04/02/2006
Al-Alam Alyom Newspaper 2006/FEBRUARY /04
The publication by European newspapers of some cartoons depicting Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, sparked anger in the Muslim world. Calls were made to boycott European products, and eventually some Western companies were hit hard by this decision. Others were more cautious, though, saying that boycotting should not mean hostility toward the countries in which the cartoons had been (re)published.(Available in Arabic – German in PDF )
The publication by European newspapers of some cartoons depicting Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, sparked anger in the Muslim world. Calls were made to boycott European products, and some high-ranking businessmen in Egypt backed the idea. They said that religion was more important than business and that they could stand the resulting financial losses, adding that the worst hit would be Western businesses. At least a businessman from Egypt, though, was more cautious. Dr. Nader Riad said that boycotting should not mean hostility toward these countries given their international influence and importance, adding, however, that an apology was necessary given this “despicable” act.