Charlie Hebdo's new Mohammed cover evokes mixed reactions

French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo has published its latest edition following the deadly attacks in Paris, defiantly depicting the prophet Mohammed on the cover - to mixed reactions.

There will be three million copies of the edition, in which a weeping Mohammed's caricature holds a sign saying "Je suis Charlie" with the strap-line "all is forgiven". As well as in French, the issue will be available in English, Italian, Turkish, French, Spanish and Arabic.

The magazine, which normally has a circulation of about 60,000 copies, has come out just one week after the Paris terror attacks.

Smiths News and Menzies are expected to be purchasing up to a 2,000 copies to supply to stores in the UK, while WH Smith has said it will not be selling it, the Telegraph reported.

Gérard Biard, editor-in-chief of the magazine told reporters: "There will be a future for us, that's for sure. I don't know yet what it will be like, but the paper will exist. There will be no interruption. This means that in two weeks there will be another Charlie Hebdo in the kiosks."

"We are happy to have made this edition, to have succeeded. We wanted to find something that says something about us, and something about what has happened."

Most of the French media have reprinted the cartoon depicting Mohammed. However, international news outlets have taken their own stand in running the picture.

France has deployed more than 10,000 troops across the country including at key places like synagogues and mosques to avert any violence.

While supporters of free speech have hailed the magazine's move as bravery, others have criticised it saying it is bound to raise further tensions.

"My initial thought is that the cover is a near perfect response to the tragedy. They are not backing down from the depiction of Mohammed, exercising their free speech rights. At the same time, the message is conciliatory, humble, and will hopefully reduce the anger directed to the Muslim communities of France," Hussein Rashid, a professor of Islamic thought at Hofstra University in New York told the CNN.

The edition will also feature cartoons created by artists who were murdered in the attacks.

Unsurprisingly, the magazine has stirred up anger among Muslim groups.

Sunni Islam's leading body al-Azhar said the new edition does "not serve the peaceful coexistence between peoples and hinders the integration of Muslims into European and Western societies".

Egypt's Islamic authority Dar al-Ifta said the latest issue is an "unjustified provocation" hurting the feelings of Muslims and bound to "result in a new wave of hatred in French and Western society".