At a joint press conference with the Islamic Council Norway at the Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion, Selbekk expressed his regrets.
"I personally address the Muslim community to say that I am sorry that your religious feelings are offended by what we did on Jan. 10 when Magazinet published a facsimile of the Danish drawings from Jyllands-Posten. It was never our intention to hurt anyone," Selbekk said.
Selbekk admitted that he had not fully understood how offensive the publication of the caricatures was, and praised Norway's Muslim community for their conduct in response.
"The Muslim community in Norway has tackled this in a dignified and restrained way. You deserve respect and credit for this," Selbekk said, and the editor pointed to the press conference as an example of the strength of Norway's multi-cultural society.Mohammed Hamdan, leader of the Islamic Council Norway, emphasized that the Koran preached forgiveness.
"Selbekk has children the same age as mine. I want my children and his to grow up together, live together in peace and to be friends," Hamdan said.Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion Bjarne Håkon Hanssen said that the government had had no active part in the conversations between Selbekk and Hamdan.
"We have a choice in Norway: What will be the consequences of the situation we are in? We can choose to use this situation to create division or we can let this be the basis of a new start and build bridges instead of walls. If Selbekk and Hamdan can build the bridge they have now, we should all be able to do so," Hanssen said.
