French Trial Of Paper On Muhammad Cartoons Opens

In a French court, a trial opened today in a suit brought by the Grand Mosque of Paris and the Union of French Islamic Organizations against the publication Charlie Hebdo which is accused of inciting racial hatred by reprinting the Danish caricatures or the Prophet Muhammad. (Reuters). In a surprise move, the newspapers introduced a letter of support from leading presidential candidate, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The Interior Ministry is responsible for religious affairs. His letter read in part: "I prefer an excess of caricatures to an absence of caricatures." (Washington Post). Meanwhile in a show of support for Charlie Hebdo, the French newspaper Liberation today again printed the controversial cartoons.