I am not Charlie Hebdo, but I do sympathize with and support their right to express their views without persecution or execution. Some believe that whoever insults the prophet Mohammed should be killed. Any malignant Muslims who think they should kill those who vilify their views must be restrained from obtaining their goals. And the goal is not just killing, but also scaring and silencing.
I say I am not Charlie Hebdo not to lessen of crimes of Cherif and Said Kouachi, but simply to note that I don't endorse their method of making their point. I don't read French (even though I studied it in high school 40 years ago), but it seems their style descends into some pretty low depths. Satire is not always inappropriate, but a steady diet of its lowest forms may be debilitating. I may not agree with what they had to say, but I defend their freedom to say it. While defending their freedom to say it, I can also point to what I believe is a better way. Speak the truth in love, the most excellent way (I Cor. 12:31b; 13:1-7; Eph. 4:15). Speak the truth in love, but defend the right to speak of those who don't.
Related op-ed
* I Am Not Charlie Hebdo -- "Public reaction to the attack in Paris has revealed that there are a lot of people who are quick to lionize those who offend the views of Islamist terrorists in France but who are a lot less tolerant toward those who offend their own views at home."
1 comment:
It is always curious to me which stories catch the imagination and garner non-stop news coverage. This was a terrible tragedy in France, but other terrible tragedies somehow don't feed themselves into news as well.
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