The articles of a thousand words, detailing what is wrong with Charlie Hebdo continue. A quick line or two condemn the murder of the cartoonists. Then the rest of the piece that in life they were out of order to satirise and lampoon religion and the religious.
More weight to the sensitivities of chest beaters proclaiming their adoration of Mohammed than to the loved ones of those murdered in cold blood. We are told the cartoons far from mocking racists with their own imagery, played into their hands to create division and hatred in society.
Ignoring that the attack that killed Muslims and Jews at the Kosher supermarket in Paris showed hatred against citizens that come together to live as one. This religious violence barely gets a mention that it is designed to expand the fault line through society to emphasise difference and provoke a chain reaction.
How does Islamism try to use the politics of identity?
"The prospect is groomed into identifying him or herself only as a Muslim, and feel kinship with only other followers of Mohammed. Solidarity is thus restricted solely to those who share the same faith.[Source]"
The majority of articles against Charlie Hebdo reinforce this, that Muslims must react as a monolith against any depiction of Mohammed. When we speak up that free speech guarantees freedom of religion, we are accused of supporting a system that targets and abuses the feelings of minorities. That satirising religion is cover for attacking Muslims.
That narrative needs challenging - all religions and religious figures are targets for satire and being made fun of. No one gets an exception, and that some try to by killing cartoonists, translators or threatening authors is a disgrace.
Our reaction must be to condemn the murder of people, beyond anyone's hurt religious sensibility. The weight of our indignation must be against bloodshed. It must be for freedom to be true to ourselves, free to express, and to live as our conscience dictates without fear of reparisal for an opinion.
Or else we have a serious problem.
Maajid Nawaz in a video talks about Raif Badawi - sentenced to ten years and a thousand lashes. For blogging that the theocratic regime of Saudi Arabia was at odds with what Islam teaches, and for advocating liberal principles.
We need to be moved against the violence of religious fundamentalism far more than demands of religious piety and outrage against a cartoon.
(You can see more of the above cartoons here).
To confuse the bigotry of the far right that sees all Muslims as following an evil ideology with Charlie Hebdo is nonsensical. Racists attempt to make "the" Muslims all the same and other to us - do not oblige them by saying all Muslims must react the same.
That reaction does not have to be uniform as so many commentators suggest. You can choose to be outraged or not to give a flying duck. You have the power, not satirists or terrorists. Think for yourself.
Those that draw blood, not those that draw, are the enemies of religion. Time to focus more on those that will kill and torture in the name of your God over those that lampoon him and his messenger. Or else humanity is losing the plot.
Article written by John Sargeant orginally on Homo economicus' Weblog