A book by Stephane Charbonnier, the former editor of Charlie Hebdo who was killed in the attack on the satirical magazine’s offices, came out this week.
The title, “An Open Letter to the Fraudsters of Islamophobia who Play into Racists’ Hands,” defends the practice of ridiculing religion. The New York Times has the scoop:
In the excerpt, Mr. Charbonnier said the Charlie Hebdo caricatures previously published by the newspaper “do not target all Muslims.” In 2012, Mr. Charbonnier aroused anger and criticism when he published caricatures showing Muhammad naked and in sexual poses. The newspaper’s offices were firebombed after it published a spoof issue in 2011 that it said had been guest-edited by Muhammad.