French Muslims Angry over Charlie Hebdo Cartoon
The offices of the magazine were attacked last week by two extremists, who murdered 12 people in a bloody rampage that has traumatized the nation.
On Tuesday, surviving staff members announced that three million copies of the newest issue would be printed on Wednesday, compared to the usual 60,000 printed each week.
The cover features a cartoon of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), a move that is considered an act of sacrilegious.
The French Council of the Muslim Religion and the Union of French Islamic Organizations released a statement asking the Muslim community to "stay calm and avoid emotive reactions that are incompatible with its dignity."
Ahmed Miktar, the Imam at the Villeneuve d'Ascq mosque near Lille in northern France, told The Local he was "really shocked" by the new issue, but that he has called for people to keep calm.
"Mocking the most precious person for you is a lack of respect. If they were mocking Jesus, it would also be a lack of respect," he said.
He added that he thought the Muslim community was at risk after the shootings, and that the French government should ensure the same security measures for the Islamic community as it has put at the disposal of France's Jewish population.
People The Local spoke to in the Muslim community of Paris had mixed reactions to the new issue.
Muhammad, who works in a deli in northern Paris, was upset when he was shown an image of the new cover.
"I'm shocked," he said. "The Muslims disagree with this picture because the prophet cannot be represented in any way."
It is not just Muslims in France that have been reacting to the front cover of Charlie Hebdo.
Egypt's Islamic authority, Dar al-Ifta, has denounced the cover.
"This action is an unjustified provocation against the feelings of 1.5 billion Muslims," it said, according to AFP.
