More than 90 writers have now signed an open letter to the PEN American Center for a free speech award it has given the satirical french publication Charlie Hebdo. The PEN American Center is an organization, an offshoot of PEN International, based in New York, seeking to promote freedom of expression and defend writers persecuted for their beliefs. Former PEN American president Francine Prose is one of the signers, along with other writers such as Junot Díaz, Lorrie Moore and Rick Moody, according to NPR.
"It is clear and inarguable that the murder of a dozen people in the Charlie Hebdo offices is sickening and tragic," the letter reads. "What is neither clear nor inarguable is the decision to confer an award for courageous freedom of expression on Charlie Hebdo, or what criteria, exactly, were used to make that decision." The letter goes on to state the reasons for the objections, harkening back the debate about the publication's portrayal of Muslims.
"To the section of the French population that is already marginalized, embattled, and victimized, a population that is shaped by the legacy of France's various colonial enterprises, and that contains a large percentage of devout Muslims, Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet must be seen as being intended to cause further humiliation and suffering."
The award will be presented at the PEN literary Gala to Charlie Hebdo editor Gérard Biard and the magazine's film critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret this Tuesday.
