Muslims rally to protest new caricature
KARACHI, Pakistan — Muslim anger flared over a French satirical weekly’s latest caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, with four people reported killed and dozens injured at a protest yesterday in the west African country of Niger, and violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Pakistan, Jordan and Algeria.
Supporters say the cartoon on the cover of Charlie Hebdo is a defiant expression of
See
Page
free speech after a terrorist attack on the publication’s Paris offices that killed 12 people on Jan. 7, but many Muslims viewed it as another attack on their religion.
The new issue has a drawing of Muhammad, with a tear rolling down his cheek and a placard that reads “Je Suis Charlie” — a saying that has swept France and the world since the killings. The depiction of the prophet is deemed insulting to many followers of Islam.
A French cultural center was set ablaze by protesters in the town of Zinder in southern Niger, and one security officer and three demonstrators were killed in the melee, said Interior Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou. Twenty security officers and 23 civilians were injured.
The government of Niger, a former French colony, has banned the sale of Charlie Hebdo.
Many of the protests across the Muslim world began after midday prayers yesterday.
Demonstrations were held in the Pakistani cities of Karachi, Lahore and the capital of Islamabad.
Clashes erupted in Karachi when protesters started heading toward the French consulate, throwing stones at police, who pushed them back with water cannons and tear gas.
Agence France-Presse photographer Asif Hassan was shot and wounded, said AFP news director Michele Leridon, although “his life does not seem in danger.” AFP said it was trying to find out whether Hassan was targeted or shot accidentally.
Two journalists and a police officer were treated for minor injuries at Jinnah Hospital, said Dr. Seemi Jamali.
About 1,000 people gathered in Islamabad to condemn the French publication. The demonstrators carried signs that read “Shame on Charlie Hebdo,” and “If you are Charlie, then I am Kouachi” — referring to the brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, who were killed after carrying out the attack on the newspaper office. They claimed they were sent by al-Qaida in Yemen.
A second day of protests in Lahore drew about 800 people.
On Thursday, Pakistani lawmakers passed a resolution against cartoons of the prophet and marched outside parliament to protest Charlie Hebdo’s latest cover.
In the Algerian capital of Algiers, thousands of young men marched to protest the French satirical newspaper. The demonstrators threw bottles and rocks at security forces, who responded with tear gas.
Police dispersed the demonstrators by using snow plows and tear gas, according to media reports. It was unclear how many were arrested or hurt.
In the Jordanian capital of Amman, security forces clashed with about 2,000 protesters organized by the Muslim Brotherhood. Riot police used batons to disperse the people as they tried to march to the French Embassy. Also yesterday:
About 160 men in Istanbul said funeral prayers to honor the Kouachi brothers.
Several hundred worshippers marched briefly in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador.
Saudi Arabia’s top council of senior clerics said Charlie Hebdo’s latest depiction of the prophet served extremists looking to justify murder and terrorism.
Qatar urged Western media “to respect others and their beliefs.”