Around 200 Muslims rallied outside the Danish embassy in Indonesia on Wednesday 20 February to protest the reprinting of a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers. The group also stopped outside the Dutch embassy to protest the planned release of a controversial film on the Quran, Islam’s holy book, by a right-wing Dutch lawmaker.
“Behind the mask of free expression they want to insult Islam,” protester Shodiq Ramadhan said of the Danish newspapers.
“In fact, the publications showed arrogance and disrespect for the beliefs of other people.”
Suarabaya and Medan
In two Indonesian cities, Surabaya and Medan, more protests followed on Saturday 23 February over the cartoons.
“Enough is enough. They have to stop insulting Islam,” said Muhammad Djabir, one of about 1,000 protesters in the mostly Muslim country’s second-largest city, Surabaya.
Others in the crowd outside the Danish consulate shouted “Death sentence for the cartoonist!”
“There is a big agenda among enemies of Islam to discredit the faith and we cannot just keep quiet,” said protester Zainuddin, who demonstrated in Medan.
