The riots caused by the cartoons has brought accusations that Moslem leaders were behind the unrest. These leaders have been willing to use the excited masses as a political tool in the past. The most egregious example is the ongoing exploitation of the Palestinians as proxies in the effort to destroy Israel. Finally The Independent has published a timeline of how cartoons published in the early autumn lead to violent protests in the late winter.
How a meeting of leaders in Mecca set off the cartoon wars around the world
By Daniel Howden, David Hardaker in Cairo and Stephen Castle in Brussels
* 17 SEPTEMBER 2005: Danish newspaper Politiken reports a writer failed to find an artist for a book about Mohamed because of fear of reprisals.* 30 SEPTEMBER: Twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohamed are published in Jyllands-Posten as a protest against self-censorship.
* 2 OCTOBER: Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, hears complaints from 10 Arab ambassadors.
* 14 OCTOBER: 5,000 people march through Copenhagen to protest against the cartoons.
* 21 OCTOBER: Mr Fogh Rasmussen refuses to meet the 10 ambassadors, saying his government is unable to interfere with press freedom.
* 27 OCTOBER: Danish Muslim groups file a criminal complaint against Jyllands-Posten.
* DECEMBER 2005 - JANUARY 2006: The coalition of Danish Muslim groups travels to the Middle East. Delegates at the Islamic Conference in Mecca talk of boycotting Danish goods.
* 7 JANUARY: Prosecutors decide there is no case to answer against Jyllands-Posten.
* 10 JANUARY: Norwegian Christian magazine Magazinet reprints the cartoons.
*27 JANUARY: Saudi Arabia calls for a boycott of Danish goods and recalls ambassador.
* 28 JANUARY: Danish-Swedish dairy giant Arla places adverts in Middle Eastern papers to calm the row.
* 29 JANUARY: Libya recalls its envoy.Jyllands-Posten prints an Arabic editorial saying the cartoons were printed as a test of public expression.
* 30 JANUARY: Editor of Jyllands-Posten apologises as masked gunmen briefly storm the EU's offices in Gaza.
* 31 JANUARY: Denmark advises its citizens not to travel to Saudi Arabia.
* 1 FEBRUARY: Seven newspapers across Europe republish the cartoons in solidarity with Jyllands-Posten.
* 2 FEBRUARY: Jordanian paper Shihan becomes the first in the Arab world to reprint the cartoons saying its decision was made to show their readers "the extent of the Danish offence". The editor is fired.
* 3 FEBRUARY: As 50,000 people protest in Gaza, a small group of Muslim radicals hold a demonstration in London.
* 4 FEBRUARY: Violent protests spread to Damascus.
* 5 FEBRUARY: Danish embassy in Beirut set alight as Iran recalls its ambassador in Copenhagen.
* 6 FEBRUARY: Protests spread to Indonesia, Malaysia and Afghanistan.
* 7 FEBRUARY: Denmark's embassy in Tehran is attacked.
* 8 FEBRUARY: George Bush accuses Iran and Syria of exploiting the cartoons.
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