In the West African nation of Niger, President Mahamadou Issoufou said at least 10 people have been killed after violent protests broke out against the latest cartoon depicting Mohammed in the French publication. Issoufou said that five deaths were reported after demonstrations in the capital of Niamey on Saturday. The victims were inside churches and bars that were set ablaze, he said. On Friday, at least five people were killed in the town of Zinder after prayer services there.
Iranian judicial authorities on Saturday banned a daily newspaper for publishing a front-page headline that allegedly indicated support for Charlie Hebdo. Mohammad Ghoochani, chief editor of the daily Mardom-e-Emrooz, or Today’s People, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that his paper had been ordered closed. The paper’s Tuesday edition featured a front-page article with a headline that quoted filmmaker and activist George Clooney as saying “I am Charlie Hebdo.” However the accompanying article did not actually express support for Clooney’s statement, nor for the magazine itself.
The Iranian government has publicly condemned both the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the magazine itself, calling the continued publishing of Mohammed caricatures “provocative” and an insult to Islam.
Elsewhere in the Muslim world on Saturday, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani condemned Charlie Hebdo, calling the newest cover image of Prophet Mohammed a blasphemous and irresponsible act.
