ALGIERS, Algeria (AP)  Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco have banned this week's issue of L'Express International, a French newsmagazine, saying its cover story titled "The Jesus-Muhammad Shock" offended Islam.

The title is the same as a book by one of the magazine's chief editors.

The newsweekly L'Express said on its website that the series of articles comparing Christianity and Islam was inspired by a meeting this week in Rome between Christian and Muslim scholars, which aims to "help the dialogue between Islam and Christianity."

L'Express said it did not understand the ban on its international edition in North African countries, particularly because of the pains it took to adhere to Islamic norms. The magazine covered the face of Islam's prophet, Muhammad, with a white veil in side-by-side cover portraits of Jesus and Muhammad, in line with Islamic law.

The French edition of the magazine leaves the face uncovered.

Officials at Algeria's Information Ministry said they banned the magazine Monday for breaking a 1990 press law that forbids foreign media from publishing "illustrations or accounts ... contrary to Islamic morality or national values."

The officials said some of the L'Express articles comparing Christianity to Islam were considered "pro-Bible."

They also pointed out that pictures inside the magazine did represent Muhammad's face — which is not allowed in Islam. The pictures with his face exposed, however, were from Muslim manuscripts.

The magazine was also banned Monday in neighboring Tunisia, because a government official there said could be considered to be "offensive to Islam and faith or convictions of Mulsims."

Officials in both countries spoke anonymously because they weren't allowed to discuss government policies.

Morocco's Information Minister Khalid Naciri said only this week's issue of L'Express International was banned but told The Associated Press he would not hesitate to do so "every time the media offends religion."

Naciri noted that Morocco had banned a Danish newspaper in 2006 when it published a series of cartoons deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. The cartoons caused widespread protests across the Muslim world.

Many elite North Africans follow the French media because they have retained close cultural ties to France, the region's former colonial power.

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