France steps up security at embassies after Charlie Hebdo, Satirical Weekly, Publishes Cartoons Of The Prophet Mohammad.

France steps up security at embassies after Charlie Hebdo, Satirical Weekly, Publishes Cartoons Of The Prophet Mohammad.(AA).France will close its embassies and schools in around 20 countries Friday because of fears of a hostile reaction to a magazine’s publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius earlier announced that he had ordered special security measures “in all the countries where this could pose a problem.” Demonstrations in the Islamic world often follow Friday prayers. “I have obviously issued instructions so that special security measures are taken in all the countries where this could pose a problem,” Fabius said, admitting that he was “concerned” by the potential for a backlash to satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo’s printing of the cartoons. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said earlier Wednesday anyone offended by the cartoons could take the matter to the courts. But he emphasized France’s tradition of free speech. “We are in a country where freedom of expression is guaranteed, including the freedom to caricature,” he said on RTL radio. However, Ayrault said that the French government won’t allow street protests against the cartoons. “The protests are illegal and permits will not be issued,” Ayrault said, according to AFP. Some Islamic groups in France have called for demonstrations after Charlie Hebdo said it would publish cartoons making fun of the Prophet Mohammed. Charlie Hebdo’s website crashed on Wednesday after being bombarded with comments that ranged from hate mail to approbation. Last weekend, French police broke up a gathering of about 200 people near the U.S. embassy protesting an American anti-Islam film. The cover of Charlie Hebdo shows a Muslim man in a wheelchair being pushed by an Orthodox Jew under the title “Intouchables 2,” referring to a French film about a poor black man who helps an aristocratic quadriplegic.

“If people really feel offended in their beliefs and think there has been an infringement of the law -- and we are in a state where laws must be totally respected -- they can go to court,” Ayrault said.

 “There is no reason to allow conflicts that do not concern France into our country.” Charlie Hebdo is no stranger to controversy over its handling of issues relating to Islam. Last year it published an edition “guest-edited” by the Prophet Mohammed that it called Shariah Hebdo. The magazine’s offices in Paris were subsequently fire-bombed. Charlie Hebdo, renowned for its irreverent treatment of the political establishment and public figures, argued that it had the right to uphold that tradition. Cartoons seen by Reuters that were due to be published on the inside pages of the paper included a series of images, including nude caricatures, poking fun at the Prophet Mohammed. Many Muslims object to any representation of Allah or the Prophet Mohammed or to irreverent treatment of the Quran. Charlie Hebdo has got into hot water on similar issues more than once. Former editor Philippe Val was pursued in French courts on charges of racial injury, and ultimately acquitted, after the paper reprinted the Danish cartoons of Mohammed.Read the full story here.More here.

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