Welsh archbishop apologises to Muslims for cartoon

-21/03/06

The Anglican Archbishop o


Welsh archbishop apologises to Muslims for cartoon

-21/03/06

The Anglican Archbishop of Wales, the Rt Rev Barry Morgan, has apologised to Welsh officers of the Muslim Council of Britain for the appearance of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in the Churchís regular magazine, Y Lan.

The cartoon was itself a commentary on the recent Danish controversy, depicting the Prophet alongside representative figures from other world religions ñ who are shown as saying that they too have been caricatured.

It appeared in a February 2006 article looking at the common lineage of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the ëreligions of the bookí.

A Welsh MCB spokesperson accepted the apology, and said that he recognised that no offence had been intended. Interfaith relations in Wales are positive, and Archbishop Morgan is keen that the incident should not imperil them.

In most branches of Islam it is forbidden to picture Allah or the prophet, because images of the holy are seen as idolatrous ñ substituting a human creation for the divine.

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The theological thinking behind the proscription has largely been overlooked both by those who criticise the religion for over-sensitivity or for trying to censor the media over the Danish controversy, and by those extreme Islamists who have tried to exploit the saga to foment anti-Western feelings.

Some free speech advocates are likely to accuse Dr Morgan of pandering to opponents of free expression. He personally contacted Dr Saleem Kidwai, of the Muslim Council of Wales.

But the Church says that it is a matter of respect and courtesy towards another tradition, and element of the argument which has also been bypassed in recent weeks.

The Church in Wales has written to subscribers of its magazine, asking them to return the offending copies. It will now be re-printed without the cartoon. According to the BBC the editor of Y Llan has since resigned.

Last month, a Cardiff University student union newspaper was withdrawn after it printed a different cartoon satirising the Prophet.


Welsh archbishop apologises to Muslims for cartoon

-21/03/06

The Anglican Archbishop of Wales, the Rt Rev Barry Morgan, has apologised to Welsh officers of the Muslim Council of Britain for the appearance of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in the Churchís regular magazine, Y Lan.

The cartoon was itself a commentary on the recent Danish controversy, depicting the Prophet alongside representative figures from other world religions ñ who are shown as saying that they too have been caricatured.

It appeared in a February 2006 article looking at the common lineage of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the ëreligions of the bookí.

A Welsh MCB spokesperson accepted the apology, and said that he recognised that no offence had been intended. Interfaith relations in Wales are positive, and Archbishop Morgan is keen that the incident should not imperil them.

In most branches of Islam it is forbidden to picture Allah or the prophet, because images of the holy are seen as idolatrous ñ substituting a human creation for the divine.

Related Articles

The theological thinking behind the proscription has largely been overlooked both by those who criticise the religion for over-sensitivity or for trying to censor the media over the Danish controversy, and by those extreme Islamists who have tried to exploit the saga to foment anti-Western feelings.

Some free speech advocates are likely to accuse Dr Morgan of pandering to opponents of free expression. He personally contacted Dr Saleem Kidwai, of the Muslim Council of Wales.

But the Church says that it is a matter of respect and courtesy towards another tradition, and element of the argument which has also been bypassed in recent weeks.

The Church in Wales has written to subscribers of its magazine, asking them to return the offending copies. It will now be re-printed without the cartoon. According to the BBC the editor of Y Llan has since resigned.

Last month, a Cardiff University student union newspaper was withdrawn after it printed a different cartoon satirising the Prophet.