Prophet Muhammad’s contest cancelled: Pakistan claims victory; Dutch lawmaker says ‘not finished yet’

NEW DELHI: Tempers may have cooled down after the Dutch government cancelled a cartoon contest based on the Prophet Muhammad, however the Dutch lawmaker, who was responsible for the now-cancelled campaign, on Saturday warned Pakistan that he is 'not finished yet'.


Last month, protests erupted in Pakistan after

Geert Wilders

, the far-right, anti-Muslim lawmaker from the Netherlands, announced that he will be sponsoring a cartoon contest based on Prophet Muhammad in November. Physical depictions of the prophet are forbidden in Islam and deeply offensive to Muslims.

However, Wilders was forced to cancel the event in the wake of death threats and amidst concerns that the contest may put other people's life at risk.

Following the cancellation, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi hailed it as a 'victory' for the Muslim world. "Cancellation of the blasphemous contest is a great moral victory of Muslim Ummah," Qureshi said.

However, a defiant Wilders warned Qureshi, whose remark was posted on the official Twitter handle of the government of Pakistan, to not be too eager in calming a victory.

"I am not finished with you yet. I will expose your barbarism in many other ways," Wilders responded.


Last month, it was reported that a cartoon contest is being organized by Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch lawmaker with a history of incendiary remarks about Islam. The Dutch government has distanced itself from the event while saying it is committed to free speech.

The reports of event enraged Islamists groups in Pakistan who announced that they will be marching towards the national capital, Islamabad, to register their protest. Emotions ran high in Pakistan, where blasphemy is punishable by death and where the mere accusation of it has prompted several cases of mob lynching.

Even the newly-elected government of Pakistan denounced the contest, calling it an attempt to defame Islam.

Pakistan's new prime minister, Imran Khan, largely sided with the protesters, vowing to take the matter to the United Nations. His government even summoned the Dutch ambassador to lodge a formal protest but has so far dismissed calls to expel the envoy.

On Tuesday, Dutch news reports had suggested that a man who was detained there on suspicion of threatening to attack Wilders and parliament was a Pakistani national. Police said they detained a 26-year-old suspect who is likely to be arraigned on Friday. Wilders has for years lived under round-the-clock security due to repeated death threats linked to his criticism of Islam.

A former Pakistani cricketer, Khalid Latif, has offered a $28,000 reward for anyone who would ``kill the Dutchmen'' behind the blasphemous contest.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has spoken with his Dutch counterpart about the “abominable and sacrilegious competition”, according to a statement released by the ministry.

“Such acts must be prevented as they spread hate and intolerance in societies,” he had said.