Guwahati: The largest circulated Assamese language newspaper, Asomiya Pratidin has drawn ire of Assam State Jamiat Ulama for carrying a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed that French Weekly Charlie Hebdo had put on its front page on its revival edition last week in the wake of terror attack on the weekly’s office in Paris.
Assam state Jamiat Ulama has asked the newspaper to tender apology for it.
The Assamese language newspaper had on January 14 carried a front page news about the revival of Charlie Hebdo following massacre of its editorial staff in Paris by terrorists on January 7 last.
The Daily carried the news along with a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad that the French satirical weekly had printed in its revival edition after the terrorist attack.
For this, the Daily published from four places in Assam, has evoked sharp reaction from the Assam State Jamiat Ulama headed by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president and Lok Sabha member Badruddin Ajmal.
The MP decried the newspaper for hurting the sentiments of the religious minority community by carrying the cartoon showing the Prophet and demanded an unconditional apology from it.
“Assam State Jamiat Ulama takes strong exception to publication of cartoon showing Prophet Muhammad by some newspapers of Assam. The Jamiat will not tolerate such acts and would resort to strong protest programmes against such newspapers if needed. Newspapers carrying such cartoons should apologize,” a statement issued by Assam State Jamiat Ulama secretary Maulana Fazlool Karim Qasimi said.
While the Assam State Jamiat Ulama did not specifically mention the name of Asomiya Pratidin, a communiqué issued from the newspaper office here said, another organization called Jamat-e-Islami had particularly targeted the newspaper and asked the Muslim people to boycott the newspaper.
The Daily newspaper’s authority said the cartoon in question was not intended at denigrating the Prophet as alleged.
“We had only reprinted the cartoon Charlie Hebdo had carried in its first issue after resumption since the January 7 terrorist attack in which 12 persons including its editor were killed,” the communiqué said.
