Muslim unrestFrench satirical magazine today publishes unflattering caricatures of Prophet Mohammed

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo announced yesterday (Tuesday) that today (Wednesday), it would publish satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as a protest against the violent wave of anti-American demonstrations in several Muslim countries, demonstrations triggered by the posting on YouTube of a trailer of a crude anti-Muslim movie produced by an Egyptian Copt living in California. The producer, a petty criminal and convicted fraudster, initially presented himself as an Israeli, and said the movie was funded by donations from American Jews (in fact, it was funded with money donated by other Copts, living in Alexandria, Egypt).

Le Mondereports that French politicians from across the political spectrum called on the magazine’s editors not to publish the cartoon, but the French government said it had no plans to intervene. Although it did call for restraint. Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault 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.”   

The magazine’s offices were firebombed last November, after it published a few cartoons mocking Islam.

The magazine refused to back down. Msnbc quotes the editor, Stephane Charbonnier, to say: “We do caricatures of everyone, and above all every week, and when we do it with the Prophet, it’s called provocation.” He added that if Charlie Hebdo stopped printing satirical work because of pressure or fear of offence, it would be reduced to selling sixteen blank pages every week.

The central body representing Muslims in France, the Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM), accused Charlie Hebdo of inciting anti-Muslim sentiment at a sensitive time. “The CFCM is deeply attached to freedom of speech but considers that nothing can justify insult and inciting hatred,” the organization said in a statement.

“The CFCM calls on the Muslims of France not to give in to such provocation and urges them to express their indignation calmly and in lawful manner.”