Prophet cartoons row has silver lining in Denmark

COPENHAGEN, Feb 4 (Reuters) A year after cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad sparked violent protests, Danish Muslims say some good has come of the row -- dialogue has improved with their fellow Danes, who now understand Islam much better.

''We talk about the problems between Muslims and Danes like we never did before,'' said Yildiz Akdogan, spokeswoman for the Democratic Muslims, a group formed by moderate Muslims in the aftermath of the cartoon crisis.

''The debate is broader and more pluralistic. More people and different kinds of people are active and the level is more sober and nuanced.'' Danish daily Jyllands-Posten published the 12 cartoons in September 2005 about Prophet Mohammad, including one depicting the founder of Islam with a bomb in his turban, saying it did so in defence of free expression.

Protests in the West Asia and elsewhere flared in early 2006 and peaked a year ago.

Then, Abu Hassan, an imam at a mosque in the Danish city of Odense, was insulted by the cartoons but now says he is glad the row gave him the chance to educate Danes on the Prophet.

''We have had much positive dialogue with Danish people,'' he said. ''They now know more about the Koran and about the Prophet Mohammad and I think that is very positive for us.'' Most Muslims consider depictions of the Prophet blasphemous, and the link some of the cartoons seemed to imply between Islam and terrorism was especially insulting to many.

More than 50 people were killed in demonstrations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and several of Denmark's diplomatic missions were attacked by protestors and set ablaze.

Death threats were made against some of the cartoonists and newspaper editors at the height of the row, but these have not been repeated since.

THAWED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS Denmark's diplomatic relations with Muslim countries iced over because of the cartoons but have thawed significantly.

A senior Foreign Ministry official told Reuters excellent relations had been generally re-established, with Muslim governments emphasising the need to leave the issue behind.

But things are not quite back to normal yet.

Arla Foods, a dairy food exporter hardest hit by a Muslim boycott of Danish products over the cartoons, said sales in the West Asia were improving but were still only half what they were before the row, and that only by cutting prices.

Also, any discussion of the cartoons still reveals lingering resentment among many in the West Asia.

The Danish foreign minister or senior diplomats have embarked on fence-mending visits to several Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Muslim states.

''A shared understanding is emerging out of the crisis: we need to improve our ability to handle these kinds of value clashes, because they will reoccur,'' the ministry official told Reuters.

He cited as examples rows over comments on Islam by Pope Benedict XVI and over a Berlin opera.

One of the 12 cartoonists -- whose drawing poked fun at the newspaper itself and was not controversial -- said the crisis changed the way average Danes view foreigners and had made them more aware.

''Danes have awoken and now see Muslims are as different from one another as Danes are, that they're not all fanatics,'' said Lars Refn.

REUTERS AKJ RN1446