'roundabout dog' Mohammed

These drawings of Mohammed as a dog, by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, were recently removed from a group exhibition and have since been published in two newspapers.

Mohammed is portrayed as a 'rondellhund' ('roundabout dog'), stylised canine sculptures which appear on Swedish roundabouts and roadsides. The exhibition, The Dog In Art, took place in Tallberg, Sweden, and the images were removed on the opening day. The excuse given was that the drawings, like the Danish cartoon caricatures of Mohammed, might be too provocative. They were published in the Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda on 18th August. Three Swedish Muslim organisations are now claiming that publication of the cartoons constituted an incitement to racial hatred, and the claim is being investigaed by the Swedish Chancellor.