Malaysian editor quits after printing cartoons
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-02-06 14:34

A Malaysian newspaper editor has quit after he embarrassed his Muslim boss by reprinting controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a bid to illustrate a story about worldwide fury over the caricatures.

The Sarawak Tribune reprinted the cartoons in its Saturday edition after its editor-on-duty made an "oversight" in looking to illustrate the story, said Polit Hamzah, executive director of the paper's publisher, the Sarawak Press Sdn Bhd.

"He has voluntarily resigned and apologized for the things he did," said Polit, a Muslim. The editor, a non-Muslim, might have lifted the cartoons from the Internet, Polit told Reuters.

Malaysia is mainly Muslim and Islam is the official religion. But Muslims are a minority in its eastern state of Sarawak, part of Borneo island, where the biggest single ethnic group is the Iban, a tribal people known as head-hunters over a century ago.

A Danish newspaper ran 12 cartoons last September, including one of the Prophet wearing a turban resembling a bomb. They have been reprinted in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

The Sunni school of Islam bans depictions of the prophets named in the Koran, its holy book, so devout Muslims were upset over the newspaper pictures. Angry Muslims set fire to Danish embassies in Damascus and Beirut at the weekend, following a wave of mostly low-key protests across Asia last week.

The Malaysian government, which is secular, will demand the publisher explain its actions, the New Straits Times said on Monday, though the Sarawak Tribune printed a front-page statement of regret in its Sunday edition.

"If the explanation is unsatisfactory, their printing permit can be suspended or withdrawn," the New Straits Times newspaper quoted the deputy internal security minister as saying.

Polit said he had yet to receive the government's demand.