The controversy over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad appears to have calmed in recent days, but it continues to simmer. This week, there have been more protests in Iran, Pakistan, and in other parts of the Islamic world, with much of the anger directed at Denmark, where the cartoons were first published. Now, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is heading to Qatar on 26 February to try and help end the deadly violence.

 

There have been calls from political and religious leaders for calm and tolerance, and the demonstrations now appear more subdued than when the controversy first erupted several weeks ago. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan hopes his visit to Qatar will help end the violence.

"The secretary-general has been clearly on the record recently as to an appeal for calm, to stop the violence, and to use this opportunity to start a true dialogue so people of different faiths can come together and explain to each other what [are] ways to avert this type of crises, and also the need to depoliticize this issue as it currently is," said Annan's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.

Annan is scheduled to address a Doha meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, a panel he helped set up last year. Its aim is to bridge gaps between cultures -- like the one highlighted by the cartoons, with free-speech advocates pitched against those who see the cartoons as blasphemous.

An Excuse To Incite Violence

Annan's main concern, he has said repeatedly, is that extremists are inciting violence and are attempting to exploit the situation for their own agendas, which have little to do with Islam.

Annan said he has undertaken a round of telephone diplomacy, urging a wide range of leaders to use their influence to end the crisis.

"I have spoken to several capitals, appealing [to] bring it down, and I have also appealed to anyone with influence, whether secular or religious, to do whatever they can to calm the situation down," Annan said. "I think generally it is calming down, and it has calmed down except for one or two locations. And I hope that even in those cases, the leaders will work with the community to calm it down."

A group of ambassadors from the Organization of the Islamic Conference met Annan this week to discuss the Doha meeting. They proposed including language on religious defamation in a UN resolution that will create a new human rights council. The proposed amendment says that "defamation of religions and prophets is inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression."

But the United States and several European countries have voiced opposition, saying such text should not be included.