French Muslims condemn publication of Prophet cartoon

Muslims in France have condemned the publication of a blasphemous cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by a French magazine, Press TV reports.

On Wednesday, French magazine Charlie Hebdo once again published a cartoon of the Prophet on the cover of its new edition despite warnings that the move is provocative.

Millions of copies of the new edition of the satirical magazine were sold on Wednesday.

The magazine usually sold 60,000 copies weekly before a January 7 attack on its Paris office during which 12 people were killed.

“They keep provoking Muslims, because to a Muslim the Prophet is more sacred than even our parents, why is it so hard to respect this belief and the Muslim community. Why provoke hate?”a French Muslim told the Press TV correspondent in Paris.

The French magazine has repeatedly provoked Muslim anger by publishing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

“France cannot respect or integrate the values of Muslims. I am against insulting anybody,” another French Muslim said.

Religious leaders across the world have also denounced the French magazine’s new move, calling it a direct insult to all Muslims.

The incident on January 7 was followed by a series of other sieges and shootings across Paris, resulting in the killing of more people and an extensive sense of insecurity in the country.

An al-Qaeda branch in Yemen claimed full responsibility for the attack on Charlie Hebdo. The group said it chose and supported Said and Cherif Kouachi, the two brothers who allegedly carried out the deadly assault.