The head of a downtown Ottawa Islamic social agency has criticized the local satirical magazine Frank for republishing controversial cartoons from France’s Charlie Hebdo depicting the Prophet Muhammad – the trigger for the deadly terrorist strikes at the office of the Paris weekly earlier this month.
The Ottawa magazine republished several of the controversial cartoons that inspired the attack on the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, including some depicting the prophet Muhammad, which left 10 employees and two police officers dead at the hands of terrorists.
Steve Collins, managing editor of Frank, says the magzine’s intention was to show solidarity with a fellow member of the satirical press.
Omar Mahfoudhi, executive director of the Islam Care Centre in downtown Ottawa, sees these cartoons as unnecessarily hurtful because they violate a tenet of the Muslim faith not to idolize the prophet by depicting his image
“You see that there’s people trying to be hateful and mean. They’re trying to be offensive. Specifically (republishing the cartoons) to say ‘here’s a little jab in the ribs for you.’ ”
Imam Sikander Hashmi, of the Kanata Muslim Association agreed.
“If you really want to poke fun at ISIS and the attackers, then go ahead and poke fun at them,” Hashmi says.
“Why are you doing something which is unnecessarily going to cause pain to millions of other people who do not support the terrorists?”
Mahfoudhi expressed an opinion similar to Pope Francis regarding the response of violence in the face of religion-based insults.
“People will act,” he said. He drew a parallel to a man being antagonized at a club. “You have a choice to punch the guy out or do something to diffuse it. (The attacker) is a person who let his emotions take the better of himself.”
“There’s foolishness on both sides. Just as (Charlie Hebdo) had the choice to print those things or not, (the shooters) had the choice as well (to act).”
When questioned on how the cartoons may cause offence to millions of everyday people, Collins offered a smile and a “sorry.”
“There’s no real malice in it. We’re just f****** around. And then suddenly it gets serious. But f****** around is the job,” he says.
“I understand normal, regular Muslims, who don’t want to kill me – regular people – find this really hurtful and offensive . . . I feel a little bad about that, but I can’t stop. I’m going after anybody who thinks it’s cool to shoot me in the head for (cartoons),” he added with a laugh. “The people you spoke (to like Imam Hashmi, Mahfoudhi), those are Canadians, those are my friends.”
Mahfoudhi says there is a double standard in terms of what can and cannot be published.
He cited jokes about the Holocaust as being untouchable, while the Prophet Muhammad is fair game.
Susan Harada, the head of Carleton University’s journalism program, says she believes this conversation about what is publishable is an important one.
She says that instead of “skirting around” the issue of what kinds of images and other content should be published, society needs a robust conversation about how we communicate.
Both Imam Hamshi and Mahfoudhi say that publishing the Muhammad cartoons is not the best way to have this debate.
Imam Hamshi, himself having experience as a journalist with the CBC, Toronto Star and Montreal Gazette, thinks that even when being critical, the goal should always be to bring about positive change. He says he sees nothing positive coming from the cartoons.
“If you want (people) to think critically,” he says, “you don’t do that by hurting them.”
Collins’ defence, however, is that hurt is necessary.
“You don’t let somebody else’s gun dictate your editorial policy,” he says.
“We don’t have really exhaustive editorial meetings. When we get angry about something, our instinct is to make a dirty joke about it. We’re just acting up, reminding people that acting up is an option.
“But I’m also hoping we sell some magazines. I am always trying to sell magazines. Am I commercially exploiting this tragedy? Yes. Absolutely.”
Charlie Hebdo’s first issue since the attack was released on Jan. 14.
It depicted the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign reading “Je Suis Charlie,”the popular hashtag that has spread across the globe in solidarity with the magazine.
Above, in bold black font, is written “TOUT EST PARDONNÉ.” All is forgiven.