Paris:
A French satirical weekly will on Wednesday publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad to mock the violent reactions around the world to the anti-Muslim film. The editors of Charlie Hebdo say the cartoons may "shock those who want to be shocked." Many fear this could add fuel to the fire as fresh protests continue against the film.
The cover page of Charlie Hebdo shows the Prophet on a wheelchair, being pushed by a Jewish man. Both are saying "We shouldn't be making fun of each other". The cartoons get even bolder on the inside pages.
This is the same French weekly satire journal that had its offices burnt down just last year for changing its name to "Charia (sharia) Hebdo" and showing the Prophet under the title "100 lashes if you don't die laughing". In 2005 Charlie Hebdo had reprinted the controversial Danish cartoons. One of them showed the Prophet with a bomb on his head.
Mr Charb, the Director of Charlie Hebdo publication, speaking to a French radio station RTL, said "If we start asking ourselves whether we have the right to sketch Mohammad or not, whether it's dangerous to do so or not, we'd end up asking whether we can represent Muslims at all in our paper, whether we can represent any humans in our paper. In the end we'd represent no one and the handful of extremists who are making a fuss around the world and in France...would have won."
When asked about the cartoons, the French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, made an appeal for responsible behaviour. The French Foreign Minister said any provocation now can only be condemned.
French Muslim leaders, who had earlier urged people to ignore the film "Innocence of Muslims" are now saying they are worried about the insulting nature of these cartoons and the reactions they might provoke. The Rector of Paris has made an appeal to people to remain calm. A special security cover has been put in place around the Charlie Hebdo office.
Last Saturday, 150 people were arrested in Paris during a protest in front of the US embassy. Another big protest is expected to take place on Saturday.