Foreign Ministry condemns insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

In a statement on Thursday, Khatibzadeh said any insult to and disrespect for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other divine prophets is not acceptable at all.

"The French magazine's offensive move, which has been repeated on the pretext of freedom of speech, has hurt the feelings of the world's monotheists, is a provocative move and an insult to the Islamic values and beliefs of over one billion Muslims in the world," he noted.

"Unlike the offensive move made by the magazine, freedom of speech is a great value which must be used in a constructive way in line with the peaceful coexistence of human beings and further understanding among religions," the spokesman added.

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has republished offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad that stirred outrage in the Muslim world when they were first published in 2015. The special issue was released on Wednesday, on the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly attack on the paper’s office five years ago.

FA/PR