The editor of a Christian newspaper in Norway apologized Friday for offending Muslims by reprinting caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in January. At a news conference, Magazinet editor Vebjoern Selbekk voiced regret for publishing the cartoons on Jan. 10, saying he failed to predict the pain and anger they would cause among Muslims.
"I reach out personally to the Muslim community to say that I am sorry that their religious feelings were violated by what we did," Selbekk said, according to the AP. "It is also only right for me to admit that I, as the editor, did not understand how offensive it was to publish the copies."
Selbekk made his apology at a news conference, where he appeared with the leader of the Islamic Council in Norway, Mohammed Hamdan, and Norway's Labour Minister Bjarne Haakon Hanssen.
Selbekk hailed the Norwegian Islamic community for insisting on dialogue rather than violence in its raction to the cartoons. "The Muslim community has handled this in a worthy and reserved manner. They deserve honour and respect for that," Selbekk commented.
