A Paris court heard an appeal brought by Muslim groups against the satirical Charlie-Hebdo newspaper, which was acquitted last year of defamation charges following its publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The groups, which included the fundamentalist Union of Islamic Organizations of France were seeking thirty thousand euro in damages. During the appeal proceedings in January 23, the lawyer for the organization said the drawings portrayed Islam as a religion of violence. Last year, the court ruled that Charlie-Hebdo showed no intention of insulting the Muslim community with the images, several of which appeared first in a Danish newspaper and sparked angry protests.
