Kurt Westergaard

Kurt Westergaard (born Kurt Vestergaard; 13 July 1935 – 14 July 2021) was a Danish cartoonist. In 2005 he drew a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, wearing a bomb in his turban as a part of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, which triggered several assassinations and murders committed by Muslims around the world, diplomatic conflicts, and state-organized riots and attacks on Western embassies with several dead in Muslim countries. After the drawing of the cartoon, Westergaard received numerous death threats and was a target of assassination attempts. As a result, he was under constant police protection.
Westergaard was born on 13 July 1935 in the village of Døstrup, in the Mariagerfjord area of Jutland. He grew up in a conservative Christian family (Inner Mission) environment, going to Sunday school. Westergaard was introduced to cultural radicalism during high school in the 19…