Student magazine hosts panel to discuss controversial Charlie Hebdo cover
The Central Circuit student editorial board hosted a discussion last month regarding whether to republish a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. The controversial image had originally been published as the cover of Charlie Hebdo following the attacks on the Paris weekly in January.
More than 80 attendees packed the room, and students, faculty and staff with opinions on both sides of the issue offered their opinion. Representatives from the Muslim Student Association and others voiced concerns that reprinting the image would be disrespectful to practitioners of Islam, while others argued that journalistic free speech was at stake.
Although no decision was made at the event, the student publication later decided not to reprint the controversial cartoon. The issue was released in early February for the first time in its new newspaper format. It featured commentary from student writers expressing diverse opinions on the subject of the Charlie Hebdo cartoon and the subsequent campus conversation.