The Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy erupted in July 2007 with a series of drawings by Swedish artist Lars Vilks that portrayed the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a roundabout dog. Multiple art galleries in Sweden declined to show the drawings, citing legitimate security concerns and fear of violence. The controversy escalated after the Örebro-based regional newspaper Nerikes Allehanda featured one of the drawings on 18 August as part of an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.