The periodical Charlie Hebdo has been in the news recently due to a terrorist attack that occurred there this past Wednesday, January 7, 2015, in which 12 people, including at least four of their main cartoonist were shot and killed by Muslim extremists.
However, this is not the first time Charlie Hebdo has found itself in the limelight. This publication, often referred to as satirical, parodies not just political situations, but religious ones as well. In particular, jihadists were offended by inflammatory cartoons involving Muhammed, the first of which depicted him crying with a caption explaining that he was overwhelmed by fundamentalists. According to Huffington Post, this led The French Council for the Muslim Faith to file a lawsuit against Charlie Hebdo, without success.
The magazine did not stop there. In a later issue, the cover depicted Muhammed commenting that readers should receive “100 lashes if you don't die of laughter.” This issue was followed by a retaliatory firebomb attack at the Charlie Hebdo office.
With these cover stories, it would appear that they were targeting Islam; however, there have also parodied the Jewish and Christian religions.
In honor of their fallen colleagues, the company has released a picture of the cover of their next edition. Again it depicts Mohammed, but this time he is holding a sign that reads “Je Suis Charlie” in recognition of the millions of people who stood in solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attacks, not only at Charlie Hebdo, but also at the printing plant and deli market. Above the drawing of Mohammed is the phrase “All is forgiven,” which honors the French initiative to incorporate their Muslim communities into their anti-terrorist protest, rather than following the intended isolation of them.
USA Today reported that there will be one million copies of this upcoming edition printed. This is in stark contrast their average 60,000. They quoted Charlie Hebdo's lawyer, Richard Malka, as saying, "We will not give in. The spirit of 'I am Charlie' means the right to blaspheme," implying that the use of the solidarity phrase is also a declaration for free speech.