Saudis boycott Denmark over Motoons - again!

Looks like it's time to buy Danish again, possums!

"It is imperative for Arab and Moslem tradespeople and shopkeepers to boycott Danish products."

A new campaign has begun in Saudi Arabia calling for a boycott of Danish products, after the fresh publication of 12 controversial cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, reported the Arab daily al-Watan.

"We will carry out a new boycott," said the president of Arab entrepreneurs, Mohammed Abidat."

It is imperative for Arab and Muslim tradespeople and shopkeepers to boycott Danish products," he said.

On 12 February 2008, Danish police arrested five people in connection with a planned attack to kill the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who drew the original images of the prophet Mohammed in September 2005. Westergaard’s cartoon depicting the prophet wearing a bomb turban with a lit fuse attracted particular attention and led to worldwide protests by Muslims at the time and a boycott of Danish goods.

The Muslim World League, a leading non-government organisation in the Muslim world, has condemned the renewed publication of the cartoons."It is important to take every intiative to ensure that the Prophet is not offended again.

"The Muslim World League has also invited Muslims and Danish Islamic centres to take action, but without the use of violence, only dialogue.

Yeah, that last one worked so well. (Snicker)

This boycott will take hold in the Islamic world because it is a religious boycott and such boycotts are not easily forgotten by religious consumers. In the non-Islamic world, however, the riots have only served to build sympathy for the Danish, resulting in a greater demand in the west, thus an overall expanded market and demand for Danish products.

Final score: Denmark 1, Muslims 0.


The cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed first appeared in Danish daily Jyllands-Posten. Later, the cartoons were re-published by scores of papers around the world, provoking the outrage of Muslims and calls for a boycott of Danish products. When the Danish government refused to apologise saying the paper had the right to print it, the issue turned explosive in the Muslim world and many people died in violent protests.

Last week Westergaard said he and his family had suffered because of the virulent response and death threats he had received. "It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness," he said on the newspaper website.

Westergaard said he still went to work and did not know for how long he would live under police protection. "I think, however, that the impact of the insane response to my cartoon will last for the rest of my life."