Charlie Hebdo: We Paean Ayatollah Ali Khamenei


Eight years ago the editorial staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo took serious casualties as the result of an Al Qaeda terrorist attack on its offices in Paris. The Islamic action was in revenge for the magazine’s repeated publication of cartoons featuring Mohammed Pbuh, the prophet of Allah.

Charlie Hebdo has remained defiant in its publication of caricatures, and has just gotten itself in trouble again. This time, rather than going for the man at the top, the cartoonists are taking on one of Mohammed’s minions, the renowned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. The occasion for the magazine’s new lampoons is the last several months of demonstrations, especially by women, against the mullahs’ regime.

The Iranian government has just made an official protest to France about Charlie Hebdo’s disrespect for its Führer. Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from the Belgian daily La Libre:

[Viewer warning above link— The message on one of the cartoons says, “Mullahs, go back to where you came from”.]

“This will not stand without an effective and firm response”: Iran warns Paris after the publication of “insulting” caricatures by Charlie Hebdo

Iran warned Paris on Wednesday that it would react after the publication of “insulting” caricatures of the supreme head of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Earlier in the day the satirical weekly published dozens of caricatures featuring the highest religious and political personality of the Islamic Republic.

It concerns caricatures selected during the course of a competition launched in December, as demonstrations multiplied in Iran after the death in detention on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code applied to women.

“The insulting and indecent act of a French publication in publishing caricatures against the religious and political authority will not stand without an effective and firm response,” declared the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahien, on Twitter.

In December, Charlie Hebdo had announced that this “international competition to produce caricatures of Khamenei was aimed at supporting the “Iranians who are fighting for their liberty”.

The authorities state that hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands of others arrested in what they generally describe as “riots”. They accuse foreign powers and opposition groups of stirring up trouble.

Charlie Hebdo published the caricatures in a special edition on the anniversary of the deadly attack against its Paris office on January 7, 2015, which was perpetrated by assailants declaring they acted in the name of Al Qaida to avenge the decision of the paper to publish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.

The publication of these caricatures caused a lot of anger in Muslim countries, and the 2015 attacks brought a wave of support for the magazine around the world.

Below is the Iranian press release, as linked by F Desouche, also translated by Gary Fouse:

January 4, 2023

Communiqué from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran/ Odious action by Charlie Hebdo in the publication of insulting caricatures against the Supreme Guide

Press release

Press release from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Paris condemning the odious action of Charlie Hebdo in organizing a competition and publication of insulting caricatures against the Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic.

Following its odious action of launching an “international competition of caricatures of the Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the magazine Charlie Hebdo devoted its special edition of January 4, 2023 to particularly revolting designs and hateful and insulting phrases.

In accordance with the principles and rules of international law, this action by Charlie Hebdo is not only unjustifiable under the principle of freedom of expression, moreover, is an outrage and an insult against personages and peoples and the establishment of a campaign of insults and lies, as well, as spreading of hate, symbolizing the very negation of human rights.

Furthermore, the action of Charlie Hebdo illustrates the instrumentalization and selective usage of the principle of freedom of expression. However, this aggressive publication takes advantage of the hostility against religion and religious values, and in the past, has always attempted to use it as a pretext to justify its insults against the beliefs and values of various nations.

In addition, Charlie Hebdo, which claims in a lying manner to want to defend the rights of women, has published in its special edition particularly obscene and degrading designs in regards to women, which reveals its vile face and the true nature of this publication which instrumentalizes women with a “woman-object” look.

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in firmly condemning this action by Charlie Hebdo, expects the competent French authorities to take the necessary and immediate measures against this publication in order to prevent the continuation of this campaign of insults and hatred, which will certainly have harmful and destructive effects upon the relations between the two countries and the two peoples.

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran — Paris

Note: The title of this post refers to an international incident in 1968. As described by Wikipedia:

After being captured by North Korea in 1968, the commander of USS Pueblo, Lloyd M. Bucher, used the term “paean” as a code that his confession was forced. Under threat of death, Bucher agreed to “confess to his and the crew’s transgression” in his own hand, and included the phrase “We paean the DPRK [North Korea]. We paean their great leader Kim Il Sung”.

9 thoughts on “Charlie Hebdo: We Paean Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

  1. Standing ovation for the Charlie Hebdo staff, which doesn’t cower like their traitorous and spineless politicians in front of Islam.

    Just don’t let Iran become a nuclear Power, because these maniacs will use it.

  2. I wonder what would happen if they knew that I’m planning now to take printouts of a carricature of their leader and of that “Desert Lunatic” they love so much to the shooting range?

  3. This pic is awesome!, freedom of expression, don’t like it go back to your hell hole country ..

  4. Allah is laughing at this joke – Ayatollah Khomeini said there is no humor in Islam, but I disagree.

    I mean anyone who comes up with the hoax that if you blow yourself up that you are rewarded with 72 virgins has to have a sense of humor. PT Barnum knew there was a sucker born every minute. With Islam they have over a billion suckers.

    • You dont know this version:

      (Ok, it is a picture joke)

      A suicide bomber is before the Pearly Gates and when Petrus looks him up he asks: Ok, where are my 72 virgins?

      Petrus answers: My son, there must be a mis-translation. You dont get 72 virgins, you get 72 Virginians.

      And in the background you see 72 men standing with not-so-friendly implements and the victims of the suicide bomber are talking to the Virginians.

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