French magazine Charlie Hebdo has targeted Student Union Leader at Paris’ Sorbonne University, Maryam Pougetoux, in a hateful cover photo.
The magazine cover featured an offensive cartoon of 19-year-old Pougetoux, who is a young Muslim girl who wears a headscarf.
The cartoon has sparked outrage, and is the latest in the satirical magazine’s slew of abuse against Islam and Muslims.
Many critics of the Charlie Hebdo magazine cover took to social media to voice their outrage.
“This morning, I am ashamed. Seeing the #CharlieHebdo cover I'm ashamed. Ashamed of the violence imposed on a young woman of my age who has the courage to assume her ideas and convictions. Who faces the racism and sexism of the conservative fringe of our country,” tweeted one user.
French politician Alexis Corbière also criticized the cover. “This cover is disgusting,” he said. Aurélien Taché, another French politician, also defended Pougetoux, saying: “I put individual freedom above almost everything. This applies to everyone, including our fellow Muslims who wear the headscarf. Maryam is engaged in progressive matters. Her wearing the headscarf is a personal choice that has nothing to do with politics.”
The magazine cover came after French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb criticized Pougetoux for appearing on French television with a headscarf after she was seen in a documentary discussing student protests over proposed education reforms.
Collomb said it was evident that young Muslims were seeking a cultural battle, and Pougetoux responded saying her headscarf has nothing to do with politics and stems from personal faith.
