THE largest ever demonstration in modern French history with some 1.6 million people joined by over 40 presidents and prime ministers on the streets of Paris on Sunday in the most striking show of solidarity against the threat of terrorism since the September 11 attacks. Responding to terrorist strikes that killed 12 people, including the editor and two cartoonists, in the satirical cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo in France and got worldwide attention, Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists and people of all races, ages and political stripes swarmed central Paris beneath a bright blue sky, calling for peace and an end to violent extremism. The attack was carried out by two ‘jihadists’ in revenge for ridiculing Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but Muslims across the world also condemned the attack.
Media said, the world leaders — including President François Hollande of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain — joined the March in a solemn line. Many waved the tricolor French flag and brandished pens in raised fists to commemorate those killed in Charlie Hebdo, as well as four others killed at a Jewish supermarket on Friday.
Charlie Hebdo is a contemptuous, disrespectful and a non-conformist left-leaning weekly lampooning politicians, politics, religion, culture, society etc. To recall, in September 2005 Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) depicting him in the most disrespectful manner. In 2007, Charlie Hebdo reprinted the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The magazine was sued for incitement of racism by two Islamic groups in France, but was cleared by a Paris Court. In 2011, the weekly published cartoons inviting the Prophet (pbuh) to be its guest editor. Again, in 2012, it published more caricatures of the Prophet (pbuh).
Slamming the incident as un-Islamic, Muslim scholars expressed anger towards the perpetrators who “betrayed and tainted” Islam rather than defended it. In addition to vehemently condemning the attack, the scholars’ comments reflected a concern about the damage it causes to the image of Islam and Muslims. Influential Islamic scholar Dr. Tariq Ramadan said, ‘it is not the Prophet who was avenged, it is our religion, our values and Islamic principles that have been betrayed and tainted. My condemnation is absolute and my anger is profound against this horror’.
Unfortunately, the leaders joining the Paris March conveyed a wrong message. The weekly Charlie Hebdo has felt encouraged to publish again a caricature of Prophet Muhammad hurting Muslims’ religious sentiment.
We are forced to say that the Western leaders are being one-sided. We do condemn extremism but we also know through hatred against any religion, you cannot stop religious extremism. You have to be sensible about the limits of freedom of expression.
