Islamic terrorists, apparently.
Scumbags.
(I’m putting this in the Pit for obvious reasons.)
ETA: BBC link here.
It’s a shame it really is, I hope they find the gunmen and kill them as soon as possible. We don’t like the way you depict our prophet and religion as violent savages, WE’LL SHOW YOU!!!
Oh, apparently. Shocker. Yeah, could’ve been anyone.
The only proper way to respond to this is for every sort of publication in the world - TV, newspapers, magazines, etc. to include some sort of satirical piece on Islam. Band together and show those fuckers that we’re together on this issue. And every fucking time they retaliate, do it for 10 times as long.
The telegraph censored the image of the magazine cover in their coverage of this incident. Why, so you don’t fucking offend barbaric terrorists? This is blatantly caving in to terrorism, you fucks. You shit on the values that the entire West should hold dear when you do this. Fuck you and your cover your ass “we were just trying to ensure the safety of our workers” or whatever the bullshit you come up with to justify it.
I kind of like this idea, though I’d worry that it could lead to the radicalization of some Muslims that wouldn’t otherwise support violence. Perhaps if the satire was very carefully crafted (no nude Mohammed cartoons, for example) such that only the nuts would take offense, it could work.
But I doubt most publications are close to brave enough to do this.
You know, I think I’ve finally put my finger on the main problem of a certain type of fundamentalist of any religion.
They’ve got no sense of humour at all. And somewhere in the dim recesses of their minds, they’ve realized that they’re dour, grim people who will never be invited to the party, and so they want revenge on everyone who does have a sense of humour.
They want a world where no one laughs, and they’ll kill to get it.
[NB: This theory falls under the category of “It makes about as much sense as anything else I’ve heard”, and may or may not bear any resemblance to the truth.]
“Charlie-hebdo” is a very famous and very provocative humoristic weekly (typically dark and irreverentious humour), that attacked all sacred cows, starting with De Gaulle when it was created in the 60s, the pope, etc… People are very supportive of them even though few appreciate their style.
They had been one of the only French papers that republished the famous Danish caricatures of Mohammed. They had recently published another of their own on their front page. The paper’s offices had been burned down a couple years ago by arsonist, resulting in the loss of their archives.
Two very famous French caricaturists are amongst the victims, apparently.
The paper tweeted an “islamist happy new year” drawing one hour after the killing. A drawing in their last issue, drawn by yet another caricaturist grievously wounded today was about the lack of terrorism attacks in France in 2015 (there had been two minor attacks in December), with a Kalashnikov wielding bearbed guy stating “We’ve until the end of January”.
Videos of parts of the attack from eye witnesses. WARNING: first video in that link shows a policeman being executed.
In fact he died too.
According to Corinne Rey, who worked at Charlie Hebdo, the attackers - or at least some of them - spoke fluent French. Perhaps returned ISIS terrorists? Or rather they said they’re from al-Qaida, so perhaps returned Nusra.
(“Ils ont tiré sur Wolinski, Cabu… ça a duré cinq minutes… Je m’étais réfugiée sous un bureau… Ils parlaient parfaitement le français… Se revendiquaient d’Al-Qaïda.”)
“You insulted me. If all I do is insult you back it’s not enough! I must kill you!” The life of the fundamentalist is to cower in fear that you will fail to meet the standards of a Totalitarian God. And everyone has to cower in fear.
I’ve always had a problem with the concept of blasphemy or lese-majesté. If God or the King are so great and so mighty and so awesome, then what the fuck do they care if some putz mocks or trashtalks them in the public square? Why does Muhammad or Jesus or Krsna need “avenging” by mere men?
(BTW in general terms in the West I can’t understand the recent rise of the concept of a “Right to not be offended”. Bullshit. There is no such thing as a “right to not be offended”. Something I said was hurtful to you? Tell me, and if I was wrong I’ll take it back. Otherwise too bad you feel offended but it is what it is. You feel insulted? Insult me back if it makes you feel better. Honor, schmonor.)
Every publication in the free world should reprint the cartoons in question now and every year on the anniversary of this massacre. Of course, the pusillanimous bastards won’t. All we’ll get are the usual weasel words from our leaders.
Aargh. :mad:
Is there any point in asking what can/should be done to reduce the frequency of these attacks? Or is it, like mass shootings in the US, just something we have to learn to live with?*
*By which I mean: notwithstanding supposedly common ground on things like better mental health and enforcement of the laws “on the books,” the reality is that in a country with 300 million guns sloshing around you will never be able to drive mass shootings down to zero, and they are already fairly infrequent events.
One thing comforts me (if I can use that particular word) in this horrible tragedy – “Charlie Hebdo” is not going to change its editorial line one iota after this.
If anything, they probably are going to go even harder.
I may not like some of “Charlie Hebdo”'s points of view, but I respect them for their bravery and their commitment to what, in the end, is a fundamental right.
I hope that, sooner or later, the killers are caught. I would prefer that they are caught alive, so that it is possible to get to the bottom of things.
I would also emotionally like for the French government to pick up a few of the very old veteran interrogators of the Algerian War and put them to work on the killers for a while. Although that would not be useful, would only serve to slack my burning thirst for a measure of horrible revenge, and would probably be counter-productive in the end. So better not.
Although, if I am 100% honest, I must confess that I would love to see those killer’s nuts connected to the terminals of a telephone dynamo for a while. And I feel somewhat ashamed for feeling that way. Oh well.
I think that would be awesome, but then, I don’t work at a publication so it’s no skin off this ol’ rump o’ mine. I admire the bravery of anyone willing to stand up for free speech by mocking Islam, but I don’t hold it against anyone for not wanting to commit suicide by jihad-invitation.
Agreed.
Not that JK Rowling ever came close to tackling Islam’s fragile ego, but when you refuse to speak a name or to treat any One religion the same way that you’d treat any Other religion, you give it undue (undeserved?) power.
No religion is better than any other religion (although the faithful of each may obviously think so).
Treating any religion as too fragile to be able to withstand either humor or examination is to say in the same breath that it can’t be very much of a religion.
:mad: Death to all fanatics!
Things like this are why I should never be in charge. My first response was a more extreme version of the “every publication” thought, only mine involved a certain prophet being buggered by a pig. My second thought went the way JoseB’s did, only involving less electricity and more blunt force trauma.
As I calm down a bit I’m coming around to Count Blucher’s point of view about religions in general.
“Je suis Charlie”
Apparently police reacted pretty quickly to the shooting in that several policemen arrived at the scene immediately - then left, since they were unarmed. Unarmed police is such a great concept.
I was going to complain that I couldn’t sleep, and therefor got to watch this all unfold on CNN, but now I see John Kerry is going to speak, so I just might get that rest after all!
And some other stuff, blah, blah.