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France said it would temporarily close its embassies and schools in 20 countries Friday after a satirical magazine in Paris published insulting cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, a move it fears will add “fuel to the fire” of global tensions over an anti-Islam film.
The French government, which had urged the weekly not to print the cartoons, said it was shutting embassies and schools as a precaution on Friday, when protests sometimes break out after Muslim prayers.
“We have indeed decided as a precautionary measure to close our premises, embassies, consulates, cultural centers and schools,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters. Riot police were also sent to the offices of the weekly magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby called the drawings outrageous but said those who were offended by them should "use peaceful means to express their firm rejection".
Tunisia's ruling Islamist party, Ennahda, condemned what it called an act of "aggression" against Muhammad but urged Muslims not to fall into a trap intended to "derail the Arab Spring and turn it into a conflict with the West".
In the northern Paris suburb of Sarcelles, one person was slightly hurt when two masked men threw a small explosive device through the window of a kosher supermarket. Police said it was too early to link the incident to the cartoons. One small local Muslim group filed a legal complaint against the weekly but there were no reports of reaction on the streets of France.
The acting head of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said French courts should deal with the case as firmly as it dealt with a magazine that published topless photographs of the U.K.'s Duchess of Cambridge.
The publication came amid widespread outrage over a crude, provocative film, made by anti-Islam campaigners in California, that mocked the Prophet and ignited days of deadly protests including an attack in Libya in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed.
The front-page cartoon had the figure in a wheelchair saying "You mustn't mock'' under the headline "Untouchable 2," a reference to a hugely popular French movie about a paralyzed rich white man and his black assistant.
US Muslims walk tightrope, denouncing both violence and anti-Islam film
Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices were fire bombed last November after it published a mocking caricature of Muhammad.
Many Muslims consider any representation of Allah or Muhammad offensive.
From Northern Africa to Indonesia, protesters – sparked by outrage over an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. – march in sometimes violent demonstrations. NBC's Jim Maceda reports and msnbc's Rula Jebreal and TIME's Bobby Ghosh offer analysis.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticized the magazine's move.
"Is it relevant and intelligent in this environment to add fuel to the fire? The answer is no,'' Fabius told France Info radio. "I'm very worried... and when I saw this I immediately issued instructions for special security precautions to be taken in all the countries where it could be a problem.''
The government has called for restraint over the cartoons, restating the principles of free speech in France and urging those shocked by the images to take action through the courts.
Clinton to hold closed briefing for lawmakers on rising anti-US violence
Muslim leaders in France, which has Europe's largest Muslim population, have appealed for calm.
Salafist Muslims in Paris have already called for a protest this Saturday at Trocadero, near the Eiffel Tower, against the California-made film.
According to reports citing local officials in Afghanistan, a female suicide bomber attacked a minibus near Kabul, killing at least nine people in what may be the deadliest act of retribution over an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
However, French authorities have refused to authorize any demonstration.
A small group of about 100 were prevented by riot police from approaching the U.S. Embassy in the center of Paris last Saturday.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the authorities had rejected a request to hold a march.
"There is no reason for us to allow conflicts that do not concern France to enter our country,'' Ayrault told RTL radio.
Muslim Brotherhood: Respect beliefs of others
Muslim leaders criticized the magazine’s cartoons as another Western insult to their faith and urged France's government to take action.
"We reject and condemn the French cartoons that dishonor the Prophet and we condemn any action that defames the sacred according to people's beliefs," the acting head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Essam Erian, said, according to Reuters.
Erian added that the French judiciary should deal with the issue as firmly as it had handled the case against the magazine, Closer, which published topless pictures of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, the wife of Prince William.
"If the case of Kate (the duchess) is a matter of privacy, then the cartoons are an insult to a whole people. The beliefs of others must be respected," he told Reuters.
Erian also spoke out against any violent reaction from Muslims but said peaceful protests were justified.
Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, welcomed French government criticism of the cartoons but said that French law should deal with insults against Islam in the same way as it deals with Holocaust denial.
"If anyone doubts the Holocaust happened, they are imprisoned, yet if anyone insults the Prophet, his companions or Islam, the most (France) does is to apologize in two words. It is not fair or logical," he told Reuters.
In Lebanon, leading Salafist cleric Sheikh Nabil Rahim said the cartoons were extremely insulting and could lead to more violence.
"Of course it will anger people further. It will raise tensions that were already dangerously high," he said, according to Reuters.
He accused those involved of trying to provoke a clash of civilizations, not dialogue. "We will try to keep things managed and peaceful, but these things easily get out of hand. I fear there could more targeting of foreigners, and this is why I wish they would not persist with these provocations."
An official in Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church said the move was a deliberate provocation. It showed "some international powers" wanted violence to escalate in Egypt so that the country would not develop economically, the official, who asked not to be named, said without elaborating.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Ok first i have to inform you that ALLAH and the Lord and Adonai are ONE and the same God
In hebrew is ELOHA in Arabic ALAH see pronunciation is different . Are the religious @!$%#s that wanna make you believe that they are different .
Now comming back to this insults .DON'T YOU WONDER THAT THIS MOVIES AND CARTOONS ARE MADE BY ARABS? What a best way to start a Islamic war than insulting the prophet
Who make this movies or cartoons have interest to start a word wild islamic war ,France have a population that is half mix with north Africans as Tunisia Algeria morocco (have you been in Paris?)
Therefore French government should stop this insults against the prophet as a menace to their country and to their way of life . Terrorism got smart.
Allah is NOT the same as the Jewish and Christian God no matter how many Muslims want to say it is. God does NOT change his mind and his rules and laws were laid down long before Islam's perversity.
Allah is some idol of a moon god that the false prophet Mohamed chose out of a bunch of other idols that were located inside the cube in Mecca and said, "Ok, this is the one true God, his name is Allah, fall down and worship or DIE!!!"
Muslims have been killing ever since without cessation.
Actually the Yahweh of the Old testament was a blood thirsty genocidal war-mongering god. Whereas the nameless god of the NT is a shiny new kinder, gentler being all into forgiveness and personal relationships. In short, the god of the Bible changes depending on who was writing the story and when they were writing it.
Oh Brian, Jews know , Christians know that is the same God read the old testament and you'll understand .
Did you read the Koran?
What we do value as freedoms does not really match with the bible laws.
Many changes took place after the death of the prophets from Moses, to Jesus , to Mohamed , the later leaders start changing the teachings of this prophets to their own gain .
As for religious leaders if they teach the people what is in the books the world will be a better place.
Long time a go Jews and Muslims use to love each other, considering each other brothers ,that changed after ww2 .
Brothers like the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza that lived in Arabia, that Mohammed pretty much genocided, killing all them men who wouldn't convert and enslaving the women and children.
Yup, still feeling the love, even after 1400 years.
Yeah pagan, he isn't fooling anyone.
And the only people the murdering, pedophile, rapists, false prophet Mohamed fooled were those that profited from his atrocities and all of the people that were forced to follow him or die.
And no Allah isn't the same God because God doesn't change his mind. And Jesus wasn't a "prophet" he was the fulfillment OF prophecy.
I believe there are Muslims who do understand how in western countries we have freedom of speech to say what ever we want, no blasphemy laws, we live in free countries. Sad to say there are those other Muslims, mostly uneducated, easily swayed by those zealots who say their way or no way. They see nothing wrong with car or people bombs or riots killing innocent people in the name of Allah. Death to infidels, death in revenge is ok to them. Then they wonder why the rest of the world condemns the prophet. Do you think it is because you see nothing wrong with beheading people, cutting up their bodies, dragging them in the streets or hanging from a bridge, all in your misguided "In the name of Allah"? Sad to see how little you know of the world. No wonder the middle east is the most backwards part of the world, you do this to yourself.
The US needs to start building a stockpile of neutron bombs that can be airburst over an enemy, leaving little fallout, with most of the infrastructure intact and the people dead. Then just use drones to mop up the survivors.
I heard on the news last night that 4 more Americans have been killed in one of their outrages. I am thinking that if this madness continues that perhaps we should start demonstrating peacefully with their flags with skulls and crossbones imprinted over the body and march in protest of their violent actions.
False equivalence, anyone?
Oh most definately, because WE all KNOW the Holocaust actually happenned and was incredibly WRONG. Claiming the mass murder of 6 million people didn't occur has NOTHING in common with insulting a pedophile, rapists, murdering, centuries dead criminal cult leader like Mohomed.
This is very interesting to watch. Its like 100 hungry chimps fighting over 1 banana, climbing trees, swinging and crawling over fences...to bad we're the banana. But what I REALLY like to see is all of our flags in their hands...supporting us by buying them all up! Doesnt matter what you do with them after they are bought because they look kinda cheap and faded anyway..thanks for the support!
Great point. But only if they are made in America, most are made in China now and shipped here and there.
Oh and they are making such a huge deal of these movies & cartoons which is the worst thing they can do, its provoking the rest of the world. How many times are their fake bomb threats after a real bomb goes off somewhere? They react, we do it again and again just to get a reaction..kind of like teenage siblings.
Yeah I think I'm gonna make a movie now. And write a book. And burn a pile of Korans in order to cook a pig at a barbecue with the pig fat dripping all over the burning Korans, and post a video of it on you tube.
I think every country should flood the Internet with Muhammed caricatures and Muslim-mocking movies, just to show these animals that a) non-Muslims can do whatever they want, and b) their religion won't implode or even change as a result, so they can chill the phuk out. Their outrage that everyone doesn't follow their religion is pure baloney.
Brian, make sure there are some burka-clad strippers dancing and disrobing around the fire- Muslim men can't bear the sight of naked female flesh!
Never thought I'd say this, but...LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE FRENCH! Think I'm gonna go eat some FRENCH fries, with FRENCH bread, while FRENCH kissing a mademoiselle.
..Ozark ..No dad gum Muslim would ever come on up yonder to yer neck o the woods...They would do to them MUSLIMs what Ole Prophet Muhammed done did to his Goat ...Heee Haawwww Heee Hawww ..Muhammed had a nice mouth..unfortunately it was full of shiiite..
France needs to kick every single muslim out of its country as they are racists, violent aholes and stop letting muslims get welfare and make the muslim cult illegal all over EU. Kick these nasty muslims out once and for all and you will all have peace and prosperity. Muslims are like a parasitical plague who will bring any civilized and advanced nation down.
You muslims better start showing respect for our society, women and culture in the West otherwise get the hell out of here all of you, as you are not liked or wanted here to begin with. Muslims want their cake and eat the whole thing too. In other words muslims love the good life here in the USA and EU but at the same time hate us because they are miserable jealous nuts.
muslims are murderers!
muslims are sexually perverted murderers!
Strange news, we should link it to the elections worldwide. This is no coincidence!
Unbelievable that the Muslims blame the entire US for the movie- like we all got together and decided to have it made. And how does burning down their own buildings prove anything except what dumb, herd-mentality animals they are? So are they going to start policing the world, making sure no one mentions Muhammed or draws him (or her) and killing anyone who does? It's THEIR religion--WE don't have to respect a dam thing about it.
I say lets publish Muhammad cartoons every day in as many newspapers as possible. It'll get old really quickly.
Better yet, I want to see "MARVEL'S MUHAMMAD". He's the newest Supervillain, will kill infidels and rape Hit-Girl...offended yet?
I'm offended every day by the way you treat your women, by your retarded laws, public beheadings and general neanderthal behavior. Get used to it!
We need to stress that no matter what, we will not allow religious fanatics to infringe on free speach in the United States. Anyone who wants to live in this country must abide by that regardless of which fairy tale they choose to believe in. The violence that has occurred so far was in countries that we should not be in. I think the violence is more about our invasions and drone attacks than anything else. This is more like the straw that broke the camel's back. If anyone wants to draw a picture of mohammed in this country, I damn sure will defend your right to, even if it means people die. Do it in a foreign country and you are on your own.
Could it be that the violent Muslims are the ones who make the films and cartoons as an excuse to get violent? It is a sad day when the whole world cowers in fear toward a bunch of barbaric religious bigots. Why?
During one of the many wars that the French and the British fought and the French usually lost, the French just happened to capture a British Major. An officer brought the Major to the French general for interrogation. The French general began ridiculing the Major for wearing "that stupid red tunic." The French general said, "Why to you wear that red uniform, it makes it easy for us to shoot you." The British major replied, "If I do get wounded, the blood will not show, and my soldiers will not get scared." The French general said, "That is a very good idea," The Frenchy turned to his orderly and said, "From now on all French officers will wear brown pants."
If the Islam world does not like these cartoons or movies then dont watch them .