Cartoons mocking Islam published in France

Despite risking the possibility of further stoking the anger of Muslims worldwide, cartoons portraying a naked prophet Mohammed were published in the French satirical left-wing ‘Charli Hebdo’ issued weekly on a Wednesday.

These drawings were published as the Muslim world was caught up in a wave of violent protests shortly after the release of the video ‘Innocence of Muslims’ in the US.

Several caricatures of the prophet depicted him in situations which according to the publishers were intended to poke fun at the anger sparked by the film.

One person was wounded after an incendiary device was thrown into a kosher food store in Sarcelles on the outskirts of Paris following the publication of the cartoons yesterday.

The store belongs to the Jewish Naouri supermarket chain and was full of shoppers at the time of the attack but just one shopper who sustain contusions on both arms.

Witnesses claim the act was committed by two attackers wearing black hoods.

This incident adds to the number of violent episodes across the world. American and other Western embassies have been breached and lives have been lost including the US ambassador to Libya, together with a deadly suicide bombing which killed 12 foreign aviation workers in Afghanistan.

The head office of the magazine in Paris was placed under tight police protection on Tuesday evening after it was announced that the cartoons would appear in the magazine publication.

In November 2011, the same magazine published similar drawings which angered Muslims. Located in what is considered to be a sensitive area with a high density of immigrants, the offices were set on fire in reaction.

French embassies in 20 countries will be shut by the French government as a safety precaution after urging ‘Charlie Hebdo’ not to print the cartoons.