The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has published a cartoon about the death of Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi on the cover of its latest issue.

Eight months after the terrorist attacks at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris which killed 12, the magazine has continued to create controversial content.

Since the photograph of three-year-old boy, Aylan al-Kurdi - who fled with his family from the Syrian civil war but died on a Turkish beach - was shared around the world, public support in Europe for refugees has reached increased significantly.

Charlie Hebdo used two cartoons both including drawings of Aylan's death.

The print accompanying the image reads: "Welcome to migrants!"

"So near his goal..." is the message over Aylan's body.

A sign on the beach with a children's clown character says: "Promo! 2 kids menus for the price of one".

A second cartoon depicts what appears to be Jesus next to the drowned boy with the caption: "Proof that Europe is Christian. Christians walk on water - Muslim children sink."

The cartoons have attracted a lot of criticism online from those who view the use of Aylan's death for satirical purposes as offensive. Others have said the magazine is merely mocking the West's handling of the refugee crisis.

The images were drawn by artist, Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau. The political cartoonist has had to be chaperoned at all times by armed, plain-clothed police since the attack on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters.

Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Show all 23 1 /23 Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Pakistan 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 on 22 January 2015 Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Afghanistan Afghan demonstrators set a French flag on fire during a protest against the printing of satirical sketches of the Prophet Mohamed by French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Jalalabad on January 19 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Afghanistan An Afghan boy holds a placard during a rally against the French magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 19 January 2015 EPA Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Afghanistan Afghans chant slogans during a protest against cartoons published in French magazine Charlie Hebdo in the city of Jalalabad, on 19 January 2015 AP Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Iran Protesters clash with members of the Iranian security services during a demonstration against Charlie Hebdo in Tehran on 19 January 2015 EPA Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Iran Iranians carry a placard bearing the picture of Jihad, the son of assassinated senior Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, during a protest against Charlie Hebdo outside the French embassy in Tehran on 19 January 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Niger People run past a police car on fire by protesters during a demonstration against French weekly Charlie Hebdo's publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed in front of the grand mosque in Niamey AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Niger A church, which was damaged after it was set on fire by protesters during a demonstration against French weekly Charlie Hebdo's publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed in Niamey, AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Niger A police van set on fire by protesters during a demonstration against French weekly Charlie Hebdo's publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in Niamey AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Niger Smoke billows in a street as people demonstrate against French weekly Charlie Hebdo's publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed near the grand mosque in Niamey, on 17 January 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Chechnya People attend a state-organised rally against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed by Charlie Hebdo in the Chechen capital Grozny on 19 January 2015 AP Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Chechnya People pray during a state-organised rally against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed by Charlie Hebdo in the Chechen capital Grozny on 19 January 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Chechnya Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov speaks an anti-Charlie Hebdo rally in Grozny on 19 January 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Philippines Women protest in Marawi, Philippines, over Prophet Mohamed depictions AFP Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Philippines Protesters in Marawi, Philippines, burn a poster with the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Getty Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Pakistan Pakistani protesters shout slogans during a protest against the printing of sketches of the Prophet Mohamed by French magazine Charlie Hebdo, in Lahore on 18 January 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Pakistan Pakistani demonstrators burn the French flag during a protest against the printing of satirical sketches of the Prophet Mohamed in Charlie Hebdo, in Peshawar on January 19, 2015 AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Pakistan Supporters of banned Islamic charity Jamat-ud-Dawa rally against a decision by the controversial French magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' to publish a depiction of the Prophet Mohamed, in Lahore, Pakistan, 18 January 2015 EPA Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Mali Thousands of people take to the streets of the Malian capital Bamako on January 16 to protest against Charlie Hebdo AFP/Getty Images Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Mali People hold up signs as they rally against Charlie Hebdo in Bamako on 16 January 2015 Reuters Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Algeria Demonstrators burn the French national flag after Friday prayers in Algiers January 16, 2015 Reuters Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Algeria Demonstrators clash with police in anti-Charlie Hebdo protests after Friday prayers in Algiers January 16, 2015 Reuters Anti-Charlie Hebdo protests around the world Algeria Demonstrators clash with police in anti-Charlie Hebdo protests after Friday prayers in Algiers January 16, 2015 Reuters

Riss survived the shooting despite being hit in the shoulder and has since become the acting editor of the magazine.

Maajid Nawaz, founder of the think-tank Quilliam defended the magazine's cartoon: "Taste is always in the eye of the beholder. But these cartoons are a damning indictment on our anti-refugee sentiment," he wrote on Facebook. "The McDonald's image is a searing critique of heartless European consumerism in the face of one of the worst human tragedies of our times.

"The image about Christians walking on water while Muslims drown is (so obviously) critiquing hypocritical European Christian "love".