Charlie Hebdo cover: Abbott applauds latest depiction of Mohammed JARED OWENS, The Australian, January 14 2015 3:19PM

A journalist holds an early copy of a Charlie Hebdo magazine. Source: Getty Images

TONY Abbott has applauded Charlie Hebdo’s latest depiction of the prophet Mohammed, saying he may revisit options to reform racial vilification laws if another “Bolt‐type prosecution” emerges.

The Prime Minister also welcomed the intervention of Islamic community leaders such as , who was pictured in today’s The Australian eholding th magazine’s latest front page in a show of support for free speech.

Mr Abbott, interviewed on radio this morning, said he “absolutely” believed in but urged to exercise that right “judiciously”. “I don’t think people should engage in casual insults, but nevertheless I accept that in the course of having a robust democracy a lot of people will be offended, a lot of people will be insulted,” he told 3AW.

“You know the really encouraging thing — if we can draw any encouragement out of the recent tragedies in and in Paris —t is tha more and more Muslim people seem to be saying ‘look, there is a value in diversity, we do have to adopt the position of live and let live’. “I saw Keysar Trad — someone with whom I’ve locked horns in the past — on the front page of The Australian this morning holding up a copy of Charlie Hebdo that features a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

The Australian’s front page photo of Keysar Trad holding the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo. Source: News Corp Australia

“Now I rather like that cartoon — I’m not sure I would have liked everything that Charlie Hebdo produced — but this is a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed with a tear streaming down his face saying all is forgiven. That spirit of forgiveness is what we need more and more in this rancorous modern world.”

Mr Abbott last August dumped his election pledge to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which had been used to prosecute News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt for provocative comments about fair‐skinned Aboriginal people.

Charlie Hebdo cover draws Muslim ire Feel‐good friends of free speech Free speech allows some to be all talk The provision makes it lawful to offend, insult or humiliate someone on the basis of their race, with exemptions for public art or discussion done reasonably and in good faith.

Asked if he might revise his position on section 18C, Mr Abbott saide th prosecution of Bolt was “an aberration”. “I would prefer that 18C were not in its current terms. But we made an attempt to amend it, and it was obvious that that attempt to amend it was generating a lot of division in the community. “I don’t believe that we are likely to see an Andrew Bolt‐type prosecution again. If we do, let’s rethink things, but I believe that we do have very robust free speech in this country (without reform).”

Mr Trad and refugee advocate Jamal Daoud yesterday said they disagreed with depicting Mohammed — in line with their religion — but expressed their support for the magazine’s right to publish whatever it liked, irrespective of what people might think. “While the cartoons may be offensive to some Muslims, the magazine has been doing the same thing with religious leaders and has been doing it for years,” Mr Trad said yesterday.

Charlie Hebdo is infamous for offending numerous ethnic and religious groups with its cartoons.

Iqebal Patel, a former president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, criticised the latest Charlie Hebdo cartoon. He cautioned Muslims against acts of violence in defence of the prophet, but said “communities and democracies also should act responsibly so that you don’t get the impetus to such actions”. “My personal view is that as it is insulting to make fun of prophet Jesus or any of the prophets. You can certainly bring out the issues but be responsible in the way you do that,” he told ABC Radio. “There could have been other ways of trying to get people and provoke thought process in the world community; putting out a cartoon I don’t think really adds much value to that.”

Many Islamic scholars have argued it is not permissible to depict God or his prophets. ×