French Weekly Prints Prophet Cartoons

A French satirical weekly Wednesday reprinted the 12 caricatures of the prophet Muhammad that continued to generate anger across the Muslim world and violence in the Middle East.

Firing a new volley in the battle over religious sensitivities and freedom of speech, the weekly Charlie Hebdo also published caricatures of figures from other religions. Wednesday’s issue also lampooned those involved in recent riots in countries such as Afghanistan and Syria. The cover showed a cartoon of Muhammad holding his head in his hands and declaring: “It’s tough being loved by fools.”

French Muslim leaders, who had sought a court order blocking the publication, accused the notoriously irreverent weekly of “fanning the flames” of racism and strife.

French President Jacques Chirac called for journalists to be responsible. Police stood guard outside the offices of the weekly, which had received death threats, as newsstands sold more than 300,000 copies, triple the average.

The editors presented the issue as a defense of democracy. “Charlie is trying to analyze the controversy and its consequences,” an editorial explained. “It’s a question of showing that the freedom of expression should be stronger than intimidation.”

The reaction among France’s estimated 5 million Muslims, the largest Islamic population in Europe, was largely restrained. Despite increasing extremism in some areas, leaders of the community have tried to keep the peace during tense episodes such as riots in November and a ban on religious garb in public schools in 2004. Moreover, French Muslims have roots largely in North Africa, where reaction to the caricatures has been less fierce than in the Middle East or South Asia.

“Charlie Hebdo wants to fan the flames,” said Fouad Alaoui of the conservative Union of French Islamic Organizations, a group with ties to Morocco. “In our societies, we must not allow insults to be encouraged.”

Meanwhile, the Palestinian territories experienced their most violent protest since the furor began. In the West Bank town of Hebron, hundreds of demonstrators hurled stones, broke down doors and smashed windows of a building that houses a predominantly European observer mission. Dozens of unarmed staffers cowered inside as Palestinian police tried to calm the crowd but were driven back.

The attack on the nongovernmental organization, known as the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, was notable because the group devotes itself mostly to protecting Palestinians from attacks by Jewish settlers. It was set up nearly a decade ago to serve as a buffer in a volatile area.

The group immediately withdrew its staff and closed the offices after the riot, spokesman Gunhild Forselv said. About a dozen Danish members had left earlier in the week and taken refuge at their nation’s embassy in Tel Aviv.

Danes have been the chief target because the caricatures were first published in Denmark in September, but the backlash has widened as Western media reprinted the cartoons. With the violence have come international efforts to end the conflict.

In Washington, President Bush met Wednesday with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and called for calm.

“I call upon the governments around the world to stop the violence, to be respectful, to protect property, protect the lives of innocent diplomats who are serving their countries overseas,” Bush said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday reiterated U.S. allegations that the governments of Syria and Iran were inciting the violent protests.

In contrast to the violence elsewhere, Western Europe’s Muslims have expressed displeasure through nonviolent marches, lawsuits and the media. French intelligence officials who monitor Muslim areas said they had not detected signs of potentially dangerous backlash during sermons at mosques or in surveillance of extremist circles.

“There really hasn’t been as much talk about the issue as you might expect,” an intelligence official said. “It’s quiet. I think there’s a concern about being demonized. And a certain political maturity.”

But European officials worry about street unrest or an attack reminiscent of the slaying in 2004 of a Dutch filmmaker who criticized Islam. Urging restraint, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin cited a context of upheaval: the election victory last month of the militant Hamas movement in the Palestinian territories, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and continuing bloodshed in Iraq.

“We are going to experience a difficult 2006, and we should multiply initiatives for peace,” De Villepin said in an interview with the TV5 network. “We have appealed for prudence. We are in a period where there are enflamed spirits, wounded spirits. This situation must be taken into account.”

*

Times staff writers Laura King in Jerusalem and Edwin Chen in Washington contributed to this report.