Last week, the offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo were firebombed after printing a controversial cartoon of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad with the headline, “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter!” Hebdo’s website was also hacked and left with a message reading, “No God but Allah.” Now, the satirical publication is back on the attack.
This week’s cover depicts an editor of Charlie Hebdo making out with Muhammad under a banner that reads, “Love is stronger than hate.” Despite the fact that some have noted that the figure in the heated lip-lock with the Hebdo editor may just be a follower of Muhammad, it is doubtful that this will make much of a difference to critics within the Muslim community.
An outpouring of support for the magazine has come from political parties and citizen groups.