(JNS.org) Egypt’s Grand Mufti has warned the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo against publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed on the cover of its latest edition. “This edition will cause a new wave of hatred in French and Western society in general and what the magazine is doing does not serve coexistence or a dialog between civilizations,” the office of Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam, one of the region’s most influential Muslim clerics, said in a statement, Reuters reported. “This is an unwarranted provocation against the feelings of… Muslims around the world,” the statement added.
On the cover of its Jan. 14 edition, Charlie Hebdo will feature a cartoon of Mohammed holding a sign saying, “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), with a headline above the cartoon reading “Tout Est Pardonne” (All Is Forgiven).
While the Grand Mufti called the attack on Charlie Hebdo a “terrorist” act, he called the magazine’s decision to run the new cartoon a “racist act” that would incite more Muslim violence.