Paper Cleared in Cartoon Riots

A French court cleared a satirical weekly newspaper Thursday in a case brought by Muslims who were angered by its publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

The newspaper Charlie-Hebdo and its director, Philippe Val, were accused of "publicly abusing a group of people because of their religion." Val had risked a six-month prison sentence and a fine of up to $29,250.

The trial last month drew nationwide attention in a country with Europe's largest Muslim community and a strong commitment to freedom of expression and secularism.

Journalists and politicians have testified and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy sent a letter of support for the weekly.

The state prosecutor — whose role in court is to defend French law — argued in favor of the magazine, which on Feb. 8, 2006, printed three caricatures — two of them reprints of those carried by a Danish newspaper in 2005 that stoked anger across the Islamic world. One caricature was an original.

If you cherish free speech, this is the only outcome that protects that right. The Muslims who pushed for the lawsuit were seeking to limit free speech and the right to criticize Islam and those who practice the religion. Islamists used the publication of cartoons showing Muslims in a less than flattering light, including those of Muhammad, to riot, murder, and to even torch embassies.

The fact is that the cartoons resulted in the very kind of behavior that they were depicting. That speaks volumes over the nature of the Islamists and those who push the radical Islamist agenda. To these Islamists, it is forbidden to actually note that the Islamists are a violent bunch and that they are using interpretations of the Koran to spur on the violence and jihad around the world.

While this suit was brought in France, the idea that you can "publicly abuse a group of people because of their religion" is a concept that wouldn't work in US courts because the person bringing suit would have to show they suffered a specific and tangible injury.