Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS754
2006-02-06 13:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

CONTROVERSY OVER MUHAMMAD CARICATURES CONTINUES IN

Tags:  PREL KISL KPAL XF FR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7037
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHFR #0754/01 0371327
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 061327Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3943
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000754 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/06/2016
TAGS: PREL KISL KPAL XF FR
SUBJECT: CONTROVERSY OVER MUHAMMAD CARICATURES CONTINUES IN
FRANCE

REF: A. COPENHAGEN 147

B. SIPRNET DAILY REPORT 2/2/2006 AND 2/3/2006

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000754

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/06/2016
TAGS: PREL KISL KPAL XF FR
SUBJECT: CONTROVERSY OVER MUHAMMAD CARICATURES CONTINUES IN
FRANCE

REF: A. COPENHAGEN 147

B. SIPRNET DAILY REPORT 2/2/2006 AND 2/3/2006

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: France has joined Denmark, but to a lesser
degree, as a target of ire in Muslim countries following a
French daily's February 1 publication of Danish-origin
Muhammad caricatures (ref A),which have since appeared in
other French media. Palestinian militants threw a grenade at
the French cultural center in Gaza and threatened French and
other European nationals, while French (and Danish) flags
have been burned in Pakistan. The GoF response to the
controversy has been to emphasize its commitment to freedom
of expression and call for respect for religious convictions,
while not offering an apology for publication of the images
in France. Interior Minister Sarkozy has been the most
uncompromising in defending the right of free expression, a
sentiment widely shared by French media outlets and across
the French political spectrum. While French Muslim
organizations uniformly condemned the offending caricatures,
they have also been united in appealing for calm. The GoF's
official Muslim interlocutor, the CFCM, is contemplating a
lawsuit over publication of the images in France, but we
have seen no signs of unrest, with the few domestic protests
so far remaining small and without incident. End Summary.

THREATS TO FRENCH INTERESTS IN GAZA
--------------


2. (C) Following publication of Muslim prophet Muhammad
caricatures by the French daily "France Soir" on February 1,
the most serious overseas reactions so far appear
concentrated in Gaza, where the Fatah-affiliated Al Aqsa
Martyr's Brigades and "Abou Rich Brigades" publicly
threatened Danish, French and Norwegian nationals, and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called for closure and
destruction of the countries' diplomatic missions. Late
February 2, a grenade was thrown at the French cultural
center in Gaza, causing no injuries. MFA Palestinian affairs
desk officer Mariam Diallo confirmed to us February 3 that
the GoF had tightened security precautions in the Palestinian

territories, while not formally withdrawing staff. She added
that France would not withdraw its participants in the EU
monitoring mission at Rafah, who were being advised to remain
at their headquarters in Israel, just across the border.
Diallo noted that Fatah militants and the PIJ were behind
threats to French nationals; Hamas had thus far refrained
from threatening French interests and, somewhat surprisingly,
had made statements calling for protection of Palestinian
Christians. Elsewhere in the Muslim world, there were press
reports of French flags being burned in Pakistan, while
Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria banned the newspaper "France
Soir."

PROTECTING FREE SPEECH, WHILE RESPECTING RELIGIONS
-------------- --------------


3. (U) On the domestic front, the general GoF response has
been to stress France's attachment to freedom of expression,
while emphasizing the need to respect the religious
convictions of others. The original MFA response to the
controversy issued late February 1 declared, "France is a
country of respect and tolerance attached to freedom of
expression. It condemns all those who attack individuals in
their beliefs or their convictions." When pressed on the
issue of an apology, the MFA spokesman stressed that
publication of the images was the sole responsibility of the
newspaper in question, and that the GoF could not call into
question freedom of the press in France after defending the
principle throughout the world. Interior Minister Nicolas
Sarkozy took a more uncompromising stance in defense of press
freedom, declaring February 2, "We must defend freedom of
expression...And if I had to choose, I prefer the excess of
caricature over the excess of censorship." FM Douste-Blazy
took a more nuanced line in press remarks February 3, stating
that while freedom of expression remained a founding
principle of the French republic, it faced some limits under
French law. At the same time, Douste-Blazy harshly
criticized burnings of flags and other extremist responses,
which he said gave credence to the caricaturists. French
media coverage of the controversy has been widespread, with a
number of dailies and networks showing the images both in the
stated interest of informing the public and defending freedom
of expression, and the left-leaning daily "Liberation"
comparing the crisis to the fatwa against Salman Rushdie's
Satanic Verses. A number of newspapers and opposition
politicians also criticized the firing of the France Soir
editor (by the paper's Egyptian owner) as a further violation
of freedom of expression.

PARIS 00000754 002 OF 002



FRENCH MUSLIM REACTION
--------------


4. (C) Although religious leaders in the French Muslim
community have been unified in their condemnation of the
offending caricatures, they have also counseled calm and the
use of "legal means" to express views on the issue. In a
discussion with us February 3, Paris Grand Mosque imam
supervisor Mohammed Louanoughi confirmed that the French
Council of the French Muslim Faith (CFCM -- the umbrella
group of Muslim organizations which serves as the GoF's
official interlocutor on Muslim community religious issues)
is contemplating a lawsuit in response to publication of the
images, on the basis of French hate speech restrictions.
Louanoughi added, however, that the Paris Mosque had rejected
appeals from other groups to "take to the streets" and would
instead seek to calm the situation and resolve the issue
through dialogue. Similar restraint has been shown in public
statements from the fundamentalist-leaning Union for Islamic
Organizations in France (UOIF) which declared, "While
understanding Muslims' anger, the UOIF invites them to react
with serenity and calm and use legal means." Thus far,
domestic protests of the caricatures have been small and
peaceful, with press reporting a group of about 1,000 Muslim
protesters assembling in Lyon after Friday prayers on
February 3, and a similarly sized group gathering for a
peaceful march in Paris February 5. According to press
reports, the latter Paris protest did not have a police
permit and was not affiliated with a particular organization,
but took place without incident.

COMMENT
--------------


5. (C) While the caricatures have generated condemnation
from the French Muslim community, this has not translated
into widespread protests or the more feared resumption of
unrest in predominantly Muslim (but not practicing) suburbs.
Perhaps the biggest casualty for the GOF ultimately may be to
the French image in overseas Arab/Muslim public opinion. A
local French/Tunisian think tanker specialized in Islam/Arab
world issues concluded to us that the latest controversy,
combined with the French ban of headscarves in public
schools, would add to the impression in the Arab world that
the French government "loves Arabs outside France, but hates
them at home." The one consolation for the GoF may be that
as more Western media outlets publish the offending images
and overseas protests focus on Denmark, France gets lost in
the crowd. End comment.


Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

Stapleton