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At least 10 people have been killed in violent protests in the West African nation of Niger as protests over the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo’s depiction of the Prophet Mohammed continue to roil the Muslim world.
About 1,000 youths wielding iron bars, clubs and axes rampaged through the capital, Niamey, hurling rocks at police who responded with tear gas. President Mahamadou Issoufou said that five deaths were reported after demonstrations in Niamey on Saturday.
Another five people died on Friday in the town of Zinder following prayers there.
The victims were in churches and bars that were set ablaze, he said, while bars, hotels and various businesses owned by non-Muslims or with connections to France were also targeted.
“Those who loot these places of worship, who desecrate them and kill their Christian compatriots ... have understood nothing of Islam,” Issoufou said as he appealed for calm.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned “the use of violence” in Niger while Hollande said France was committed to “freedom of expression”, calling it “non-negotiable”.
Meanwhile, protests were held across Pakistan last night as thousands of people in almost all major cities chanted slogans.
Workers from both religious and secular political parties gathered in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan and many other cities and burnt effigies of French president Francois Hollande and of cartoonists at the magazine along with French flags.
The violence erupted after Charlie Hebdo published its first issue since the January 7 attack on its headquarters by Islamic extremists that left 12 people dead.
The magazine, which had long antagonised Muslims with its depictions of the prophet, carried a cover cartoon depicting Mohammed holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign.
According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Mohammed – even a respectful one – is considered blasphemous.
While many Muslims have expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the magazine’s Paris office, many are also deeply offended by the magazine’s cartoons lampooning Mohammed.
In Iran, the government has publicly condemned both the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the magazine itself, calling the continued publishing of Mohammed caricatures “provocative” and an insult to Islam.
Iranian judicial authorities on Saturday banned a daily newspaper for publishing a front-page headline that allegedly indicated support for Charlie Hebdo.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned Charlie Hebdo, calling the newest cover image of Prophet Mohammed a blasphemous and irresponsible act. “Freedom of expression should be used in a way to boost understanding between the religions,” he said in a statement issued by the presidential palace.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also issued a statement of condemnation, warning that, “offensive words might lead to further bloodshed”. He also reiterated his condemnation of the attacks on innocent victims in Paris, saying that terrorism, “has nothing to do with Islam in any way”.
In Egypt, the Islamist Noor Party denounced the latest Charlie Hebdo cover on its French-language Facebook page. In Gaza City, the capital of the Gaza Strip, unknown vandals scrawled graffiti on the walls of the French Cultural Centre.The vandals also wrote: “To hell, to a miserable destiny, French journalists.”
Associated Press, Agence France-Presse


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People carry sticks near damaged cars during a demonstration against Charlie Hebdo’s Mohammed cartoon in Niamey. Photo: AFP

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World

Rampage ignited by Charlie Hebdo's depiction of Prophet Mohammed


At least 10 people have been killed in violent protests in the West African nation of Niger as protests over the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo’s depiction of the Prophet Mohammed continue to roil the Muslim world.
