EUROPEAN SPINE IS CELEBRATED

Newspapers across Europe Wednesday reprinted the controversial cartoon of the Islamic prophet Mohammed that sparked worldwide protests two years ago. These cartoons provoked widespread outrage in the Muslim world two years ago where many innocent lives were lost. The move came one day after Danish authorities arrested three people allegedly plotting a "terror-related assassination" of Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist behind the drawing.

Berlingske Tidende, was one of the newspapers involved in the republication by newspapers in Denmark. It said: "We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend," in comments reported by The Associated Press.

Newspapers in Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands also republished the drawing Wednesday as part of their coverage of Tuesday's arrests. The image, by Morgenavisen Jullands-Posten cartoonist Westergaard, was one of 12 cartoons about the Islamic mountebank originally published in September 2005. Westergaard's cartoon depicted the seventh century Arab warlord wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse.

The artist himself is quoted as recently saying, "I have turned fear into anger and resentment." Yes, perhaps. And in this case, that's a good thing, a very good thing.