Press association, MP condemn publishing of cartoon depicting Prophet

AMMAN — The Jordan Press Association (JPA) on Wednesday condemned French magazine Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly) for publishing a new cartoon of Prophet Mohammad. 

The JPA said publishing such cartoons would increase feelings of hatred, affect the stability of society and harm peaceful co-existence, according to a JPA statement sent to The Jordan Times.

JPA President Tareq Momani said the cartoon violates the values of democracy, freedom of opinion and the ethics of the profession, noting that the publication’s provocation may be used to justify terrorist acts by extremists. 

The latest edition of Charlie Hebdo that went on sale on Wednesday features an “insulting” cartoon of Prophet Mohammad and mocks the Islamist gunmen who murdered many of its staff last week, according to news reports.

Meanwhile, Deputy Motaz Abu Rumman told Al Rai daily that he did not consider mocking Prophet Mohammad as freedom of speech, but as a war on Muslims, Islam and Islamic holy sites. 

Abu Rumman also denounced last Wednesday’s attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people were killed, calling for drafting a law in Europe that bans abusing the prophet and Islam in general.

Two police officers were among the fatalities, while another 20 people were injured, according to news agencies.

Abu Rumman also criticised the fact that abusing Judaism and Zionism is considered “anti-Semitism”, with European laws criminalising it, while abusing Prophet Mohammad is deemed freedom of speech.

The deputy said that such “double standards” provoke a violent reaction and feed extremism, which everyone rejects.  

In a related development, a march is scheduled to take place in downtown Amman on Friday in protest against the depiction of Prophet Mohammad in the magazine, according to a Facebook page created by the organisers to promote the event.

Participants will walk from Al Husseini Mosque in downtown Amman to the French embassy near the Third Circle in an expression of solidarity with Prophet Mohammad.