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Italian magazine publishes fresh cartoons of Holy Prophet (PBUH)

ROME: An Italian magazine close to the influential Catholic conservative Opus Dei group has published a new caricature of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), sparking outrage among Muslim associations.

The drawing in Studi Cattolici’s March issue shows the Italian poets Dante Alighieri and Virgil making sacrilegious remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to a description by the Italian news agency ANSA.

Opus Dei distanced itself from the magazine, with spokesman Giuseppe Corigliano telling ANSA that Studi Cattolici is not an official publication of the group, even though it is edited by an Opus Dei member. However, he said Opus Dei members “are free to have all the opinions they want”.

Studi Cattolici Editor Cesare Cavalleri told ANSA, “I hope the publication of this drawing won’t lead to attacks, because if that happened it would only prove the idiotic positions” of Islamic extremists.

The cartoon in Studi Cattolici drew immediate fire from Italy’s Muslim community. “With all the efforts made in the Christian and Muslim world for inter-faith dialogue, there are nevertheless always minorities that inflame things and cause provocations,” said Roberto Piccardo, an official of the Union of Italian Muslim Communities. Souad Sbai, president of an association of Moroccan women in Italy, called on the magazine to “step back, stop and lower the tone”. afp

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