French Court Rules In Favour Of Charlie Hebdo

Good news on the cartoon-jihad front.

Two Islamic groups tried to sue Charlie Hebdo, a French weekly newspaper, for publishing the dreaded motoons of blasphemy and supposedly "inciting hatred against Muslims". Fortunately, they lost the case.

BBC: [...] A French court has ruled in favour of weekly Charlie Hebdo, rejecting accusations by Islamic groups who said it incited hatred against Muslims.

The cartoons were covered by freedom of expression laws and were not an attack on Islam, but fundamentalists, it said.

The case was seen as an important test for freedom of expression in France.

Applause broke out in the courtroom at the announcement of the verdict, which ruled that the three cartoons published in February 2006 were not insulting to the Muslim community, the AFP news agency reports.

Editor Philippe Val had rejected the allegations, saying the cartoons were not an attack on Muslims, but on terrorists.

He said the ruling was a victory for secular French Muslims.

"This debate was necessary," he said.

The case had been brought by the Grand Mosque of Paris and the Union of French Islamic Organisations. [...]