French magazine firebombed in response to satire of Prophet Muhammad

The Telegraph | The New York Times
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, decided to mark the election of an Islamist party in Tunisia by renaming itself “Sharia Hebdo” and saying that the Prophet Muhammad would be guest editor. Although no one was hurt, the late-night attack destroyed everything the magazine needs to publish. Besides the firebombing, the magazine’s website was hacked with messages condemning it for disgracing Muhammad. “The arsonists haven’t read this paper, nobody knows what’s in the paper except those who buy it this morning. People are reacting violently to a paper without knowing anything of its contents, that’s what’s most abhorrent and stupid,” says editor Stephane Charbonnier. The magazine had received some threats and protests about the issue, but not as many as in 2007 when it republished Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad.