he could understand the public’s strong protest against the publication. “But as religious people, we should accept the apology conveyed by both the Danish government through its ambassador in Jakarta and the editorial staff of the newspaper,” President Yudhoyono told a press conference.
