Terrorists' Attack on Charlie Hebdo in France.By Isabelle Kloc
Editor-in-Chief January 26, 2015 Freedom of speech is something the majority of the world holds dear. So to hear of the terrorist attack in Paris, France, against a newspaper called Charlie Hebdo was shocking and enraged the global community.
Masked men who were armed with AK-47’s stormed the building occupied by Charlie Hebdo’s staff. At least 12 people were killed in the attack, with five more critically injured. Among the casualties are journalists, cartoonists and police officers. The attack was led by Muslim extremists in response to cartoons that were printed by the satirical magazine. They depicted the prophet Muhammad, which is forbidden by the Muslim belief system. Not only that, but they drew him into cartoons where he would say and do things that went against Muslim beliefs. I feel that the staff of Charlie Hebdo was well within their rights to print whatever they wanted. Freedom of speech protects them, even if what they printed was in fact tasteless and offensive. Obviously terrorism isn’t the correct response to being offended. But what we must remember about these terrorists is that they do not represent Islam in any way. They are the minority in a large group of people, people who want nothing more than to practice their religion in peace. While the easiest reaction to violence is fear, anger and more violence, that doesn’t justify how some people have reacted to this attack. The only way to solve this problem is through communication and justice, not revenge. |
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