PARIS, France (AP) -- The managing editor of a French newspaper has been fired over publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad that are inflaming the Muslim world, where Pakistani protesters on Thursday chanted "Death to France!" and Gaza gunmen demanded apologies from European governments.
The furor over the drawings, which first ran in a Danish paper in September, cuts to the question of which is more sacred in the Western world, freedom of expression or respect for religious beliefs?
The daily France Soir and several other European papers reprinted the pictures Wednesday, in a show of solidarity with the Danish daily.
France Soir owner Raymond Lakah, an Egyptian magnate, fired managing editor Jacques Lefranc after the publication. Lefranc's wife, Marie-Jeanne, said Thursday that her husband was unavailable for comment but that he was fired because of the drawings -- even though he initially opposed their publication.
"He was fired under this pretext," she told The Associated Press.
Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet, to prevent idolatry. The drawings have divided opinion within Europe and the Middle East, where they have prompted boycotts of Danish goods, bomb threats and demonstrations against Danish facilities.
Palestinian gunmen briefly took up position outside the European Commission's office Thursday, demanding apologies from the governments of France, Denmark and Norway after newspapers in these countries printed the caricatures.
In Pakistan, more than 300 Islamic students protested, chanting "Death to Denmark" and "Death to France."
The cartoons include an image of Mohammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, and another portraying him holding a sword, his eyes covered by a black rectangle.
France Soir argued Wednesday that religious dogma cannot be imposed on democratic and secular societies. It carried the headline "Yes, We Have the Right to Caricature God" and a cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud.
The publication drew a stern response from the French Foreign Ministry, which said that while freedom of expression is dear to France, it "condemns all that hurts individuals in their beliefs or their religious convictions."
France has Western Europe's largest Muslim community -- an estimated 5 million people.
To defuse tensions, Denmark's ambassador to France met Thursday with Dalil Boubakeur, head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith.
Boubakeur said his organization was considering legal action over the drawings, which he called "unpleasant." "The prophet of Islam did not found a terrorist religion, on the contrary," he said.
The ambassador, Niels Egelund, said he met with Boubakeur "to try to stop the excesses that this has taken."
France's Grand Rabbi Joseph Sitruk said he shared Muslim anger.
"We gain nothing by lowering religions, humiliating them and making caricatures of them. It's a lack of honesty and respect," he said after meeting with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. He said that freedom of expression "is not a right without limits."
Morocco and Tunisia barred sales of France Soir's Wednesday issue. French publications are normally widely available in the largely Muslim countries, formerly French colonies.
Moroccan religious leaders have condemned the drawings and Muslim groups plan demonstrations for Friday.
The director of media rights group Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard, said Lefranc's dismissal "throws oil on the fire."
"It's the worst thing that can be done. What we need is calm and dialogue," he said. "We need to figure out how to reconcile freedom of expression and respect of faith."
In Thursday's issue, France Soir defended its decision and ran caricatures of Jesus and Christian clergy -- but also an article in which French Muslims criticized the prophet drawings.
