As a Christian myself I'm fairly used to my faith being insulted and even to being insulted myself occasionally because of it, but it doesn't particularly bother me. I follow a persecuted saviour who commands me to "love my enemies" and most of the founders of my faith were persecuted for it, so to some extent at least I consider insults to be par for the course!
I personally don't really "get" why images of Muhammad are such a big deal for Muslims and I don't think that non-Muslims should be forced to adhere to the same standards. I also don't believe in offending people deliberately though, unless there is a good reason to do so.
None of this is a judgement on Charlie Hebdo or on their editor, Stephane Charbonnier, who was killed in today's attack - I don't know everything they published, I don't have an opinion regarding whether they should have done or not, and it doesn't make any difference - there can be no justification whatsoever for what has just taken place!
I want to say something to any Muslims who may be reading this. I know that many Muslims - probably the majority, at least in the west - will be as appalled as I am about what has just happened. I am sorry for your sake, as well as for those who were killed and their friends and relatives, because I know that some of you will almost certainly bear the backlash for something that you feel just as badly about as I do.
If you're one of those who doesn't feel like this though - if you're one of those that is pleased that your prophet has been "avenged" - will you please think again?!:
What kind of prophet needs to be avenged by violent deaths because someone pictured him in a cartoon? And what kind of God is so insecure and has such a brittle ego that he feels threatened by such a thing and needs puny human beings to "protect" his reputation in so brutal a fashion? And what kind of reputation do you think you're creating for this God anyway?
"Allahu Akbar" - "God is great"! He might be great, but is he good? And if he isn't good then why are you serving him? Are you really sure that you're serving the right God...? (and if he's so great then why does he need you to defend him anyway...?)
Hassan Chalghoumi - an imam of the Paris suburb of Drancy - has said of the attackers: "Their prophet is Satan. There is no connection between the Islamic faith and this minority."
Hassan Chalghoumi - an imam of the Paris suburb of Drancy - has said of the attackers: "Their prophet is Satan. There is no connection between the Islamic faith and this minority."
If you're one of those who condones this attack, then please think again really hard about whether you're really following the right prophet, or the right God...!
