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.

Muhammad Dit: "Vive La Diversité": Charlie Hebdo's Cartoon Revisited (Photoshop)

In Support of Freedom of Expression

I made my own version of Charlie Hebdo's Muhammad.  Hope they don't mind, but I am satirizing the satire!

It reads:  "Muhammad says:  Long live diversity!"

Use it and reuse it as you see fit.

Update:  Charlie Hebdo now has a blog at wordpress:
http://charliehebdo.wordpress.com/

NOTE:  Charlie Hebdo is a very left wing publication and continually insults Christianity and Judaism in very egregious ways.  Nevertheless, we should support their right to free speech, as we claim the same right for ourselves.  It is interesting to note, however, that one of the left's most prized ideals -- that of cultural and ethnic diversity -- has come back to haunt them in the Charlie Hebdo flap.   Diversity, as it is conceived by the left, is a very bad thing for pluralistic democracies.  The only "diversity" that works is one that is rather superficial.   In this regard, we must thank Charlie Hebdo for providing us with more proof that we are right about the inappropriateness of Islam in western civilization.  To infect pluralistic and tolerant democracies with an intolerant and hostile ideology makes no sense.

Fighting Back: Send Mo-Toons to Islamic Embassies!

SIOE, or "Stop the Islamization of Europe" website is involved in active resistance to the islamization of Europe. But you probably figured that out by their title.

Upset by the recent bombing of the Danish Embassy in Pakistan (over the Danish cartoons of Mohammed), they have come up with a "strike back" strategy. The strategy is this: draw a cartoon of Mohammed, or use an existing one, and send it (anonymously) to Pakistani embassies. Every time the radical Muslims create terrorism over cartoons, more cartoons will result.

SIOE has posted a list of addresses for Pakistani embassies and consulates, as well as Pakistani news outlets and broadcasting organizations.

A word of caution: don't use the Danish cartoons, as they are copyrighted and you could be sued. Those cartoonists already have death threats and fatwas hanging over them, and don't want you to make it worse.

After you draw the cartoon, send it to SIOE. They will post the best cartoons on their site and, each Friday, will select the best cartoon for the week, and make a t shirt bearing the cartoon, as a prize to the creator.

For details go here.

Hat tip: Gates of Vienna