The cartoon jihad in Denmark is escalating. Now the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Pakistan (which was founded by Maulana Maududi, whose jihadist theory I discuss in Onward Muslim Soldiers) is offering a reward to anyone who kills any of the artists.
So far the Danish authorities have reacted well, emphasizing that freedom of speech prevails in Denmark. And certainly it is true that Christians and other religious groups endure lampoon and attack all over the Western world without resorting to threats and violence.
Now this story has become really interesting, since it has become internationalized a la the Rushdie affair. It bears following even though the Pakistani ambassador in Denmark has distanced itself from the threats. From DR Nyheder, with thanks to Filtrat:
The events surrounding the publication of drawings of the prophet Mohammed in the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten a couple of months ago has taken an even more dramatic turn for the worse.
A large Islamic extremist party in Pakistan has offered a reward of 50,000 kroner to anyone who kills any of the artists.
The Danish ambassador in Islamabad, Bent Wigotski, reports that it is the extremist Jamaaat-e-Islami party and it youth organisation who have offered the bounty money. They have also demanded the ambassador leave Pakistan.