Iranian Top Cleric Condemns Anti-Islamic Cartoons as ‘Modern Ignorance’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A senior Iranian cleric condemned the publication of new cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, saying that these moves are examples of “modern ignorance”.
“Drawing the caricature of the Prophet, who is the symbol of dignity and ethics… is an example of modern ignorance” Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli said in a speech in the holy city of Qom on Thursday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday lashed out at the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo for printing a cartoon of prophet of Islam on the cover, describing it as a repeated provocative move.
“We condemn the French weekly’s provocative move, because it hurts sentiments of Muslims,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said in her weekly press conference on Wednesday.
“The abuse of freedom of expression in the West is unacceptable,” she underlined.
The Wednesday’s edition of Charlie Hebdo, which sold millions of copies, shows a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad holding a "Je suis Charlie"("I am Charlie") sign, a slogan widely used following the January 7 attack on the magazine, that left 12 people dead.
The French magazine has repeatedly provoked Muslim ire by publishing cartoons mocking holy Prophet Muhammad.