For the atheist satirists of Charlie Hebdo, religion is an ideology like any other and has no right to be cushioned from derision. As Charb put it: ‘While, unlike the existence of God, it is difficult to deny the existence of Marx, Lenin or Georges Marchais, it is neither blasphemous, racist nor communistophobic to cast doubt on the validity of their writings or their speech. In France, a religion is nothing more than a collection of texts, traditions and customs that it is perfectly legitimate to criticise. Sticking a clown nose on Marx is no more offensive or scandalous than popping the same
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