As a Kossack living in Denmark, I have previously given my view of the Mohammed cartoon controversy
here. I won't repeat my points, other than to say that I believe the Danish government and Danish fear of difference have played a large role in fueling the crisis.
As if to confirm my analysis, Danish reaction to recent comments by Kofi Annan lay out in stark relief what I am talking about.
More below.
I don't know if it's getting much press in the US, but a high-level meeting in Qatar, dubbed the Alliance of Civilizations, was the site of recent pronouncements of Kofi Annan on the "cartoon controversy." Although the meeting was planned long before the cartoons were published and was intended to promote a dialogue of general tolerance and mutual understanding between Islam and other cultures, the Danish controvery has obviously become a topic of intense attention at the conference.
Secretary Annan commented on the controversy with what I consider to be more-or-less bland remarks, larded with sympathy for Islamic sensibilities, but the reaction in Denmark has been heated and, in my opinion, very revealing.
First, Kofi Annan's remarks:
"The offensive caricatures were first published in a European country which has recently acquired a significant Muslim population and is not yet sure how to adjust to it. And some of the strongest reactions - perhaps especially the more violent ones - have been seen in Muslim countries where many people feel themselves the victims of excessive Western influence or interference."
In response, the right-leaning government, headed by Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is apoplectic. Rasmussen's foreign minister, Per Stig Møller, has put it most bluntly: "It is not Denmark that has to adopt to a Muslim minority, but a Muslim minority that has to integrate itself into Denmark."
The spokesman for Rasmussen's ruling party, while welcoming UN involvement in the matter, has stated that the basis of its involvement should not be Annan's view: "We will not adapt [to minority communities] in any manner. That view is completely mistaken, and if it is the view that forms the basis for UN involvement, I fear for the consequences."
(Quotes are from Politiken. Translations are mine.)
Prior to this exchange, furthermore, the Danish government announced that it was disinviting conservative imams from participating in consultations regarding Denmark's immigrant integration policies. The ostensible reason was to punish them for their role in fueling the crisis.
Denmark has a lot to learn, in my opinion.