Economic and social consequences of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy

Jyllands–Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Events and reactions
Timeline Cartoon descriptions Akkari-Laban dossier Newspaper reprints International reactions Opinions Economic and social consequences
Principal parties
Jyllands-Posten Islamisk Trossamfund Denmark Muslim world
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Social consequences

• Andrea Santoro, an Italian Catholic priest, was killed on February 5, 2006, in Trabzon, Turkey. A 16-year-old high school student was arrested two days later carrying a 9mm pistol. The student told police he had been influenced by the cartoons.^[1]
• At least four protesters were killed in Afghanistan, in Mihtarlam, and a US air base in Bagram. One protester was trampled to death in Bossaso, Somalia, when the crowd stampeded as police fired in the air to disperse them. On February 5, 2006, one protester died at the blazing Danish Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.^[2]
• On February 6, 2006, one demonstrator involved in the torching of the Danish consulate in Beirut, Lebanon, was found dead on a staircase. One protester was shot to death in Laghman Province, Afghanistan.^[3]
• Four people were killed and 22 injured on February 7, 2006, in an attack on a NATO base in Maymana, Afghanistan.^[4]
• On February 13, 2006, two people were killed in Lahore, Pakistan. The next day two were killed in Peshawar, Pakistan; and another in Lahore during widespread protests across the city.[1]
• On February 15, 2006, three people were killed by local police forces in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan during widespread demonstrations in the city.
• On February 17, 2006, eleven people died during protests in Libya ^[5]
• On February 18, 2006, sixteen people were killed in northern Nigeria as demonstrators protested the cartoons by storming and burning Christian churches and businesses.^[6] The majority of the casualties were believed to be Christians, a minority group in Northern Nigeria.
• As of February 24, 2006, around 146 people have been killed in religious riots in Nigeria, touched off by attacks against Christians in the predominantly Muslim North [2] [3].
• As of March 22, 2006, 139 people have died, and at least 823 people have been injured as a result of the political and religious backlash against the cartoons (these figures do not count riots in Nigeria).^[7]
• As of April 14, 2006, a 67-year-old Coptic Christian was knifed to death by a 25-year-old Muslim in an attack on faithful in a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt. At the same time others attacked two other Coptic churches and injured more than ten Christians.^[8] According to press reports, referring to the department of the Interior of Egypt, the killer acted in revenge to the publication of the Muhammad cartoons.^[9]
• On May 3, 2006, 28-year-old Pakistani Amir Abdur Rehman Cheema hanged himself in prison in Berlin, Germany while awaiting trial for an unsuccessful attempt to enter the building of the German newspaper Die Welt, armed with a knife, and attack the chief editor. At his autopsy, two high-ranking Pakistani police officials were present.^[10]

Economic consequences

While many Muslims and supporters took part in protests throughout the world, many more took part in one of the single biggest boycotts of all time. Consumers, especially Arab nations, began a process of boycotting all Danish goods. This was then followed by the government of Iran issuing boycotts and restrictions on consumer products imported from Denmark. Denmark is concerned about the potential loss of 11,000 jobs resulting from boycotts against Danish products in the Islamic world. However, Danish exports to the Middle East only made up 1.1 percent of total exports in 2005 meaning that the overall economic impact of even a full boycott would be limited.^[11]

The biggest single loser of the boycott was Swedish-Danish company Arla Foods. Arla, Denmark's biggest exporter to the Middle East, has been losing 20 million kroner (3.2 million dollars, 1.3 million euros) per day since its products were taken off the shelves in several countries, and has had to temporarily lay off 125 workers. In response, Arla began to sell its product without its brand name being present and in large containers. Other companies have replaced their "Made in Denmark" label with a "Made in the EU" label. Others still have used foreign subsidiaries to camouflage the origin of Danish production, according to the Confederation of Danish Industries’ (DI).

The boycott continued, despite hopes that it was a temporary dispute which would quickly blow over. The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk said that it had lost a 200-million-kroner insulin contract in Turkey blaming the ongoing controversy. Jyske Bank has estimated that the cost of the boycott to the Danish economy could total 7.5 billion kroner which is in the area of 0.5 percent of the Danish GDP.^[12]

Property damage

• On February 4, 2006, the buildings containing the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Syria were set ablaze, although no one was hurt.^[13]
• On February 12–15, 2006, there were widespread protests in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar. In Lahore, many western offices, restaurants like KFC and McDonalds, telecom offices and banks were vandalized. During three days of riots in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan people demonstrated against symbols of Western culture. Fast food restaurants, banks and two offices of Telenor (a Norwegian telecom company) were vandalized. The Punjab Assembly building in Lahore was also ransacked.^{[citation needed]}

Other calls for boycott

• In February, the French international supermarket chain Carrefour took all Danish products off the shelves in Muslim countries. Posters with the Carrefour logo proclaiming a boycott of Denmark, resulted in a boycott of Carrefour in Brussels.^[14]
• On March 5, 2006 Ayman al-Zawahiri of Al Qaeda urged all Muslims to boycott, not only Denmark but also Norway, France, Germany and all others that have "insulted the Prophet Mohammed" by printing cartoons depicting him.^[15]
• Iran has announced that it plans to review its trade ties with all countries where the cartoons were published.^[16] A high level committee involving the Foreign Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister, the Deputy Trade Minister and the Deputy Oil Minister has been set up.
• In February 2008, Sudan President Omar al-Bashir stated that he would bar Danes from Sudan and called for the Muslim world to boycott Denmark. At a rally, he stated “We urge all Muslims around the world to boycott Danish commodities, goods, companies, institutions, organizations and personalities" and that "not a single Danish foot will from now on desecrate the land of Sudan.”^[17]

Support Denmark movement

An example of one of the banners being posted across the web to encourage support for Danish goods.

The Support Denmark Movement is a movement in Western countries to support the Danish people as a reaction against the Anti-Denmark Boycott. Supporters are encouraged to seek out and buy more Danish produce and display stickers and web banners with supportive slogans and Danish flags. Large numbers^{[citation needed]} of blogs, websites and message boards have sprung up, listing Danish products that people can buy and publishing messages of support.

References

1. ^ "Murder of priest 'religious revenge'". Independent Online. 2006-02-08. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=vn20060208033427794C349514. 
2. ^ Freeman, Simon (2006-02-06). "First deaths in Muhammad cartoon protests". London: Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2027502,00.html. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
3. ^ "Protesters killed as global furor over cartoons escalates". Middle East Times. 2006-02-06. http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060206-081448-7380r. 
4. ^ "Death toll mounts in rioting over cartoons". International Herald Tribune. 2006-02-08. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/07/news/islam.php. 
5. ^ "In Libya, 11 repotedly die in cartoon protests". CNN. 2006-02-17. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/02/17/libya.cartoons/index.html. 
6. ^ "16 die in cartoon protests in Nigeria". CNN. 2006-02-18. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/02/18/cartoon.roundup/index.html. 
7. ^ "Cartoon Body Count". Web. 2006-03-02. Archived from the original on 2007-02-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070204031102/http://www.cartoonbodycount.com/. 
8. ^ (German)"Fanatiker greifen Christen an". N-TV. 2006-04-14. http://www.n-tv.de/657412.html. 
9. ^ (German)"Straßenschlacht in Alexandria". N-TV. 2006-04-15. http://www.n-tv.de/657677.html. 
10. ^ (German)"Obduktion bestätigt Selbstmord eines Pakistaners". N24.de. 2006-05-10. http://www.n24.de/politik/inland/index.php/n2006051018433100002. 
11. ^ Broder, Henryk M. (2005-02-01). "Threaten One, Intimidate a Million". Der Spiegel. http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,398532,00.html. 
12. ^ Allagui, Slim (2006-02-20). "Danish business feels the pain of cartoon boycotts". Middle East Online. http://www.middle-east-online.com/ENGLISH/business/?id=15795. 
13. ^ "Embassies torched in cartoon fury :Danish, Norwegian embassies in Syria attacked by Muslims" (Online). CNN. February 5, 2006. http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/04/syria.cartoon/index.html. Retrieved 2008-10-15. 
14. ^ "Cartoon War Leads to Role Reversal". The Brussels Journal. 2006-02-04. http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/756. 
15. ^ "Al Qaeda tape urges boycotts over cartoons". ABC. 2006-03-05. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200603/s1584198.htm. 
16. ^ "Iranian paper runs Holocaust contest", The Jerusalem Post, February 6, 2006
17. ^ Sudan president urges Muslims to boycott Denmark by Mohamed Osman, Associated Press (reprinted by the Globe and Mail), February 27, 2008. (retrieved on October 21, 2008).