There controversy over the PEN boycott mirrors the comments by cartoonist Garry Trudeau against Charlie Hebdo.
Garry Trudeau claimed “By punching downward, by attacking a powerless, disenfranchised minority with crude, vulgar drawings closer to graffiti than cartoons, Charlie wandered into the realm of hate speech.”

Trudeau said this

Who knew that Saudi Arabia and all those other countries where cartoons insulting the religious are so “powerless”? How did 1.3 billion believers become “powerless.” It would be one thing if CharlieHebdo was bashing Amish people or Yezidis, I’d say “hey, wait a sec, that’s not so funny, it’s an easy target…”

But critiquing one of the most powerful religions in the world, probably the religion that has the most countries that legislate based on its law…suddenly that’s hurting the “powerless”? It’s like saying making fun of the Catholic Church in the 16th century in Elizabethan England was hurting the “powerless.”…