Muhammad cartoons editor: There's a problem with Muslims in Europe

Flemming Rose, culture editor of Danish paper that published cartoons of Muslim prophet which led to riots, says clashes were attempt by Muslims to impose Islamic law on non-Muslim countries. He tells Ynet way to fight intolerance is by freedom of expression, not by limiting it.

Flemming Rose, culture editor of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten which published 12 cartoons depicting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in 2005 that led to an outbreak of riots in the Muslim world in which over 50 people were killed, says he feels no remorse for his decision – but could not give a straight answer as to whether he would do it again.

Rose is currently in Israel as guest of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In an interview with Ynet on Tuesday he said, "If I said I wouldn't do it again, it would send a very bad message to those who committed crimes and intimidations, and would in fact be telling them: If you keep this up, we will do whatever you want.

"If I do say that I would publish the cartoons again, in light of what happened, people will think I am cynical and don't consider the repercussions of my actions. It's like asking a rape victim if she regrets wearing a revealing shirt for a Friday night out."

The crisis that was dubbed "the Muhammad cartoons controversy", broke out in two rounds.

The first was in 2006, after Muslim clerics spoke out against the publication of the 12 Muhammad cartoons in Denmark. The second time was in February 2008, after no less than 18 different newspapers published the most famous of the drawings, that depicted the prophet with a bomb in his turban, in response to a foiled attempt on the lives of the illustrators...

There is a problem with every muslim. Nothing new here.