The French satirical weekly "Charlie Hebdo" has published a series of cartoons ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad.The cartoon on the back of the current issue shows the Prophet naked, as do several other images inside the magazine.
The French Foreign Ministry has ordered increased security at diplomatic sites around the world in anticipation of a possible violent reaction from offended Muslims.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault issued a statement on September 18 expressing his "disapproval of all excesses" and called for everyone to act "responsibly."
The publication of the caricatures comes as passions around the Islamic world are already inflamed by the trailer of an obscure low-budget film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad.
That film, which was privately made in the United States, has sparked days of rioting that have left at least 19 people dead.
The Paris offices of "Charlie Hebdo" were firebombed in November 2011 after the magazine published another caricature of the Prophet.
France, with at least 4 million Muslims, has Western Europe's largest Islamic community.
[h=6]Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP[/h]
The French Foreign Ministry has ordered increased security at diplomatic sites around the world in anticipation of a possible violent reaction from offended Muslims.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault issued a statement on September 18 expressing his "disapproval of all excesses" and called for everyone to act "responsibly."
The publication of the caricatures comes as passions around the Islamic world are already inflamed by the trailer of an obscure low-budget film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad.
That film, which was privately made in the United States, has sparked days of rioting that have left at least 19 people dead.
The Paris offices of "Charlie Hebdo" were firebombed in November 2011 after the magazine published another caricature of the Prophet.
France, with at least 4 million Muslims, has Western Europe's largest Islamic community.
[h=6]Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP[/h]