I have been deeply busy in copy-editing my novel and as such I have neglected this here blog. Now I am sick with flu and my head is in a perpetual dizzy state. However I will attempt to put down at least some of the thoughts that have been running through my brain since this horrific attack in Paris.
- These murderers are nothing more than vicious, savage barbarians. An attack on free expression is an attack on civilization. The slaughter of unarmed people is not an act of war, or courage, or defiance. It is barbarity.
- The writers, editors, and artists at Charlie Hebdo, in my opinion not speaking as to French law, have a right to free expression and being insulting, offensive, or blasphemous does not restrict or rescind that.
- Some have argued that it is wrong to ‘punch down.’ That is to mock or satirize people from disenfranchised or marginalized populations. I disagree. There is no state of being that immunizes anyone from mockery. Any idea is subject to ridicule.
- That said I am sure that there are those would who advocate I should use the blog to reproduced the images that some found so offensive as symbolic stand for the ideal of free expression. I can stand for the ideals of free expression without being obligated to reproduce content with which I disagree.
- From what I have seen the images in question are neither worthy in an artistic or satirical manner. Simply being insulting isn’t satirical, being offensive doesn’t mean you had anything interesting to say. I particularly do not agree with images that mock the entire religion. The trouble is with radicalized fundamentalist at war with modernity, not the entire 1.8 billion followers of that religion.
- Throughout the world there is a problem with fundamentalist thought and mind-set. In my country is it Christian fundamentalism in politics that is the trouble. All religions have such extremist, not all are violent, but more than most people generally think.
Those are my thoughts on this flu fogged day.
Of course the truly batsh*t crazy aspect of the whole Muhammad cartoon thing isn’t even about satire. According to the jihadis ANY depiction of Muhammad, flattering, satirical or otherwise is prohibited by the law of god.
I think your last point – about religious extremism – is really important but here is an added observation.
My father grew up in a religious extremist group. He was raised Mennonite. The difference seems to be in how faith manifests itself. The Mennonites, Amish, and Quakers (Church of Friends) are all militantly pacifist. They WILL NOT fight. Since they hurt no one, few people, if any , find them offensive.
Perhaps we do not hear about it but there seems to be no pacifist tradition in Islam. All of their extremist groups are violent.
I also find the whole Sunni/Shi’a divide to be totally absurd. I read in Time magazine that the original split was over leadership – one group wanted the leadership of Islam to remain with Mohammed’s family and the other felt it should be different people. (There are other differences but this was the start of it.) Really, guys? REALLY?????? You think God wants you to kill each other and everyone else because of THAT?
The event was tragic but even more tragic is the fall of Islam. This society was once the highest civilization in the world. Now they are this and they are losing their own artists. This is a sign of a dying society. Hopefully, they will not take the rest of us down with them.