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An Iraqi magazine cartoon depicting a female suicide bomber in a pose like the Statue of Liberty, arm raised with a lit bomb fuse instead of a torch in her hand, has angered MPs who voted to sue the publication for allegedly damaging the image of Muslim women.
The editors of al-Isbouiyah (Weekly)say the cartoon is meant to condemn Qaeda in Iraq and should be protected under freedom of expression laws enshrined in the Iraqi constitution.
The controversy erupted on Monday when Parliament declared the cartoon an insult to Muslims, especially women, and voted to sue the offending magazine for defamation, a crime that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
