The problem is that it's not just extremists. It's the whole ideology of political Islam and all of its non-secular followers. They are basically all extremists, in that they openly or secretly support such attacks as the one today and support or demand the death penalty for homosexuals, "apostates" and for those "insulting the prophet" or "insulting Islam". Remember when Mathloom slipped and said he doesn't want the caricaturist to be murdered, but he really wants him to live in fear for the rest of his life? These murderers today just translated into action what people like Mathloom and many, many Muslims around the world wanted. Just go on Twitter and search for "Takbeer" and you will find a lot of jubilant tweets about these murders.
There's a good timeline being updated on the Telegraph if anyone cares. I learned: 1. Charlie Hebdo's lawyer said the editor and the office were under special police protection. 2. The assailants claimed to be "Al-Quaeda from Yemen" 3. The attacks were denounced by the Arab League, the Muslim Council of Britain and the French Muslim Council. It's a misnomer to claim that Muslims universally have no sense of humor or respect for free speech or satire.
It would certainly be wrong to claim that about all Muslims. But we are talking about hundreds of millions of people here who think that suicide bombings "to defend Islam" can be justified. This ideology is terrible.
Telling a man that his daughter is a slut is not equivalent to making fun of a man who lived 1400 years ago who deserved PLENTY of criticism.
People who "defend" any idea with rocket launchers and kalishnikovs against satire are barbarians that deserve the loudest condemnation possible and their fellow travellers should not be accommodated or coddled. I'd say "Take that **** back to Yemen," but it's not like the people of Yemen deserve it any more than anyone else to suffer under that kind of ass-backwardness.
that context doesn't help, it just expands the range of unacceptable slander slander is the type of speech that needs the most defending
In the heat of the moment I can understand a father's anger towards a man who just called his daughter a slut.
Yes, but irrational anger and retribution is not justice, whether it's your daughter, or your parents' faith I'm disrespecting. The fact that what I have to say hurts your feelings doesn't give you the right to shoot me.
I'm not condoning a father shooting a man who called his daughter a slut. I'm saying that it understandable that a father in the heat of the moment might sucker punch the dude who called his daughter a slut. A planned premeditated attack on a media outlet is not "in the heat of the moment". Plus, being offended because someone disrespected your own daughter is different than being offended because of an adopted belief system that raises a pedophile and war monger to a level of infallibility.
It's different, I agree with you, but I also agree with Deji that words never justify physical violence. In your hypothetical case, I would obviously sympathize much more with the father, although it is still not (legally) okay.
Humorless, violent religious zealots need to be exposed for who they are, not kowtowed to. These people don't give two sh!ts about offending anyone else, so why should we care about offending them? Religion is the bane of this planet.
it's truly disgusting that one would feel any cartoon constitutes the provocation of violence on this scale.
When religion is the most important aspect of your life and that religion inherently creates an intolerance towards criticism, this is what happens.... frequently.
Yup...and appeasement only worsens the situation. Confrontation is what's needed. It's time the sane world stood up to these nutbags.
