Penalizing satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for defamation is 'historic': Muslim association

By Feiza Ben Mohamed

NICE, France (AA) – Penalizing the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for defamation is a "historical decision," a Muslim association said.

The controversial magazine was fined on Dec. 22 for defaming the Muslim school "Valeurs et Reussite" in France's southeastern town of Valence.

The school was allegedly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a Charlie Hebdo article published in July 2022.

Mourad Jabri, president of the Muslim association that runs the school, told Anadolu that this penalization was "historical."

He explained his will to follow the proceedings to "show that there is justice in France," although the case is very "political" and "Charlie Hebdo was considered as a symbol of the freedom of expression."

The verdict "cleared the tarnished honor of the association," Jabri said and added that its managers received numerous hate messages during that period.

It also resulted in the cancellation of an estate purchase by the association, the president further said.

In a recorded conversation in September 2022 with Jabri, Valence mayor Nicolas Daragon admitted that he was under pressure that led him to not sell the land to the association.

A Valence court fined the magazine's editor-in-chief and a journalist €3,000 ($3,330) each.

Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Sunni organization and political movement founded in Egypt in 1928. Except for a few countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, it is not designated as a terrorist organization by the majority of the world, including in Western countries.