Charlie Hebdo given 'Islamophobe of the Year' award

Nominees include anybody supposedly opposed to the Islamic faith – including Muslims

A man buys a copy of the new edition of Charlie Hebdo magazine (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

Charlie Hebdo has been given an international award for 'Islamophobia', two months after 12 members of staff were shot dead in a terror attack.

The awards, which were devised by The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), took place at a ceremony on Saturday and saw the gong go to the French satirical magazine for 'the world's most Islamophobic person or publication' in 2015.

It beat Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US president Barack Obama and American television host Bill Maher to the title.

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The controversial commendation has been branded "insensitive", as it comes in the wake of the massacre on January 7 this year, in which brothers Saïd and Chérif Kouachi forced their way into the Paris offices and killed a dozen journalists and cartoonists.

Another gunman linked to the men went on to kill a policewoman and four people at a kosher supermarket in Paris.

The two brothers stormed the Charlie Hebdo headquarters, opening fire on staff, before executing an already injured police officer as they fled (AP)

A special edition after the tragedy, which featured the Prophet Mohammed on the cover, sold more than five million copies.

But the IHRC, a prominent Muslim group with ties to the United Nations, insisted that the awards were supposed to be taken as "tongue in cheek".

A spokesman said: "The annual Islamophobia awards have come to be known as a tongue in cheek swipe at those in public life who have perpetrated or perpetuated acts of hatred against Muslims and their faith."

Pakistani Islamists burn a French flag during a protest against the printing of satirical sketches of the Prophet Mohammad by French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Quetta, Pakistan

Other winners of the awards were Theresa May, who won 'Islamophobe of the year', Maajid Nawaz, 'UK Islamophobe of the year', American Sniper for 'Islamophobe film of the year' and Fox News for 'media Islamophobes of the year'.

Massoud Shadjareh, the group's chairman, told the International Business Times that it was "a satirical thing", and was designed to counter the image of Muslims as "dry and angry".

"If people think Muslims should be on the receiving end of satire, then why cannot Muslims give it, too?" he said, adding: "We have a sense of humour and we can give it back."