Iran Renames Danish Pastries

James Joyner · Thursday, February 16, 2006 · 1 comment

Iranian bakers have renamed Danish pastries Roses of the Prophet Muhammad to protest the printing of cartoon images of Muhammad in a Danish newspaper.

Iranians love Danish pastries, but when they look for the flaky dessert at the bakery they now have to ask for “Roses of the Prophet Muhammad.” Bakeries across the capital were covering up their ads for Danish pastries Thursday after the confectioners’ union ordered the name change in retaliation for caricatures of the Muslim prophet published in a Danish newspaper.

“Given the insults by Danish newspapers against the prophet, as of now the name of Danish pastries will give way to ‘Rose of Muhammad’ pastries,” the union said in its order. “This is a punishment for those who started misusing freedom of expression to insult the sanctities of Islam,” said Ahmad Mahmoudi, a cake shop owner in northern Tehran.

One of Tehran’s most popular bakeries, “Danish Pastries,” covered up the word “Danish” on its sign with a black banner emblazoned “Oh Hussein,” a reference to a martyred saint of Shiite Islam. The banner is a traditional sign of mourning.

While this is about as dumb as renaming French fries “freedom fries,” it is somewhat amusing. And certainly preferable to mass mayhem.

Related articles below the fold.

________

See the twelve cartoons that sparked the protests in full size at my Danish Muslim Cartoons page.

Bama Riots Over Bear Bryant Cartoons

The Islamists’ War on the Internet

Pakistan Rioters Burn KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s

Cartoons as Emotional Torture and Intellectual Terrorism

Moderate Muslims Speak Out

Danish Muslim Cartoons: Blogger Hypocrisy?

Egypt Published Danish Cartoons During Ramadan

Danish Cartoons & Abu Ghraib Photos

Hypocrites?