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Muhammad Usman Yousaf

Dr. DiSarro
English 101
20 February 2015
Political Cartoons: People Are Dying, Not Laughing
Political cartoons are often used to create a lighthearted mood in moments of disagreement,
whether that is within the political realm or among religious groups. However, many are cause of
more harm than good. One recent example of this is the Charlie Hebdo satire. The group of satirists
has been known to publish cartoons over a lengthy span of time, all of which confront various groups
of people and religions. After publishing numerous cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, their building
was bombed and a dozen were killed. These were two separate incidents. Consequently, people have
begun discussing freedom of speech and/or expression. While many in the West believe that the
attacks on Charlie Hebdo were an attack on their freedom of speech, many in the East believe that
they were a response to blasphemous images of the Prophet Muhammad.
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper, was originally founded in 1970 and later, in
1992, after being out of print for ten years. It is known to be vocally left, anti-authoritarian, antireligious, and anti-institutional, but it tends to get the most attention when it undertakes one of its
yearly-or-so projects illustrating Muhammad cartoons (Read, Internet). According to Franoise
Mouly, the art editor of The New Yorker, the newspaper regularly singles out politicians, the police,
bankers, religion and religious figures from popes to prophets (Somaiya, Internet). Stphane
Charbonnier, known Charb, began working for the newspaper in 1992 and the most recent editorial
director. He was among 12 killed in an attack on the newspapers offices in January of 2015.
According to The New York Times, he had been instrumental in a series of defiant campaigns that
divided public opinion: Some saw them as powerful stands for free speech, and others as needless
provocations. He oversaw the publication of many issues including one advertised as being guest-

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edited by the Prophet Muhammad and one that contained crude caricatures of Muhammad shown
naked and in sexual poses, the former resulting in the bombing of the papers offices and the latter
defying the French governments advice. A documentary was even made about the conflict between
Charlie Hebdo and its cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. The director of this documentary, Daniel
Leconte, said that the artists who worked under the leadership of Charb were so friendly, so funny
liked liberty, [and] liked freedom. Charb was listed as one of Al Qaedas targets and was under
police protection but said he would rather die standing than live on [his] knees. Perhaps most
striking about Charb was that he actually defended the right of everyone to express themselves, even
Muslims. In 2012, the French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, claimed that the government would
block a series of protests planned by Muslims. In response, Charb asked, Why should they prohibit
these people from expressing themselves? and said we have the right to express ourselves; they
have the right to express themselves, too (Somaiya, Internet).
Although the circulation of Charlie Hebdo is approximately 30,000, the cartoons depicted in
the newspaper attract the attention of people around the world. The papers content includes a variety
of people, such as public figures and religious figures, so the audience is equally diverse. After
creating a number of covers depicting the Prophet Muhammad, many Muslims have become
interested in the French newspaper. Some Muslims, upon seeing this newspaper and forming their
own understandings of the depictions, believe that Westerns are putting them down or insulting
Islam. There is ignorance among Muslims and they do not fully understand freedom of speech. The
peaceful Muslims protest because they have been taught to love the Prophet Muhammad. In a CNN
video, Atika Shubert explains why the images of Prophet Muhammad are so offensive to Muslims
around the world. Islam strictly forbids the worship of idols. Mosques are decorated but dont include
images of a man, much less the Prophet Muhammad. In this religion, there are no gods or god, but
Allah is the Creator. Any image from cinema to painting is considered blasphemous. Islamic scholars

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say Muhammad preached that he was just a man, a messenger of the word of Allah, and not to be
worshipped. Persian art did include images of Prophet Muhammad but these are rare. An image
drawn, even as satire, is deeply offensive to Muslims. Opponents say such images are aimed
deliberately as an insult to Muslims and even to incite violence. Atika concluded her informational
video by reminding us that in the digital age, an image can be transferred around the world in just
one click (Shubert, Internet). In a 2012 interview on Al Jazeera news, Naveed Ahmad, an
investigative journalist from Pakistan, was asked how Muslims would respond to the most latest
depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and of the actions of Charlie Hebdo. He said that they would
believe it is provocative and an expression of hate speech. He even predicted that in the next few
years, these confrontations would increase. He said that the cartoonists are trying to provoke
Muslims. He even compared the sensitivity of Muslims towards their religious figures to the
sensitivity of Jews towards the Holocaust. At the time of the interview, he said that he felt that the
extremists within the Muslim world were trying to feed the feud between and encourage the clash of
civilizations. He said that the Prophet Muhammad would not have reacted with violence or anger as
some Muslims have around the world. By choosing to respond this way, he said Muslims are
following the script being written by those creating the offensive cartoons and films, which describes
them as terrorists. He concluded his thoughts in the interview by saying that there is a lot of
ignorance within the Muslim world about Western countries, the conduct of their media, and freedom
of expression just like there is a huge lack of understanding about Islam and a lack of sensitivity
towards Islam within the Western world (Inside, Internet).
In 2006, Charlie Hebdo republished the infamous Danish Jyllands-Posten cartoons of the
Prophet Muhammad. The magazine added its own touch by giving the issue a cover with the headline
Muhammad overwhelmed by fundamentalists, and depicted the prophet crying and saying Its
hard to be loved by dicks. Afterwards, the magazine was condemned by the French president,

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Jacques Chirac, sued by several Muslim organizations, and accused of being racist. In 2008, the
magazine was sued by a cartoonist, Sin, for a wrongful dismissal after he was fired for an apparently
anti-Semitic jab in a column about the son of French president Nicolas Sarkozy. In October of 2011,
the magazine published a cover that included an illustration of the prophet saying 100 lashes if you
dont die laughing. Shortly thereafter, the magazines offices were bombed and the website was
hacked. In Charbs opinion, the attackers were radical stupid people who dont know what Islam is
and idiots who betray their own religion. The very next cover of the magazine depicted a cartoonist
kissing a Muslim with the caption love is stronger than hate. In 2012, the magazine published
several cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. One depicts the prophet bent over with a star covering
his anus and the caption reads A star is born. Another, with the caption The film that will set the
Muslim world on fire, depicted the prophet as lying naked on a bed with a man filming him from
behind, saying My ass? And you love it, my ass? (Read, Internet). In an interview with Al Jazeera,
Charb was asked, Were you trying to get any kind of reaction? He responded by saying that not
any more than usual, that the newspaper had been provocative on many subjects, and that it just
so happens that every time we deal with radical Islam we have a problem, and we get indignant or
violent reactions. Charlie Hebdo operates lawfully and Charb points out in the same interview with
Al Jazeera that we respect French law, and that we have the right to use our freedom as we
understand it (Charlie, Internet). In December of 2014, the paper depicted the birth of Jesus with its
cartoons. This was to demonstrate its equal opportunity offense, which Charlie Hebdo prides itself
in and refers to when combatting charges of Islamophobia or racism. In former issues, they had also
posted cartoons depicting the Catholic Pope and Pedophile bishops. They even made a parody of
the French film, The Untouchables, by depicting a Jewish man caring for a Muslim man which was
to compare to the poor black man caring for the rich white man in the film (Read, Internet).
According to The New York Times article, Charlie Hebdo Editor Made Provocation His Mission,

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Douly says that the cartoons may prompt more anger than words because theyre meant to function
in an iconic way that can be read across languages. Theyre meant to poke at the establishment. You
dont do a cartoon to reinforce ideas so much as to challenge them (Charlie, Internet). Freedom of
speech is the focus many have placed on these cartoons and a concept many have used to justify the
actions taken or decisions made by Charlie Hebdo. The Britannica Encyclopedia states that freedom
of speech is a right, according to the 1 st and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.
With this right, individuals are free to express information, ideas, and opinions free of government
restrictions based on content. In the court case of Schenk v. U.S., a restriction is legitimate only if
the speech in question poses a clear and present danger, or a risk or threat to safety or other public
interests that is serious and imminent (Freedom, Internet). In a 2012 interview on Al Jazeera, Houmi
Mikidache, a political analyst was asked if Charlie Hebdo should have published the cartoons of the
Prophet Muhammad even though they could make the current tensions worse. She said that these
cartoons are inappropriate and that while publishing them is an example of freedom of expression, it
is dangerous. This is a problem because Islam is the second largest religion in France (Inside,
Internet).
In conclusion, Charlie Hebdo has created controversy by publishing cartoons of the Prophet
Muhammad and no one is laughing. Muslims are offended as the newspaper has made fun of the
Prophet Muhammad, which they understand to be an attack on their religion. Westerners are upset
because of the violent reactions of a few Muslims, which they understand to be an attack on their
freedom of expression. No one is laughing because of these cartoons. However, people have died and
continue to die due to the conflicting opinions surrounding the greater divide amongst the two
civilizations. It seems as though political cartoons, such as these featured in Charlie Hebdo, are not
cause for a lighthearted mood in the midst of disagreements but are instead furthering the divide
between people.

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Works Cited
"Charlie Hebdo Editor Tells Al Jazeera Cartoons Are Free Speech." YouTube. Al Jazeera, 19 Sept.
2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjM36w_X-N4>.
"Freedom of Speech." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Oct. 2013. Web.
19 Feb. 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/218543/freedom-ofspeech>.
"Inside Story - Are Muslims Being Provoked?" YouTube. Al Jazeera, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Feb.
2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzzUjm8apzA>.
Read, Max. "What Is Charlie Hebdo? The Cartoons That Made the French Paper Infamous."Gawker.
7 Jan. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://gawker.com/what-is-charlie-hebdo-and-why-amostly-complete-histo-1677959168>.
Shubert, Atika. "Why Are Images of the Prophet Mohammed so Offensive? - CNN Video." CNN.
Cable News Network, 16 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/02/16/orig-shubert-prophet-mohammedimages.cnn?sr=fb021715prophetmohammedexplainer11pVODVideo>.
Somaiya, Ravi. "Charlie Hebdo Editor Made Provocation His Mission." The New York Times. The
New York Times, 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-editor-made-provocationhis-mission.html?_r=0>.