The Egyptian government has banned the sale of four international newspapers for their publishing of cartoons containing “offensive” depictions of the Prophet Mohammad, Reporters Without Borders said today. The Egyptian Information Minister Anas al-Fiqi has banned the sale of the Wall Street Journal, Britain's Observer, and Germany's Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Welt for reprinting the controversial cartoons first published in Danish newspapers.

Criticizing the decision, Reporters Without Borders has urged the Egyptian government to lift the ban and let the civil society decide for itself. “Banning the distribution of newspapers that reproduced the Mohammed cartoons only strengthens those who have taken the most radical positions on this subject,” the press freedom watchdog said. For more information, visit http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=25860.