Cartoons and killing

I want to say that I can't believe that 12 people have been killed in Paris because a tiny minority get so annoyed over some cartoons that they feel the only proper way to express their disgust is to take the lives of the cartoonists. I want to say that, but I can't as it was probably only a matter of time before some ignorant, murderous fool decided to apply their own form of censorship via the use of an assault rifle. I refuse the murderers the right to claim this was done in the name of religion: I can think of little that is less Godless that cold-bloodedly shooting dead people who have done no more than poke a little fun at the religion the killers claim to espouse. Equally, I will refuse any argument that this was done on behalf of all muslims across the world: these criminals speak only for themselves and a scant handful of other deluded individuals who have twisted their 'faith' into a weapon of hate. The vast majority of muslims are appalled at the outrage perpetrated in Paris yesterday. I hope the killers are caught and spend the rest of their lives being helped to reflect on the inhumanity they displayed through their actions.

Predicatably, however, social media has been lit up with calls to 'kill all muslims' or for some 'action to be taken'. The former reaction characterises a school of thought esposed by some (Britain First, the EDL and some UKIP-loving members of a local politics group I was once a member of - you know who you are) that see all muslims as terrorists or, at best, would-be terrorists. The latter stance, on the other hand, is the directionless rage that demands a scapegoat be found and killed in retaliation and I think we know from the aftermath of 9/11 where that leads to. Either reaction legitimises the acts of the killers: it reinforces the idea of the West as hating Islam and all who follow its ways and it marginalises peaceful muslims - the 99.9% - who want no part of the hate war these people wish to inflame. To this end, I am not sure that republishing the offending cartoons at this moment is the right reaction, even if it does say that we refuse to be silenced. While only a few saw fit to kill in response to the cartoons, there may be many more moderate muslims who were offended by their publication. While I believe that any religion, if it has enduring strength and integrity, should be able to laugh off the pinpricks that such satires inflict, at a time of great sensitivity, it might be best to try and keep everyone inside the tent with the idiots isolated on the outside.

Free speech should not - cannot - be silenced by such barbaric actions. Our thoughts and prayers should be with the families and friends of the employees of Charlie Hebdo and the policemen killed in the attack. But we must avoid indiscriminate hate as a response - hate the killers by all means. Find them and bring them to justice. After that, however, let's consider the wider picture and think a little what should happen next...