The Cartoon Controversy: Creating Muslims in a Danish Setting

This article offers a situational analysis of the printing of the cartoons of the Islamic Prophet in a Danish newspaper in 2005 and the following demonstration by Danish Muslims. It suggests that rather than simply spark off protests, the ‘cartoon controversy’ created a space for possible actions; a political platform for Muslims all over the world. Based on a review of the historical development of the national Danish discourse on immigrants, the article conveys how the ‘cartoon controversy’ became instrumental in transforming this discourse. As a major creative event, the ‘cartoon controversy’ not only ridiculed a dominant religious symbol but simultaneously created a space for the becoming of Muslims in Denmark and beyond.