The defendants did not show up or ask lawyers to represent them in the lawsuit which was filed by the “God’s Prophet Unites Us Campaign,” a coalition of Jordanian academics, lawmakers, unionists, journalists, lawyers and politicians.

However, Sunday’s session was attended by a Danish journalist Uffe Taudal, Middle East Bureau Chief of the daily Berlingske Tidende, who came to Amman to cover the trial’s proceedings.

Westergaard published 12 satirical cartoons of the prophet in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on Sept. 30, 2005, stirring an outrage in the Arab and Muslim worlds that prompted a boycott of Danish products.

During Sunday’s session, head of the campaign Zakariya Al-Sheikh told the court that the cartoons sought to depict Islam as a religion that preaches terrorism.

“The pictures insult the feelings of all Muslims because it depicts them as terrorists, besides running counter to the freedom of expression,” he said.

Also testifying before the court was the campaign’s official spokesman Marwan Shehadeh, who contended that the cartoons had sought to ”to sow hatred among religions and between West and East as well as fanning up the conflict among civilizations and trying to attribute terrorism to Islam. ”

The list of charges, which has already been approved by the Jordanian public prosecutor, includes “blasphemy against prophet and humiliation of Islam and Muslims”.

“Such offences are punishable under the Jordanian penal code,” the campaign’s lawyer Tareq Hawamdeh said. The court adjourned until Thursday to hear more witnesses.