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Indonesian importer group boycotts Danish products+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)JAKARTA, Feb. 15_(Kyodo) _ A group of Indonesian importers began boycotting Danish products Wednesday following a series of protests in the world's most populous Muslim country over cartoon drawings of Islam's Prophet Muhammad that appeared in a Danish newspaper, the state-run news agency Antara said. The 12 cartoon drawings were originally published in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper last September in Denmark and were later reprinted by newspapers in Europe and elsewhere. One showed the Islamic prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb. Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet, favorable or otherwise. The drawings have infuriated many Islamic countries. "Effective from Feb. 15, 2006, the central executive board of GINSI (Association of All Indonesian National Importers) has boycotted all imported products from Denmark," Antara quoted Amirudin Saud, head of the 7,800-member GINSI, as saying. Saud said what the Danish newspaper did has hurt the hearts of Muslims in Indonesia and around the world. "It is not a form of freedom expression, but an insult and an abuse against the faith of Muslims," he said. Saud added the boycott will last until the Danish government makes a formal apology to Muslims in the country. According to him, Indonesia imported Danish goods, mostly cheese, milk, meat and other processed food, worth $73.9 million last year, which was less than 1 percent of the country's total imports. Since early this month, protests took place across the country over the cartoon row, with Muslims demanding an apology from the Danish government. On Feb. 3, Muslim radicals stormed into a building housing the Danish Embassy in Jakarta, tearing down a Danish national flag. Denmark's ambassador and embassy staff left Indonesia late last week after the mission said it received reliable information concerning security threats to its staff. The Dutch Embassy will handle Danish affairs here for the time being. The Indonesian government has expressed concern over the publication of the cartoons, but called on the protesters to avoid violence. |