Charlie Hebdo, French satire mag, firebombed over Muhammad gag

The offices of a French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, were firebombed yesterday and its website was hacked with a threatening message splashed across its homepage.

The attack was the result of the editors announcing that they were going to print a special edition of the magazine with Muhammad as the guest editor-in-chief (in honor of the Arab Spring).

“To fittingly celebrate the victory of the Islamist Ennahda party in Tunisia … Charlie Hebdo has asked Muhammad to be the special editor-in-chief of its next issue,” the magazine announced earlier according BBC.

“The prophet of Islam didn’t have to be asked twice and we thank him for it,” the statement added.

The special edition from Charlie Hebdo to Charia [Sharia] Hebdo, the magazine would feature a column by the guest editor entitled “Halal Aperitif,” and they were going to include a women’s supplement called “Madam Sharia.”

“We don’t feel like causing further provocation. We simply feel like doing our job as usual. The only difference this week is that Muhammad is on the cover and it’s pretty rare to put him on the cover,” said Charb, the magazine’s real editor-in chief.

“Insulting the prophet” has been a bigger and bigger concern in Europe and now the newspaper was attacked over an “insulting” cartoon
photo: Charlie Hebdo Muhammad insult which provoked riots and protests previously