COPENHAGEN, Denmark: Sacrilegious images of chief of Prophets holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny) by Denmark's best-selling newspaper has sent a wave of unrest among Danish Muslims.

Three weeks ago, the broadsheet Jyllands-Posten invited Denmark's leading cartoonists to submit images of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his pure progeny). Twelve responded to the dare and the paper published them all.

Last Friday, thousands of Muslims took to Copenhagen's streets in a protest that had echoes of the demonstrations 16 years ago against Salman Rushdie's novel that insulted holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny).

The source of the anger was a one-page special in the culture section entitled Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny)'s Face. Some cartoons played for laughs, others were more hostile. One depicted turban of Prophet of Islam – religion of love and peace - (peace be upon him and his pure progeny) in the shape of a bomb. In another, he stands in heaven as a trail of still-smoking suicide bombers approaches.

Reaction was swift. "This type of democracy is worthless to Muslims," said imam Raed Hlayhel. "The article has insulted every Muslim in the world."

But last Friday's demonstration of 4000 was peaceful. The most vocal demand was for an apology and Kasem Ahmad of the Islamic Faith Society told The Age that Muslims wanted dialogue, not violence, over the drawings. The newspaper's free speech argument was absurd, he said.

Ahmad also said the main offence was not the drawing of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his pure progeny) but the "satiric and blasphemous" nature of the drawings.

Lars Refn, one of the published cartoonists, agreed.