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France is once again embroiled in controversy over freedom of speech and religion, after satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo today published raunchy cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. The cartoons' publication 鈥� amid spreading Muslim protests around the world against anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" 鈥� could shake the standing of French President Fran莽ois Hollande among Muslims domestically and abroad.聽

Some of the cartoons use strong language and feature a naked prophet Muhammad lying in provocative positions. St茅phane Charbonnier, the top editor of Charlie Hebdo, justified the cartoons in a short text on page two of the newspaper by writing that there should be no limits when it comes to freedom of speech.

鈥淭here is nothing to negotiate with fascists,鈥� Mr. Charbonnier wrote, referring to those who oppose the drawings. Charlie Hebdo had its offices set on fire in Nov. 2011 after publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on its front page.

Charlie Hebdo鈥檚 website was shut down by a cyber attack Wednesday, the newspaper said on a blog it uses as a backup site, adding that virtually all its print issues had already been sold. Agence France-Presse reported Wednesday afternoon that a complaint had been filed against Charlie Hebdo by a group calling itself Syrian Association For Freedom.

French politicians of both the left and right wings insisted that freedom of the press should not be infringed, although many said the timing of the cartoons鈥� publication wasn鈥檛 wise, given the already high religious tensions worldwide.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had increased safety measures in its diplomatic offices abroad following the release of the cartoons and that embassies, consulates, cultural centers, and schools in two dozen countries would be closed Friday, the day of prayer in Muslim countries.

The situation in France was also tense after about 200 people, mostly Muslim fundamentalists, held an unauthorized demonstration near the US embassy in Paris on Sept. 15 to protest against the movie 鈥淚nnocence of Muslims鈥� that ridicules the prophet Muhammad.

'Moment of truth'

Malek Chebel, a religion anthropologist and expert on Islam, says the cartoons could damage President Hollande鈥檚 image in Muslim countries, because protesters there don鈥檛 make a distinction between Hollande鈥檚 views and those of a French private newspaper.

鈥淗e had a fairly positive image until now,鈥� says Mr. Chebel, who is a commentator and translator of the Quran. 鈥淎nd now with this one case, it鈥檚 the moment of truth.鈥� He is going to be judged by [public] opinions now.鈥�

Hollande also appears to be popular among the French Muslim community who usually leans to the left. A May 6 survey by French pollster OpinionWay found that 93 percent of Muslims who voted in the second round of the French presidential election chose Hollande over then-incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy.

Farhad Khosrokhavar, a sociologist and professor at France鈥檚 School of High Studies in Social Sciences, says tensions between freedom of speech and freedom of religion are more acute in France than other European countries due to its history of secularism. The tensions involving Islam and French society nowadays are the same that involved Catholicism over a century ago, according to Mr. Khosrokhavar, who has done research on Muslim issues in France.

鈥淭here is a French specificity first because there is a history of struggle against the Catholic church,鈥� Khosrokhavar says. 鈥淣ow the Catholic church is tamed, if I can put it that way, and it transfers onto Islam.鈥�

Calls for restraint

The office of French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault issued a statement yesterday calling for restraint after it became known that Charlie Hebdo would publish a series of cartoons the morning after.

The statement cited the need to respect freedom of speech and religious beliefs but sounded like a rebuke of the newspaper鈥檚 move. 鈥淸The] Prime Minister wants to express his disapproval of all excess,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淗e calls for the sense of responsibility of everybody.鈥�

Mr. Ayrault also told RTL radio this morning that the government will ban another protest against the anti-Islam movie scheduled for Sept. 22.

鈥淭here is no reason for us to allow conflicts into our country that don鈥檛 regard France,鈥� Ayrault said. 鈥淲e are in a republic that has no intention at all of being intimidated by anybody about its values.鈥�