The paper's editor has told the BBC his intention was to show Muslims they were not exempt from satire.

let me jerk this circle too, is it possible that the publishing of these cartoons was a planned operation to spread the inflamation of religous zealotry to unefected nations to help rally support of a global fookun jihad? ask yourself who gains from doing this? would evil men court disasters just to gain support for their initiatives aroundf the globe? would a few more riots in europe help convince the old europeans that they can't be isolationistas in the global war on terror?

Annan urges calm in cartoon row

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for calm in a row over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that has seen protests erupt across the Muslim world.

Mr Annan said he shared the distress of Muslims upset by the cartoons but urged them to accept an apology from the Danish paper that first published them.

The paper's editor has told the BBC his intention was to show Muslims they were not exempt from satire.

Islamic tradition regards any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous.

'Great damage'

Kofi Annan said he was "distressed and concerned at the whole affair" and appealed for no-one to "inflame an already difficult situation".
burning down the theatre link at bbc