COPENHAGEN, Oct 27: A Danish court on Thursday acquitted the bosses of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper who had been sued by Muslim groups for printing 12 cartoons of the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) in September last year.

The judge at Aarhus district court ruled the cartoons were neither offensive nor were they intended to denigrate Muslims, according to court papers.

“Even if the text accompanying the pictures could be read as being derogatory and mocking, the cartoons are not offensive,” the court said.

Seven Danish Muslim groups launched legal proceedings in March against Jyllands-Posten’s editor, Carsten Juste, and cultural affairs editor Flemming Rose.

They accused the paper of publishing text and cartoons which were ‘offensive and insulting’ to the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him).

The plaintiffs said the satirical caricatures ‘attacked believers’ honour because they portrayed the Holy Prophet as war-like and criminal and made a clear link between Mohammed (pbuh), war and terrorism’.

The groups brought their case citing Denmark’s blasphemy and racism laws.

Before Thursday’s ruling the case against Jyllands-Posten had already been rejected by two regional prosecutors and Denmark’s prosecutor-general.

A spokesman for the plaintiffs, Kasem Said Ahmad, said the verdict was disappointing.

“The court gave Jyllands-Posten the right to attack Muslims and their feelings and linked us to terrorism,” Said Ahmad said. The groups planned to appeal the decision, he added.

“We will explore all options that we have under the law to overturn this judgement,” Said Ahmad told Danish news agency Ritzau. —AFP