Al Jazeera has apologised for offensive remarks made by a guest during a live debate about the reprinting of cartoons in Denmark said to insult the noble Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement on Wednesday, Al Jazeera expressed its "deepest apologies" for comments made by Wafa Sultan, a Syrian-born US-based academic, which "offended Islam".

The comments were made during the Tuesday evening debate on the talk show "The Opposite Direction".

The statement did not say what offensive remarks had been made in the programme, which was moderated by Al Jazeera's Faisal al-Qassem.

Sultan has drawn strong criticism for her offensive comments on how Islam needs to be reinterpreted to suit the modern world.

Protests have raged across the Muslim world since several Danish newspapers recently reprinted a drawing featuring the the noble Prophet Mohammad.

The cartoon, first published in early 2006, caused days of protests worldwide, including in Afghanistan, where 11 people were killed.

Al Jazeera is based in the Gulf state of Qatar.

PHOTO CAPTION

Faisal Al Kasem, the producer and host of Al Jazeera’s debate program The Opposite Direction.

Al Jazeera