Egyptian Muslim Leaders Condemn Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

Caricatures, including one of Muhammad naked, look likely to stoke a fire or two

Muslim leaders criticised a French magazines publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad on Wednesday as another Western insult to their faith and urged Frances government to take firm action against it.

"We reject and condemn the French cartoons that dishonour the Prophet and we condemn any action that defames the sacred according to peoples beliefs," the acting head of Egypts Muslim Brotherhoods Freedom and Justice Party, Essam Erian, said.

The cartoons were featured in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Its front cover showed an Orthodox Jew pushing a turbaned figure in a wheelchair and several caricatures of the Prophet were included on its inside pages, including some of him naked.