Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador to Denmark in a row about cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by a best-selling newspaper

BBC News:

A Saudi government spokesman said the ambassador had been recalled for talks following Denmark's failure to deal with the insults to the Prophet.

Some of the cartoons in Jyllands-Posten last September depicted him as a stereotype of an Islamic terrorist.

The paper said it was testing the boundaries of expression about Islam.

It said at the time that both the paper and the cartoonist had received threats.

Ambassadors from several Muslim countries complained to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who had earlier said he could not tell papers what to print, or not to.

Islam bans any depiction of Muhammad or Allah.

On Thursday, the Saudi government said it had recalled its ambassador "for consultations in light of the Danish government's lack of attention to insulting the Prophet Muhammad by its newspapers".

Danish food producers Arla Foods said the anger sparked by the cartoons had prompted a boycott of its dairy products in Saudi Arabia.

Arla director Finn Hansen said there had been calls for boycotting Danish products in Friday prayers and on Saudi television and in newspapers.

"We are certainly afraid this will spread across Saudi Arabia and affect our business," he told Reuters news agency.

There were street protests both in Denmark and in Muslim countries following the publication of the cartoons.

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