ONE week after the staff of Charlie Hebdo were killed
by Islamist terrorists in their Paris office, the magazine has
published its next edition - with another cartoon of Muhammad on
the cover.
The satirical magazine expanded its normal print run from 60,000
to three million, but all copies were sold out in minutes on
Wednesday morning. Editors then decided to print millions more, to
try to meet the huge demand.
The cover shows a weeping Muhammad holding a sign that reads:
"Je suis Charlie", above the words "All is forgiven." The
edition was put together by the surviving staff in the offices of
the newspaper Libération, despite numerous offers of help
by cartoonists and journalists from around the world.
Similar defiance in the face of three days of terror attacks was
shown by millions of people, who joined demonstrations and marches
across France over the weekend.
At the heart of the show of unity was a march of 1.5 million
people in Paris. About 40 world leaders, including David Cameron,
joined in at the request of the French President, Francois
Hollande, to honour the 17 victims of the attacks, and to defend
the right of Charlie Hebdo to publish any
cartoons it wished.
Many among the crowds waved placards with the slogan "Je
suis Charlie"; others brandished pencils and pens in support
of the staff of the magazine. One young boy was photographed
holding a sign that read: "Later I will be a journalist. I'm not
afraid!"
Among the 12 killed in the attack were several of the most
celebrated satirical cartoonists in France.
The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, Dr Robert Innes, joined one
of the many solidarity marches in Cannes, southern France, which
had been arranged by the town's interfaith organisation. Dr Innes
said that the people of France were, as was traditional, "manning
the barricades" to defend their values in a time of crisis.
Thousands of soldiers and police officers have been sent to
guard sensitive locations in France, including Jewish schools and
public places, and the cabinet will hold crisis meetings. The
country remains on its highest terror alert.
Funerals have been held in Israel for the four Jewish men killed
after they were taken hostage in a Jewish delicatessen by a man who
had earlier shot dead a policewoman and injured another man.
The gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, claimed to have timed his attacks
with those of Saïd and Chérif Kouachi on Charlie Hebdo.
The brothers were eventually cornered in an industrial estate on
the outskirts of Paris, and died in a shoot-out with police on
Friday.
Mr Coulibaly's partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, was named by the
police as a suspect in the attacks, but has so far eluded capture.
Reports suggest that she has left France and flown to the Middle
East.
On Friday, Pope Francis sent a telegram to the Archbishop of
Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, expressing his condolences to
the families of the victims: "His Holiness Pope Francis joins in
prayer with the pain of the bereaved families and the sadness of
all the French. The Holy Father reiterates his condemnation of the
violence, which generates so much suffering, and, imploring God to
give the gift of peace, he assures the affected families and all
the French the benefit of divine blessings."
Earlier last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury released a
statement, in French and English, urging France to remain united in
the face of terror: "The people of France, a country in which I
have lived, which I know and love, will rise courageously above the
challenge of this vile attack and continue to demonstrate strength
and confidence arising out of their great history."
In Britain, there have been demonstrations in support of freedom
of speech and Charlie Hebdo, and numerous groups and
organisations have released statements condemning the attacks.
Among them were the Muslim Council of Britain, the Islamic Society
of Britain, the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe, the
British Humanist Association, and the International Humanist and
Ethical Union. The Church of England has released prayers for the
victims.
A letter signed by dozens of imams, and released by the Muslim
Council of Britain, called on the UK's Muslims to show restraint
after Charlie Hebdo published another cartoon depicting
Muhammad.
"Most Muslims will inevitably be hurt, offended and upset by the
republication of the cartoons," the letter said. "But our reaction
must be a reflection of the teachings of the gentle and merciful
character of the Prophet."
In Chelmsford, the Dean, the Very Revd Nicholas Henshall, and
the imam of Chelmsford Mosque, Kashif Ahmad, stood side by side in
a public display of solidarity to denounce the killings in Paris as
an affront to Christians and Muslims alike.
An act of public remembrance was held in Sheffield near the
city's cenotaph. Local politicians and representatives of different
faith groups, including the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft,
reflected on the atrocities in Paris.
In the diocese of Southwell & Nottingham, bishops were
joined by archdeacons, imams, and rabbis in a fast on Monday in
sympathy and solidarity with the victims and their families. The
Bishops of Southwell & Nottingham, and Sherwood, along with
leaders from Nottingham's Jewish and Muslim communities, all
condemned the terrorist atrocities in Paris, and said that they
would continue working together for the common good.
by Gregg Ryan, Ireland Correspondent
IRISH Muslims would use the Republic's blasphemy laws to
prosecute anyone who published cartoons lampooning the Prophet
Muhammad, a leading Islamic lecturer and spokesman for the
country's Islamic Centre, Dr Ali Selim, said.
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo and
Jewish-delicatessen killings in Paris last week, Dr Salim said
that, although a publisher's life would not be under threat in
Ireland, he would "check the Irish law, and if there is any legal
channel against you, we will take it".
Dr Salim said that linking the motives of the Paris gunmen to
Islam was unfair, and he would take legal advice should Irish
publications republish or tweet cartoons that made fun of
Islam.
It seems unlikely that a referendum to remove the blasphemy
prohibition from the Irish constitution will now take place in the
term of the present government; there are, however, proposals to
legislate for more robust laws prohibiting incitement to religious
hatred and associated offences.