A simmering controversy exploded into a firestorm of protest across the Middle East on 30 January over a series of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were printed in two Scandinavian newspapers. From Gaza to Cairo, from Beirut to Baghdad, demonstrators took to the streets as religious leaders and politicians threatened economic boycotts -- and worse -- if the newspapers did not condemn the drawings. Last night, one of the newspapers issued a partial apology, as rights advocates ask whether the limits of free speech are being narrowed in Europe.
