'Charlie Hebdo' Given Freedom of Expression Award

A global literary group has honored the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo with a freedom of expression award.

The editor-in-chief accepted the award to a standing ovation from hundreds of writers and editors who attended the event, hosted by the PEN American Centre in New York City.

Controversy surrounded the decision to give the award to Charlie Hebdo. Six members of PEN did not attend the ceremony in protest, objecting to what they considered the magazine's offensive cartoons about Islam.

The satirical cartoons of Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, outraged Muslims over the years. In January, radical Muslims retaliated, murdering 12 people in a bloody massacre at Charlie Hebdo's office in Paris.

British writer and PEN member Salman Rushdie, himself a target of radical Muslims, said free speech means the right to offend people.

"If you're a free expression organization, if you believe in the value of free speech, then you must believe in the value of free speech that you don't like," Rushdie said.

"If you only defend free speech that conforms to your own moral framework, that's what is normally called censorship," he continued.

Another author and PEN member, Neil Gaiman, said Charlie Hebdo deserved the award for their bravery in the face of deadly danger.

"Their offices were firebombed in 2011 and they kept working. Twelve of them were murdered - six cartoonists and six people in the office were murdered - and they kept working and they put out the next issue. I think that's so - that's courageous, it's brave, it's so worthy of an award," he said.