Charlie Hebdo Mocks the Prophet; French Embassies and Schools to Shut Down; We Translate the French Cartoons

Charlie Hebdo is a French magazine of satire and politics.  It is a leftist magazine whose goal is to offend as many people as possible, no matter what their politics, religious beliefs or lifestyle.  Their offices were firebombed by angry Muslims about a year ago, and the magazine retreated to the web, where they continued their iconoclastic publication.

Now the magazine is back in hard copy publication, and isn't backing down in the face of Islamic threats of violence.  Today their publication features Muhammad (see below) inside, pictured as naked, as he poses for a movie.  Fearing violent protests, the French government has ordered twenty of its embassies closed as well as some schools.

Here is today's Charlie Hebdo cover.  The caption reads:  "Untouchables:  you must not mock us."  The figures on the cover appear to be a Jew (on the right) pushing a Muslim in a wheelchair.  Charlie Hebdo is very hostile to religion, any religion, and regularly mocks the Catholic Church and Jews as well as Muslims.

Blazing Cat Fur has images of the nude prophet here.  (However, I found a better image of the same thing, now posted below).  I have translated each of the cartoons into English below the fold.  View if you like.

There is little doubt that Charlie Hebdo's new cartoons will enrage the Muslim world.  More bombings and bloodshed will be the result.  However, free speech must be upheld, even irreligious, insulting and crude speech.  Without it, this blog (with its crude content) would soon disappear!  Not to mention western civilization.  Freedom of inquiry, freedom to question, criticize and mock, all are absolutely necessary to maintain a free society and an informed populace.  However, most of these cartoons are in very bad taste and seem designed for no purpose other than to provoke Muslims.  The purpose of "Innocence of Muslims" was to point out some unsavory facts about the "prophet" Muhammad, so it had a purpose beyond merely giving offense.  Hebdo's cartoons, on the other hand, are really over the top.  Probably not as over the top as murdering an ambassador, setting fire to his embassy and rioting like screaming madmen on speed, however.  So even though the cartoons are in bad taste...that's just too damn bad.  Welcome to the west, Muslims.

The news is that the new Hebdo issue is very popular and has been sold out, but Muslims are tearing them up wherever they are found.  Blazing Cat Fur says the Charlie Hebdo site has been hacked and out of action, but I was able to log on by trying several times in a row.  I think the site is not down, but simply overwhelmed by many people trying to log on.

The site is here.  To view the cartoons and my translations, click on the link "Read More" below.


Here is a full page of the edition with cartoons; however, the resolution is still too small to see all details.  However, the graphic with the red background is titled "Stop the trash talk about Muhammad!"  and the Muhammad figure is saying "I'm a Jew!"

Photo credit:  Huffington Post, France

UPDATE:  Each of the cartoons has now been posted on a French website, Bivouac ID, and can be viewed clearly.  Hat tip:  Blazing Cat Fur

See them here.

Here is my translation of each cartoon, from left to right, top row down (see graphic above):

1.  Title:  "The film that embraces Islamic life."  Muhammad is saying "And my buttocks (ass)?  Do you love my buttocks (ass)?"

2.  Title:  "A conservative film about Islam that provokes rage among the fundamentalists!"  The little man with the gun is saying "Show us an intelligent film and provoke World War III!"

3.  Arab watching television, which says "The Arab world revolted by a film that shows images of Muhammad!"  The Arab watching TV replies, "No, it isn't that, it's the 20 hours of news about it."

4.  Men in knit caps with beards:  "Muhammad reverses youth unemployment!"  Labels pointing to each of the three men (who are holding lit cigarette lighters) read "Film Critic."

5.  Muhammad with ass to camera, covered by a star:  "Muhammad, a Star is Born!"

6.  Red background with Muhammad with hands on hips:  Title:  "Stop the trash talk about Muhammad."  Muhammad is saying "I'm a Jew!"

7.  Bugs Bunny graphic:  Title:  "All pretexts [for violence] are good!"  Arab man in background is pointing at Bugs and saying, "Another representation that is insulting to our prophet!"

8.  Bearded lady with bare breasts:  "Riots in the Arabic countries...after publication of the [nude] photos of Mrs. Muhammad!" [Note that Mrs. Muhammad also has a beard.]

9.  Coffin:  This image was not reproduced at Bivouac ID, and is too small to read in the graphic I posted above.  However, it seems to be saying something along the lines of "Ah, it's not easy to tweet in the dark."  The title appears to say:  "Johnny tweets his return."  (I have no idea who Johnny is.)

There are some additional cartoons published at Bivouac ID, reproduced here for translation:

Title:  "Shooting the scandalous film about Muhammad"

Man on left:  "You are sure that Muhammad had sexual relations with the head of a pig?"

Man on right:  "I couldn't afford to pay for a nine year old whore, pal."

Title:  "Problem Adolescent"

The lady is saying:
"He doesn't drink,
"He doesn't smoke,
"He doesn't take drugs,
"He doesn't have sex

"My son is a Salafist"

[Note Salafism is a sect of violent Muslims to which Al Qaeda belongs, per Wikipedia]