STRASBOURG, March 9, 2006 (AFP) - The European Court of Human Rights said Thursday that it had received a request by a French Muslim body to condemn the publication of cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in French newspapers.

The Regional Council for the Muslim Religion (CRCM) in the Champagne Ardenne region said in a statement that the publication of the controversial cartoons in French newspapers constituted a discrimination between Muslims and non-Muslims contrary to the European Convention of Human Rights.

"Muslims from Champagne Ardenne are touched like the rest of Muslims in the world, injured in their faith and their dignity," said the CRCM, that filed the complaint on February 13.

The Muslim body said it hoped that the European court would accept the case, even though it had not yet exhausted possibilities for a trial in France.

The European Court of Human Rights has now to decide whether it will accept the case.

The 12 cartoons were first published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper in September and have since been reprinted elsewhere, igniting demonstrations in the Islamic world.

Muslims consider all images of the prophet to be blasphemous.

Copyright AFP

Subject: French news