The head of the nationalist Danish People’s Party, Pia Kjærsgaard, was cleared Friday of libel charges filed by Muslim organisation Islamisk Trossamfund, prompting the organisation to seek a fatwa.

In 2006, Kjærsgaard called Danish Muslims who had travelled to the Mideast to circulate the Jyllands-Posten caricatures of the prophet Mohammed among political and religious leaders 'traitors'.

The court in the Copenhagen suburb of Lyngby ruled that ‘politicians' freedom of expression is broad in a democratic society’. The decision indicated Kjærsgaard’s comments were ‘a discussion on a political party’s website at a time when all politicians and the media were occupied with the Mohammed cartoon affair’ and that ‘the Islamisk Trossamfund actively took part in that debate’.

Islamisk Trossamfund also said Friday they would also seek a fatwa for Jyllands-Posten if the newspaper does not apologise for printing the cartoons or if there is no court judgement against the newspaper.

The though best-known fatwa involves was handed down to author Salman Rushdie, a fatwa does not necessarily involve a death sentence; it is the answer given by a mufti, an Islamic scholar, or an imam, to a question a Muslim poses about an interpretation of Islamic law.

Kassem Ahmad, spokesperson for the Islamisk Trossamfund, told TV2 News that he interpreted the court’s ruling to mean that Kjærsgaard and others had free reign to say whatever they wanted about Muslims. He said that despite calling for a fatwa, the best way for Muslims to deal with insults against Islam is to ignore them.

‘We have to ignore these types of things,’ said Ahmad. ‘We shouldn’t waste our time on something so unreasonable. We have to silence these provocations to death.’

Islamisk Trossamfund is expected to appeal Friday’s ruling.

Kjærsgaard said she was relieved the case was over and called Ahmad ‘a poor loser’. ‘As a politician I have both the duty and the right to express myself and my position. I am convinced that many Danes during those heady days in the winter of 2006 felt just the same as I did.’

The case against Kjærsgaard cost the Islamisk Trossamfund a reported DKK 40,000 in legal fees.