Australian Muslims Warn Against Publishing Cartoons

There has been a warning from Australia's peak Muslim group that any publication in Australia of a Danish cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed could cause offence. Overseas Muslim demonstrators have set fire to the Danish embassy in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. The protesters say the cartoon depicts the prophet Mohammed in a way they say is derogatory. The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Dr Ameer Ali, says while the cartoon is yet to be published in Australia, the community is already aware of the issue. ""The reaction is already in fact the imams are giving sermons in the mosques saying that this sort of action can only create more bin Ladens than to reduce him," he said. Dr Ali says publishing the cartoon would cause too much offence. "Which is more important - to preserve the freedom of speech or to antagonise one fifth of humanity," he said. The warning comes as Queensland Muslims say they had hoped the state's largest newspaper would have had more sense than to publish one of the cartoons.. The Courier Mail's Saturday edition included one cartoon in a story about the backlash. The Islamic Council of Queensland president, Abdul Jalal, says the paper should apologise to the state's Muslims. "I was hoping, praying that our media people would have more - I hate to use the word - more sense, in not trying to agitate the situation in the local scene here in Australia," he said. Dr Ameer Ali says while the cartoon is yet to be published in Australia, the community is already aware of the issue.The Federal Opposition says violent protests prompted by the cartoons are an assault on fundamental freedoms in Western democracies. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd says the recent protests are repugnant and should not be tolerated. Mr Rudd says any decision on whether to publish the cartoons in Australia should be made solely on editorial grounds. "This is a free country, we should not be stood over by any group, including militant Islamist groups," he said. "These decisions should be taken on their journalistic merits by Australia's news media - we should not be kow-towing to anybody when it comes to freedom in this country." Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary Chris Warren, who is also the president of the International Federation of Journalists, says free speech is essential in a democratic society. ""I think the role of the government should be absolutely nothing - the role of the government in free speech matters is to do nothing, the role of the government is to allow different points of view to contend and out of that people will be able to form their views," he said. "I think the global fallout of this is extraordinary. "I think it shows in many countries the role of the free press - it ignores the important role of satire. "I think it would be very unfortunate if that real global misunderstanding also took root in Australia, which has always had a very clear understanding of the role of free speech and free expression and satire," he said. The Federation of Islamic Councils says it will take its concerns to the Federal Government.