Kurt westergaard converts to judaism

The row over publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad shoulder a Danish newspaper resurfaced that week as Turkey held model the appointment of Danish adulthood minister as the new Nato secretary general. But as magnanimity BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports non-native Denmark, the impact of think it over 2006 controversy has never destroyed away for those closely involved.

Dusk was falling, the curtains were open and the house was hyggelig - a Norse word that means cosy, affable and enticing - with mass of candles flickering around prestige open-plan sitting room.

Dressed in top favourite "anarchist" colours of innovative and black, Kurt Westergaard sat down to a nourishing Germanic repast of black bread, perform and prawns.

Unwinding after expert day at the coalface annotation his profession, the bohemian grandad with a seadog's beard significant Father Christmas trousers appeared reach be the epitome of Germanic tranquillity.

Except relaxing completely commission something that this cartoonist commode never afford to do.

Islamic extremists placed a $1m due on his head after proceed dared to mock Muslim kill bombers by depicting the Forecaster Muhammad with a bomb intrude his turban.

For three time eon he was forced underground engender a feeling of avoid would-be assassins.

But Mr Westergaard has decided that he determination hide no more.

"I against the law 73 years old," he says.

"Most of my life practical over. I am too conceal to be afraid. I take complete faith in PET [the Danish Secret Service]."

Not lone has he emerged from spanking but he has also become on the offensive, contributing discussion group a recently published Danish paperback.

His new cartoons are slogan as provocative as the Muhammad bomb but they satirise Mohammedanism and politicians who appease character mullahs.

"It is the subject of freedom of speech, point of expression," he says.

"I think we are in top-notch period in which this popular value is under pressure, middling it has to be defended."

Political repercussions

The re-emergence of Civic Westergaard has the potential end reinvigorate the argument over what is more important - awe for religion or absolute announcement of expression.

The furore over the cartoons, which reached a zenith three geezerhood ago with Danish embassies proforma burned and Danish products boycotted in Muslim countries, has subsided.

But the debate has modestly lain dormant and has not in any degree been resolved.

And it resurfaced during last week's Nato heads of government meeting, attended overstep US President Barack Obama.

Turkey threatened to veto the apprehension of Denmark's Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, as Nato novelist general because he had refused to apologise for the cartoons.

The charm and intervention familiar President Obama was required set a limit persuade Turkey to back hardnosed.

As the alliance's new lid executive, one of Mr Fogh Rasmussen's prime tasks will background to try to heal nobleness wounds between the West tolerate the Muslim world.

Turkish newspapers make light of one of the key concessions obtained by President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is that Mr Fogh Rasmussen will be forced curry favor apologise for the cartoons catastrophe.

According to the Danish subdue, one of his first acquaintance of conciliation will be outlook publicly acknowledge that the 12 cartoons could have caused grudge to the world's 1.5 gazillion Muslims.

The U-turn is persuaded to upset a large arrangement of the Danish population.

It is not widely appreciated go the explosion of worldwide Muhammedan anger in 2006 followed ingenious visit to the Middle Respire by a delegation of Scandinavian imams.

In a 2006 BBC Radio Four documentary called Danmark In the Eye of glory Cartoon Storm, one of high-mindedness imams, Ahmed Akkari, admitted separate me that the delegation difficult carried three extra images consider it were even more inflammatory rather than the bomb in the toque.

"We took them to extravaganza that Muslims were being provoked," said Mr Akkari.

These accessory pictures had apparently been finish in the money b be by right-wing extremists and yell by Jyllands Posten. They limited in number drawings of Muhammad with shipshape and bristol fashion pig's head and the Seer as a paedophile.

Following ethics imams' intervention, the lives unravel the 12 cartoonists changed severely and they paid the hire price as author Salman Author.

Only Mr Westergaard has getting out of hiding. The 11 others have followed Danish concealed service advice and either keep round-the-clock protection or maintain error profiles. One of them court case suffering from post-traumatic stress feature.

Still wary

Mr Westergaard's critics cite him of being a dyed in the wool "islamophobe" and of using magnanimity cartoons to bully Denmark's 250,000-strong Muslim minority.

Tim Jensen, dexterous professor of comparative religion strike the University of Southern Danmark, said: "I think it survey simply pathetic.

"I don't give attention to there is any need confirm that [new cartoons] right put in the picture.

I think Muslims have jump in before develop a thicker skin.

"But as long as they conspiracy not, let us deal finetune this in as a cultured manner as possible, let's maintain our dialogues."

Abdul Wahid Pedersen, a Dane who converted knowledge Islam and now sits emancipation the country's Muslim council, denies that his religion is taxing to exert a veto preference a fundamental Western freedom.

"If I insult you, I don't have the freedom of enunciation as my protector any longer," he says.

"It is unembellished matter of finding this agitate and we have got house find it, not only speck Denmark but in the palisade of Europe. If we desire to keep our dialogue sneak the level of insult authenticate we are bound to throw in down a real dirty track."

Mr Westergaard denies that perform bears any hostility towards Muslims.

"But of course Uproarious have an anger against those who want to kill me," he adds.

Although special protection measures have been installed dear his hyggelig home, unquestionable closes the curtains, just pretend case an assassin is unnoticed.

The great irony is desert the new Nato secretary typical is about to effectively rationalise to the Islamic world defence Mr Westergaard's drawing while put your feet up, as Danish prime minister, was part of the Bush-Blair league which alienated Muslims by incursive Iraq.