Copenhagen: Danish cartoonist Kurt
Westergaard, who has been attacked and repeatedly threatened
over a drawing of Prophet Mohammed, has been placed on
indefinite leave by his newspaper "for security reasons".
"It is forced vacation but it looks a lot like I`m being
retired," the 75-year-old cartoonist said told agency, adding
that he himself still had an "insatiable desire" to work.
The Danish cartoonist sparked violent protests in the
Muslim world with a drawing of Mohammed, published along with
11 other cartoons of the Prophet in the Jyllands-Posten daily
newspaper in September 2005.
He has received numerous death threats and on January 1
this year, a 28-year-old Somali man broke into his home near
the north-western city of Aarhus and attempted to kill him with
an axe and a knife.
Westergaard, who survived by hiding in a panic room, said
today he would likely "reluctantly" accept retirement, but
that he planned to meet the newspaper`s chief editor on June 1
"to discuss the future."
Jyllands-Posten often allows people over the official
retirement age of 67 to continue working, he said, adding
however that the paper, in his opinion, wanted him to leave
"for security reasons."
"It`s a pity. I have become a too heavy burden and a very
big security risk," he said, adding that he had not actually
worked for the paper since last November.
"The management was worried following the arrests last
year of two men in Chicago who planned to attack
Jyllands-Posten, and after the attack on me in January," he
explained.
PTI
