Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Denmark's Foreign Ministry warned its nationals to use caution when traveling to majority-Muslim countries after a video showed members of the youth faction of the Danish People's Party making fun of Islam's prophet Muhammad.

State-owned broadcaster Danmarks Radio and TV2 on Oct. 6 showed excerpts from the video in which members of the anti- immigration party who are in their 20s took part in a contest to draw satirical pictures of the prophet. The images include a depiction of Muhammad as a camel and drinking beer.

``A number of Arab media have had critical news items regarding the publication of video pictures from the Young Danish People's Party's Muhammad competition,'' the ministry said on its Web site today. ``Against this background, all Danes'' traveling to destinations in the Middle East and Indonesia ``are urged to exercise caution as this case could spark negative responses.''

Early this year, Denmark was the target of violent protests across the Muslim world, which included the torching of a number of its embassies and boycotts of Danish products such as those from dairy company Arla Food AmbA. The protests were sparked by satirical cartoons of Muhammad published in September 2005 by Denmark's biggest broadsheet, Jyllands-Posten.

The government yesterday called a meeting with ambassadors posted to Denmark by majority-Muslim nations, in an effort to avert a reaction similar to the one that followed the Jyllands- Posten cartoons, according to Danmarks Radio news.

Muslim Nations

Some 232 members of Iran's 290-seat Parliament today called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to break economic ties with Denmark because of the video, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said.

The 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference said it ``deplores'' the caricatures by the Danish party's youth members and criticized Denmark's state broadcaster for showing the video.

``The running of the footage affected the sensibilities of civilized people and religious beliefs of one fifth of humanity,'' the group said in an Oct. 8 statement on its Web site. ``Muslims have noted with concern that the values of tolerance are eroding and there is now shrinking space for others' religious, social and cultural values in the West.''

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen sought to distance the government from the political youth faction's video. The minority Liberal-Conservative government relies on backing from the Danish People's Party to pass laws in Parliament.

``We're looking at unacceptable behavior from a small group of people,'' Rasmussen said in comments on the Foreign Ministry's Web site. ``Their tasteless acts in no way represent the Danish people's or young Danes' view of Muslims or Islam.''

`Very Regrettable'

Leaders of the Danish People's Party gave permission for a member of the youth faction to make the video, though not to forward the footage to the media, party chairman Kenneth Kristensen said today in a telephone interview.

``I wasn't there, but if I had been this would never have happened,'' he said. ``It's a very regrettable case.''

The youth factions of Denmark's other political parties have severed all ties with their counterparts in the Danish People's Party until those responsible are made accountable, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The Nordic country's participation in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq was cited by al-Qaeda when it singled out Denmark as a target after the 2005 London bombings. There are 470 Danish soldiers in Iraq and 360 more in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Ministry Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tasneem Brogger in Copenhagen at tbrogger@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 10, 2006 06:28 EDT