Islamic movements who have cynically latched on to this controversy for their own ends. And we agree with Salma Yacoob, who has defended the right to publish the cartoons and rejected any caricature which depicts all Muslims as "intolerant" and opponents of free speech.
Here we publish a statement on the issues etly point out here that the drawings illustrated an article on the self-censorship which rules large parts of the Western world.
"Our right to say, write, photograph and draw what we want to within the framework of the law exists and must endure - unconditionally!"
He has now made a qualified apology: "In our opinion, the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologize."
European newspapers, governments, the European Union, United Nations and Muslim organisations are now engulfed in the controversy, and the owner of France Soir has sacked the editor for publishing the cartoons.
The case has also been seized on by far-right groups to press.
Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, said that the dismissal of the editor of France Soir, Jacques Lefranc, "sends a dangerous signal about pendent journalism.'
The IFJ points out, "Arabworld governments calling for boomical action against medla are guilty of undue interference in the work of journalists."
Clearly the row over the cartoons has dramatically revealed how fragile some of these important principles are.
We need to avoid generating ever-more anger and confrontation in this case, but at the same time restate firmly that freedom of expression and freedom of the press are important foundations of European democratic society and need to be strongly defended. Governor Joe Manchin shut down all coal production in the second largest coal-producing state in the US in order to carry out a "mine safety" check in the wake of the death of 12 miners on January 2 at the Sago Mine in Tallmansville.
This was followed by two miners killed in a conveyor belt fire and two more killed in separate incidents in the first days of February bringing total coal miner deaths in the state for 2006 to sixteen. Santiago Michelle Bachelet was elected as the first female president of Chile in January making her the third woman to be elected president in Latin America's history. Weeks later she fulfilled her campaign pledge to give half of the cabinet portfolios to women. Liberia Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected as the first female head of state in Africa in Liberia's recent election.