Angry protestors torch French flag in Jawzjan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Over a hundred residents of northern Jawzjan province on Monday rallied against the recent publication of sacrilegious cartoons in a French weekly and demanded punishment for the perpetrators.

Heavily-armed men attacked the magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan 8, killing 12 people, including the editor-in-chief and prominent cartoonists.

In its latest edition, the satirical weekly republished the cartoon of an Arab man but with tears in his eyes, holding a “Je Suis Charlie” sign under the headline “All is forgiven”.

Enraged by the blasphemous caricatures, Maulvi Yar Mohammad, one of the protestors, demanded punishment for all those involved in the publication of the cartoons.

He said the French government should ban such practices, urging respect for religious values. He warned anti-Islamic propaganda would lead to more dangerous consequences.

Another protester, Mohammad Ashraf, said: “Sentiments of Muslims across the world have been hurt by the cartoons; we want the cartoonists punished.”

nh/mud