News: France Rules in Favor of Paper That Published Muhammad Cartoon

By CRAIG S. SMITH
Published: March 22, 2007

PARIS, March 22 — A French court ruled today in favor of a satirical weekly newspaper that republished cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad, which caused an international uproar when they first appeared in a Danish newspaper.

The paper, Charlie Hebdo, and its editor, Philippe Val, were accused by two Muslim groups, the Paris Mosque and the Union of Islamic Organizations of France, of “publicly abusing a group of people because of their religion.” The charges could have resulted in a six-month prison term for Mr. Val and a fine against the newspaper of about $29,000.

Charlie Hebdo republished 12 drawings in its Feb. 8, 2006, issue that had originally appeared in September 2005 in the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten, some of them lampooning the Prophet Muhammad. The Danish publication set off deadly rioting across parts of the Muslim world and resulted in Muslim boycotts against Danish products.

Charlie Hebdo said it ran the cartoons as an act of solidarity with Jyllands-Posten and to make a point about freedom of expression in France, which is home to the largest Muslim population in Western Europe.

More at The New York Times

For all the uninformed French bashing that has taken place in the U.S. since the French refused to support the War in Iraq, I hope everyone will take note that no U.S. mainstream media outlets, with their overriding political correctness, have had the guts to publish these.