REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Muhammadiyah, Islamic organization in Indonesia, asked Government of France to help Charlie Hebdo, French satirical weekly newspaper, to stop making comics about the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

"Youth Central Board of Muhammadiyah exhorts Government of France, through its embassy in Jakarta, to stop provocative act by Charlie Hebdo," the Chairman of Youth Central Board of Muhammadiyah, Saleh Partaonan Daulay, said on Wednesday.

He said that France, as a democratic country with respect to human rights, should have been standing in the front row in respecting the freedom of religions, including Islam. Muhammadiyah also asked Ministry of Communication and Informatics to ban Charlie Hebdo's site for fear of any destructive reaction. Daulay also asked Indonesian Muslims to restrain and avoid any inappropiate reaction over the comics.

"Any exaggerating reaction and response will only please them as they target to incite Muslim's anger," he said.

Defend its 'freedom of speech'

Charlie Hebdo has once again made comics portraying the life of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Editor of Charlie Hebdo, Stephane Charbonnier, insisted that the comics, titled 'The Life of Mohammed', was a biography of the prophet based on the research conducted by Franco-Tunisian sosiologist.

"It is a biography authorized by Islam since it was edited by Muslims," said Charbonnier, as cited by AFP.

Charbonnier said the idea for the comic book came to him in 2006 when a newspaper in Denmark published cartoons of Muhammad, later republished by Charlie Hebdo, drawing angry protests across the Muslim world.

"Before having a laugh about a character, it is better to know him. As much as we know about the life of Jesus, we know nothing about Muhammad," he said. Charlie Hebdo has on several occasions published cartoon versions of the Prophet and defended it as a part of freedom of speech.

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