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Since late 2005, the Muhammad cartoons have become the focus of a major political controversy after the September 30 the same year he published 12 satirical cartoons about the figure of the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam . Among them, one suggests that hides a bomb in his turban. The drawings were printed by the newspaper Jyllands-Posten's right as a satirical illustration accompanying an article on censorship and freedom of speech, when he said that no artist dared to illustrate children's books on Danish author Kåre Bluitgen Muhammad unless they are guaranteed the anonymity of his work, saying they fear reprisals from Muslim extremists, since according to Islamic beliefs is forbidden to depict the figure of Muhammad, even positive, as they believe that could lead to idolatry.

The newspaper said the drawings were an exercise of freedom of expression, like the Danish government, who declined to give an apology, stimulating the hassle of Muslims in Denmark. Islamic countries considered it a provocation, like the Catholic Church. According to the publication, its cartoonists have been forced into hiding because of death threats came to journalism, and has had to strengthen their security measures. However, the famous Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, one of the drafters of the newspaper Jyllands Postenes, is the subject of death threats and even his home in Aarhus (West Denmark) was attacked in early 2010 by a man armed with a knife and an ax, with close ties to the Somali Islamic movement Al Shabab and Al Qaeda in East Africa.

Solidarity with the Danish newspaper, the 12 cartoons were later published by newspapers and magazines Germans and French in 2005-2006, for example by the Norwegian magazine "Magazinet" and the daily "Le Canard Enchaine" and "France Soir", this last published them together with other representations satirical allusions to the major religions practiced in the world, reaffirming the right of society to blaspheme.

The Danish newspaper Politiken reported on the difficulties the children's writer, Kare Bluitgen, had to find illustrators to collaborate on editing a forthcoming book on the life of Muhammad.