Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was invited to participate in a 2007 art exhibition on the theme "The Dog in Art" in the town of Tällerud in Värmland, Sweden. Vilks submitted three pen and ink drawings depicting Muhammad as a "roundabout dog," a popular Swedish installation art meme that year. Vilks was already participating with drawings of Muhammad in another exhibition in Vestfossen, Norway, on the theme "Oh, My God". Vilks' original intention was to "examine the political correctness within the boundaries of the art community." According to Vilks, the art and culture communities in Sweden repeatedly criticize the United States and Israel, whereas Muslim values are rarely even questioned.
For more about Vilks and the controversy about his drawings that depict the Muslim Prophet Mohammed as a dog, see Wikipedia. (Note: as with many websites about Islam or politics, this Wikipedia page is blocked by censors in most Muslim-majority countries, even in supposedly 'liberal' ones like the UAE.)
Here are the three cartoons.* Evidently, these cartoons are what prompted a recent assassination attempt against Lars, resulting in the murder of an innocent male bystander, Finn Nørgaard, and the wounding of three Danish police. The same terrorist went on that night to kill another innocent man (Dan Uzan, a Jewish man) standing next to a synagogue, and wounded another two Danish police, before the terrorist (Update: 22-yo Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein) himself was killed by police. http://www.utsandiego.com/...
May Finn Nørgaard and Dan Uzan Rest In Peace, and may healing come to their families and those wounded.
Finn Nørgaard, age 55, worked in the film industry and directed and produced a number of documentary films, killed at the art discussion.
Dan Uzan, age 37, was a longtime security guard for the 7,000-strong local Jewish community. He was guarding a building behind the synagogue during a bat mitzvah when he was killed with a gunshot to the head.
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said "all indications are that the shooting ... was a political attack and therefore an act of terror."
by Lars Vilks by Lars Vilks artist unknown, possibly by Lars Vilks *The first two are definitely by Lars Vilks, I'm not sure about the third -- possibly an imitation? I'll update and replace with the correct one, if/when I find out. thanks for any leads.