The demonstrators later dispersed peacefully. The Kuwaiti government has strongly condemned the terrorist attack against the French magazine and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Saudi Arabia’s top clerical council, the only body in the kingdom authorised to issue Islamic legal opinions or fatwas, on Friday denounced the publication of “disrespectful drawings” of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). “Injuring the feelings of Muslims with these drawings … will not achieve the right aim. It will serve extremists who are looking for justification for murder and terrorism,” Fahad bin Saad al-Majid of the Council of Senior Scholars was quoted as saying in a statement carried on state news agency SPA.
Charlie Hebdo has published numerous cartoons mocking religious figures including Jesus, Pope Frances and the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Al-Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was ordered by the Islamist militant group’s leadership for insulting the Prophet (PBUH).
While Muslim leaders around the world have strongly condemned the attack, many said the decision to print a new cartoon of the Prophet (PBUH) was a provocation that would create a backlash. “It is the duty of the world to create mutual respect and constructive co-existence and that would not be by insulting religious sanctities and symbols,” the council’s statement said. Riyadh issued an unqualified statement of condemnation of last week’s attack but it did not strongly criticise the images and its ambassador took part in a solidarity march in which protesters carried the cartoons.
The kingdom is attempting to marshal conservative Muslims behind a campaign against Islamist militants in al-Qaeda and Islamic State, but has stirred anger among many for what they see as its weak response to the cartoons. Gulf Arab states Qatar and Bahrain have condemned Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons as “offensive”, state media reported on Friday.
Qatar warned Friday that publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) would “fuel hatred and anger”, as a leading Muslim body called for peaceful protests against French weekly Charlie Hebdo. Qatar “condemned the reprinting by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and other European press of pictures offensive to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH),” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “Freedom of speech does not mean insulting others, hurting their feelings, and mocking their religious beliefs and idols,” said the statement published by the official QNA news agency. “These disgraceful actions are in the interest of nobody and will only fuel hatred and anger,” it warned, describing them as a “violation of human values of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, justice, and respect among people.”
Qatar, accused of backing radical Islamists, urged Western media “to respect others and their beliefs and to steer away from intolerance and extremism, and to commit to the values upon which Western civilisation was built.” The magazine, which normally has a print run of around 60,000, said on Wednesday that it would print five million copies this week because of unprecedented demand.
The magazine sold out across France within minutes of publication. The Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, headed by influential preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, criticised the “world’s shameful and unexcused silence” on the “insulting of religions”.
Statement
In a statement released late Thursday it warned of “heavy consequences of continuing to insult Islam, the Holy Quran, and the prophet (PBUH)”. “No sane person could accept inciting sedition under the name of freedom of expression,” it said. The association urged “peaceful demonstrations” against offending Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and called for “Muslim governments to intervene and demand an international law by the United Nations that criminalises offending religions and prophets.” The Qatari government and Qaradawi’s group — which is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood — were both quick to condemn the deadly attack on Charlie Hebdo.
Jordan’s opposition Islamic Action Front party, the political wing of the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has branded the publication of the cartoon as “an attack on Muslims across the world”. King Abdullah II, who last weekend joined world leaders on an anti-terror solidarity march in Paris, on Thursday said the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo was “irresponsible and reckless”.
Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound Friday, some with banners reading “Islam is a religion of peace!” and “Our leader will forever be Mohammed”. Israeli security forces, which control access to the compound — the focal point of months of Jewish-Muslim tensions in the Holy Land — said Friday prayer passed off without incident, and there were no initial reports of violence linked to the demonstration afterwards. In Sudan, several hundred demonstrators poured out of Khartoum’s Grand Mosque and marched across the adjacent square, chanting “Expel the French ambassador, victory to the Prophet of God!”, an AFP correspondent said.
One banner in Arabic said: “The French government should apologise and the French government must stop insults to religious figures”. A protest against the cartoon in Tehran was cancelled, with no official reason given, as senior Iranian cleric Ayatollah Ali Movahedi Kermani told worshippers its publication amounted to “savagery”.
In Tunis, worshippers at El-Fath mosque interrupted prayer leader Noureddine Khadmi as he delivered a sermon saying: “We are all against insults made against our prophet but it is not a reason to kill”. Charlie Hebdo journalists “deserved to be killed because they insulted our prophet many times,” the worshippers cried out. Syrian protesters in a rebel-held area of Aleppo on Thursday burned a poster expressing support for satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, accusing it of stoking Muslim anger, an AFP correspondent said.
Dozens of people marched in the battered district of Salaheddin, in the southwest of Syria’s second city, against Charlie Hebdo’s new cartoon, which depicts the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Some protesters in Aleppo carried banners inscribed with the Islamic profession of faith and a “Je suis Charlie” poster was burned.
“Mohammed is our leader for ever,” chanted some protesters, while others cried: “We will sacrifice ourselves for you, God’s prophet.” Demonstrator Abu Mudar told AFP: “We are on the street today to support our prophet and to protest against the offensive drawings that Western governments are spreading, while hurting Muslims’ feelings all over the world.” He added: “These drawings increase enmity, hatred and feelings of hostility among Muslims towards these governments and these countries.
