***1/30/06 update. Click here for the latest and for all 12 cartoons.***

Brussels Journal reports on how a Danish newspaper and its cartoonists are being threatened by Muslim extremists for publishing cartoons about the prophet Muhammad deemed offensive (hat tip: Paul B.):

The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of twelve cartoons about the prophet Muhammad. According to the Islam it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper’s offices and kill the cartoonists.

The newspaper published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no-one to illustrate his book about Muhammad. Jyllands-Posten wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked twelve illustrators to draw the prophet for them. Carsten Juste, the paper’s editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.

The test results are in:

On Thursday the ambassadors of eleven Muslim countries, including Indonesia, a number of Arab states, Pakistan, Iran, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, complained about the cartoons in a letter to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. They say the publication of the cartoons is a “provocation” and demand apologies from the newspaper.

Jyllands-Posten was also included on an al-Qaeda website listing possible terrorist targets. An organisation which calls itself “The Glorious Brigades in Northern Europe” is circulating pictures on the internet which show bombs exploding over pictures of the newspaper and blood flowing over the national flag of Denmark. “The Mujahedeen have numerous targets in Denmark – very soon you all will regret this,” the website says.

Here’s one of the cartoons that has the Islamists inflamed:

See the rest here.

***

On a related note, the blogosphere’s campaign to “Free Piglet!” from the confines of Islamist political correctness continues.

Previous:

Islamists target Piglet

***

In more related news, via Shawn Wasson: “Three Dead As Muslims Attack Christian Church Over DVD.”