Charlie Hebdo editor differentiates Muhammad cartoon contest from magazine's satire
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The editor-in-chief of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo says that unlike the organizers behind a Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, his publication never intends to denigrate entire swaths of people.
"When we make a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, or Jesus, or Moses, we don't mock or attack people," Gerard Biard said Tuesday at an event in New York, according to The Guardian. "We mock or attack institutions, representatives, powers, and, again, political powers."
Organized by anti-Islam crusader Pamela Geller, the Texas event challenged participants to draw caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Two gunmen attempted to attack the contest but were shot dead after injuring only one person.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Distancing himself and his publication further from the contest, Biard added that while Geller "wakes every morning and thinks, 'How can I defy these people?,'" he wakes up wondering, "Where's my coffee?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
