Revisiting Charlie Hebdo: Bloodshed over Words
/
Images Courtesy of Huffington Post
Five years ago, on January 7th, 2015, a series of terrorist attacks took place in Paris, France, claiming the lives of 17 people. These 17 people were all staff members of the Paris offices for the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. This violent and tragic event shook the nation, as well as the rest of the world. This would not be the last time that Paris would be on the receiving end of terrorist attacks, but for now, let’s revisit what gave these two gunmen their “justification” to take 17 innocent lives.
Background: What Happened?
As stated earlier, Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine. Their content is specifically designed to offend, and they criticize every single group imaginable. Race, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. They don’t pull any punches. The magazine has earned the ire of many, and public backlash is their identity. They especially didn’t hold back when satirizing the Islamic faith.
In Islam, it’s forbidden to produce drawings or images of the Prophet Muhammad, which is something that Charlie Hebdo did, on numerous occasions leading up to the attack. Algeiran French brothers Chérif and Said Kouachi stormed the magazine’s offices the morning of the attack and opened fire in response to these publications.
The Inclusivity of Freedom
When I watched this all unfold on the news, I was only 13 years old. At that time, I was confused as to why people ended up dying over a bunch of cartoons. Well, five years later, I still haven’t changed my stance on the subject. As a Muslim, I will admit that I was mildly offended at the satirical publications that Chalie Hebdo put out on Islam. But was it worth the cost of over a dozen innocent lives: absolutely not.
What essentially happened is that a bunch of people ended up losing their lives purely due to a difference in opinion. It’s clear that these two gunmen failed to see the duality of the term “freedom of speech”. Freedom is not selective. When it's put in place, it belongs to everybody, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. We are all entitled to our own opinion, and sure we may clash at times, but it’s important that for the most part we should all feel safe expressing our words, our ideas, and our views.
I don’t really have anything more to say on this topic now that I think about it. What happened was horrific, and should have never taken place to begin with. The inclusivity of freedom is an important thing that we should always take heed of. As for myself, whenever I disagree with someone else’s views, I make sure to remember the wise words of historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
Amal Sheikhmusse
Amal Sheikhmusse is a second-year student of Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. Whenever she isn’t practicing her future editor skills by giving unwarranted critique to all her friends and family, you can find her re-visiting childhood nostalgia, notebook in hand, ready to verbally tear her childhood hopes and dreams at a moment’s notice.
