WASHINGTON, Feb 3: The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed sacrilegious caricatures — a move that could help America’s battered image in the Islamic world.

Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.

“These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims,” State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.

“We all fully recognise and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable.”

He said he had no comment as to why the United States chose to pass judgment in a dispute that ostensibly does not involve America.

“We call for tolerance and respect for all communities for their religious beliefs and practices,” he added.

The United States, which before the Sept 11, 2001, attacks was criticised for insensitivity to Islamic culture, has become more attuned to Muslim sensibilities.

Accusations last year that US officials desecrated the Holy Quran at Guantanamo Bay sparked deadly riots in Asia and heightened that awareness.

Major US publications have not republished the offending cartoons.

Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco and a Bush administration critic, said the United States was responsible for creating far more anger in the Muslim world because of its invasion of Iraq.

“The United States is the last nation that should caution against unnecessarily inflaming sentiments in the Muslim world,” he said.

The official US response also contrasted with European governments, which have tended to acknowledge the tension between free speech and respect for religion but have generally accepted the newspapers’ rights to print the cartoons.

The US criticism of the newspapers also comes after the Pentagon complained over a Washington Post cartoon.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent an unusual letter to the editor on Thursday, denouncing as ‘reprehensible’ and ‘beyond tasteless’ a cartoon earlier in the week portraying Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as insensitive to U.S. troop casualties.

The cartoon portrayed a soldier who had lost his arms and legs with Mr Rumsfeld at his hospital bedside saying: “I’m listing your condition as ‘battle hardened’.” —Reuters