CAIRO: One of the world's most prominent Sunni religious scholars called on Muslims to boycott Danish products in response to the decision by several newspapers in Denmark to reprint a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoon was one of 12 caricatures that sparked protests across the Islamic world when they were first published in 2006 and led many Muslims to avoid Danish goods. Sheik Youssef e-Qaradawi, a hardline Egyptian cleric based in Qatar, urged Muslims on Friday to repeat their boycott, warning them that the world would view them as weak if they didn't react strongly. "Regrettably, Muslims start potently with these issues, then they relax gradually as the strong (supporters) get weaker and the enthusiastic (supporters) get lazy," said el-Qaradawi during a press conference aired by Al-Jazeera television. "Our duty is to go on (with the boycott)," said e-Qaradawi. Danish exports to Muslim countries fell by more than 11 per cent in 2006 during the boycott, according to Denmark's national statistics agency. The boycott was accompanied by angry protests with mobs burning the Danish flag and attacking the country's diplomatic missions in Syria, Iran and Lebanon.
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