Freedom of expression and cartoons

Just under two years after the Danish cartoon dispute, a Muhammad cartoon published in Nerikes Allehanda, a Swedish local newspaper, has provoked a new debate about freedom of expression. There have been official protests in both Iran and Pakistan, Swedish websites are being boycotted and Muslim groups in Sweden are demanding an apology. The newspaper comments: "It's only natural to feel offended. But that doesn't give one the right to curtail or annul others' freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is the lifeblood of democracy. Without it, free citizenship and the free society die... We in Europe are learning the following at present: respecting the right to feel offended... can deprive us of the ability... to defend our democracy. The Swedes are only now learning this lesson - but better late than never. We are a lot wiser now than we were two years ago."

» full article (external link, Danish)
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