At the age of 75, cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who became a figure of hate across the Muslim world because he satirised the Prophet Mohammed, has decided to retire from his position at Jyllands-Posten.
Westergaard, whose drawing of the Prophet was published in Jyllands-Posten with a number of other satirical cartoons relating to Islam in 2005, has received hundreds of death threats for his drawing.
There were several attempts on his life the latest of which took place on New Year’s Day when a man broke into his house and attacked him with an axe. Westergaard survived the murder attempt because he was able to hide in his bathroom which had been specially constructed to withstand such attacks.
‘I think it is a good thing that I will not be going back to the newspaper. My absence can perhaps reduce the level of threat against Jyllands-Posten,’ he told reporters. ‘I don’t know much about that of course. [Domestic intelligence agency] PET can evaluate this but I feel that I can now retire with a good conscience after doing my bit for the newspaper. For me it is the right time to stop.’
Jyllands-Posten editor-in-chief Jørn Mikkelsen is impressed by the way Westergaard has managed the pressure he has been put under since the cartoons were published.
‘Kurt has decided to stop in order to dedicate himself to other artistic endeavours,’ he said. ‘We thank him enormously for the many ingenuous and beautiful drawings he has created over the years. And there is also good reason to thank him for the personal courage and steadfastness he has shown during the last five years. Not many people would have been able to manage the sort of pressure Kurt has experienced.’
Mikkelsen mentioned how tough the cartoon crisis had been for both the newspaper and Kurt Westergaard but said that the decision to publish the cartoons had been both justified and necessary in order to preserve freedom of expression.