Sarkozy in the fray over Muslim libel case
Nicolas Sarkozy, the centre-right French presidential candidate, risked inflaming Muslim opinion yesterday when he expressed support for a satirical weekly accused of publishing insulting and racist cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Interior Minister was the most notable of a host of French politicians who defended Philippe Val, the Editor of Charlie Hebdo, on the first day of a libel trial in Paris. Mr Val is charged with publicly defaming Muslims by reprinting two of the Danish cartoons of Muhammad that caused uproar in the Arab world last year. They were first published in 2005.
Charlie Hebdo also published one of its own drawings, which showed the Prophet holding his head in his hands with the caption: “It’s hard to be loved by idiots.” The Grand Paris Mosque, which brought the proceedings, says that the cartoons are racist as well as offensive.
Mr Val faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a fine of €22,000 (£14,500) if found guilty. Mr Sarkozy sent a letter to the court offering “support to your newspaper, which is part of the old French tradition of satire”.
His intervention infuriated leading French Muslims, who said that, with religious affairs among his ministerial duties, Mr Sarkozy should remain neutral. The French Muslim Council — created by Mr Sarkozy — called an emergency meeting last night amid speculation that its members might resign.
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