A peaceful setting shattered. Innocents cut down. At least sixteen French civilians dead, along with three radical Muslim assailants. But that isn't the worst part.
No, the worst part is the fact that I'm no longer surprised.
I could talk about the attack itself, but that would be pointless. That two-line second paragraph tells you all you need to know about the events of the attack. What I need to discuss is what motivated the assailants, and just how disturbing it is that these sorts of events have become commonplace.
The French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, published cartoons satirizing all sorts of things, including the major religions of the world. Christianity, Catholicism in particular, was jabbed, as was Judaism. Islam, of course, also was mocked by the publication. I've seen some of the cartoons. And they're hardly sensitive. In fact, as a Catholic, I would describe their portrayal of my faith as downright offensive, and I could definitely see any Muslim feeling the same way about the portrayal of theirs. Was I irritated by what I saw? Yes. Did I have any desire to make the writers and cartoonists pay with their own blood? No. Because it's satire. It's meant to make a point, but not to be taken too seriously. When someone makes a joke about Christianity, I let it go. I may get offended, but I still let it go. I occasionally want to punch Bill Maher in the mouth, but I still think he's entitled to his own views. If you think religion is garbage, well, I strongly disagree with you, but you have every right to believe that. And many Christians, Jews and Muslims across the world are of a similar opinion. Many Muslims across the world, from the United States to the heart of the Middle East, slammed the shootings as utter barbarism. Millions of people from around the globe have expressed solidarity with the satirists and raised their voices in support of free speech. Jon Stewart summed it up perfectly in a recent episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OWD9aP7O6o) - in our society, we tend to take free speech for granted. And without free speech, it's only a matter of time before the world we know is replaced with an Orwellian dystopia. And hundreds of thousands of people are in France tonight, in support of free speech -and indeed, freedom from fear.
There's something else at play, though, that is highly disturbing. In the aftermath of this horrible attack, the desire for political correctness is absolutely mind-boggling. French officials are refusing to label the acts as Islamic terrorism. And that's absolutely ridiculous. Bill Maher, the guy I sometimes want to punch in the mouth, hit the key point in the aftermath of the shooting: it's pathetic that people are refusing to call these acts what they are for fear of offending people. The acts were obviously committed by Islamic extremists in the wake of a negative portrayal of their faith. To suggest that all Muslims are of similar ilk is utter garbage. But to suggest that the assailants' Islamic faith played no role in motivating the attack is just as unbelievable. Going back to Bill Maher: if some radical Catholic group stormed his studio and shot him and his writers down because of their views, I would be first on line to call that terrorism. The Pope probably would as well. And I don't think it's presumptuous to assume that the vast majority of Muslims in France, the United States, and across the western world view the shooting at Charlie Hebdo in a similar light. To not call the attacks what they are because you may offend extremist Muslims who loathe you in the first place, and perhaps a few non-extreme Muslims as well...that's unfathomably incompetent. I can't put it into words how much this disgusts me. The Charlie Hebdo writers were killed because they offended Islam. To refuse to risk offending Islam in the aftermath of the attack...well, the French government would be giving the terrorists what they sought. And that sort of attitude only fosters more terrorism, because the terrorists see that their tactics are working.
That brings me to the point that I'm no longer surprised by news of acts of terrorism by Islamic jihadists. To be honest, why should this be surprising? When I was growing up, the news was full of Taliban car bombs and Bin Laden's famous suicide vests. And even in the last few years, when the west has backed its armies away from radical jihadists, the attacks have continued. And they've spread. There was Times Square back in 2010 - attempted bombing. And, of course, there was the Boston Marathon in 2013 - successful bombing. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial will unfold in the upcoming weeks - but that's a discussion for another day. ISIS's bloody rise to power in the Middle East, which now looks toward Saudi Arabia - again, a discussion for another day. Hundreds of shootings and murders across the globe, in the years before and since 9/11. And who could forget that café in Sydney, not even a month ago? Terrorism is something that westernized countries (I use the term to include Israel) have grown accustomed to. Israel was always accustomed to it, of course, but we've joined in its ranks. My first thought when I heard about the shooting was, "Another one?" I've said it before, but it's a vicious cycle. The only way to stop Muslim extremists is through brute force. But that brute force only encourages some Muslims to adopt the radicalized, twisted version of their faith promoted by terrorists and take up the fight themselves. This is what we've seen in the Middle East in the last fourteen years. What is the end to this deadly circle of terrorism? Who can say?
One thing's for sure, though - Charlie Hebdo wasn't the first attack of its kind. And it certainly won't be the last.
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