French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo
published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad on Wednesday, a decision
criticized by the French authorities which sent riot police to protect
the magazine’s offices.
The
magazine’s front cover showed an Orthodox Jew pushing a turbaned figure
in a wheelchair and several caricatures of the Prophet were included on
its inside pages, including some of him naked.
Illustrations of the Prophet Mohammed hit newsstands across France on Wednesday as weekly satirical Charlie Hebdo arrived on the shelves with controversial depictions of a naked Mohammed printed on the back page of the paper.
The magazine’s editor, Stephane Charbonnier, told reporters that the pictures will “shock those who will want to be shocked.”
The publication comes in the midst of widespread outrage over an anti-Muslim film posted on the Internet.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticized Charlie Hebdo’s decision as a provocation and said he had ordered security beefed up at French diplomatic offices in the Muslim world.
Mr Fabius told FRANCE 24 that while he respects freedom of expression, he sees “no point in such a provocation.”
Stressing that the French government would never encourage the cartoons’ publication, he called for “reason to prevail.”
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also issued a statement saying, “In the current climate, the prime minister wishes to stress his disapproval of all excess and calls on everyone to behave responsibly.”
It’s not the first time that Charlie Hebdo, which is celebrated for its irreverent treatment of politicians and public figures, has courted controversy with the Muslim community.
Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices were fire bombed last November after it published a mocking caricature of Mohammad.
Editor Charbonnier, originally a cartoonist who uses the name Charb, told French news channel iTele on Tuesday that the paper “does caricatures of everyone, and above all every week, but when we do it with the Prophet, it’s called provocation,” adding that if Charlie Hebdo stopped printing satirical work because of pressure or fear of offence, it would be reduced to selling 16 blank pages every week.
Representations of Allah or Mohammad are considered as blasphemous to Muslims. The main Islamic body in France, the French Muslim Council (CFCM), accused Charlie Hebdo of firing up anti-Muslim sentiment at a sensitive time.
“There is profound indignation at the publication of these cartoons,” leader Mohammed Moussaoui told FRANCE 24, describing the cartoons as “unjust” and “Islamophobic”.
But Mouassoui also called on France’s Muslim community – which is the biggest in Europe – to “rise above their anger and not give in to the provocation”.
In 2005, Danish cartoons of the Prophet sparked a wave of violent protests across the Muslim world that killed at least 50 people.
The
magazine’s front cover showed an Orthodox Jew pushing a turbaned figure
in a wheelchair and several caricatures of the Prophet were included on
its inside pages, including some of him naked.Illustrations of the Prophet Mohammed hit newsstands across France on Wednesday as weekly satirical Charlie Hebdo arrived on the shelves with controversial depictions of a naked Mohammed printed on the back page of the paper.
The magazine’s editor, Stephane Charbonnier, told reporters that the pictures will “shock those who will want to be shocked.”
The publication comes in the midst of widespread outrage over an anti-Muslim film posted on the Internet.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticized Charlie Hebdo’s decision as a provocation and said he had ordered security beefed up at French diplomatic offices in the Muslim world.
Mr Fabius told FRANCE 24 that while he respects freedom of expression, he sees “no point in such a provocation.”
Stressing that the French government would never encourage the cartoons’ publication, he called for “reason to prevail.”
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also issued a statement saying, “In the current climate, the prime minister wishes to stress his disapproval of all excess and calls on everyone to behave responsibly.”
It’s not the first time that Charlie Hebdo, which is celebrated for its irreverent treatment of politicians and public figures, has courted controversy with the Muslim community.
Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices were fire bombed last November after it published a mocking caricature of Mohammad.
Editor Charbonnier, originally a cartoonist who uses the name Charb, told French news channel iTele on Tuesday that the paper “does caricatures of everyone, and above all every week, but when we do it with the Prophet, it’s called provocation,” adding that if Charlie Hebdo stopped printing satirical work because of pressure or fear of offence, it would be reduced to selling 16 blank pages every week.
Representations of Allah or Mohammad are considered as blasphemous to Muslims. The main Islamic body in France, the French Muslim Council (CFCM), accused Charlie Hebdo of firing up anti-Muslim sentiment at a sensitive time.
“There is profound indignation at the publication of these cartoons,” leader Mohammed Moussaoui told FRANCE 24, describing the cartoons as “unjust” and “Islamophobic”.
But Mouassoui also called on France’s Muslim community – which is the biggest in Europe – to “rise above their anger and not give in to the provocation”.
In 2005, Danish cartoons of the Prophet sparked a wave of violent protests across the Muslim world that killed at least 50 people.
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