Malaysia Saturday expressed its deepest regret over the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in a Danish newspaper. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a statement: "This deplorable act is a blatant disregard for Islamic sensitivities over the use of such images, which are particularly insulting to and forbidden by Islam." He noted that it was even more regrettable that newspapers and journals in some other countries such as Norway, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain had seen it fit to reproduce the Danish newspaper's offending caricatures despite world-wide protests against the publication of those images. "This is a deliberate act of provocation. They should cease and desist from doing so," said Abdullah, who is chairman of the Organization of Islamic Organization (OIC). The prime minister, however, called upon Malaysians to remain calm and rational. "Let the perpetrators of the insult see the gravity of their own mistakes which only they themselves can and should correct," he said. Twelve caricatures depicting the prophet, first published by the Jyllands-Posten daily in Denmark in September last year and then reprinted in newspapers in the other countries, have sparked anger and sadness among millions of Muslims throughout the world. Muslims have protested on the streets of capitals across the world. Yesterday, more than 150 people stormed a high-rise building housing the Embassy of Denmark in Jakarta, and tore down and burned the country's flag, according to a report of the Malaysian News Agency "Bernama." --MORE 11 34 Local Time 08 34 GMT
