12 dead in shooting at satirical newspaper in Paris

Time to hunt the extremists!

Tolerance and diversity are scams. Cultures survive and thrive by having common values. Diversity divides and kills.

If I had the money, I'd build a huge barbed wire fence around the middle east and put guards on the inside and outside. One set of guards keeps people out, and the other keeps people in.

Not that I necessarily agree with their politics, but it's gratifying to see at least some media are not cowed by violent intimidation.

Once again, freedom of expression under attack by, no doubt, Muslim extremists.

It was expected. Charlie Hedbo had been in the crosshairs for a long time. Another chilling reminder to the Europeans to repress their traditional freedom of speech. And now lets wait for the traditional chorus from the media and politicians that one particular religion has nothing to do with this!

Tolerance and diversity are scams. Cultures survive and thrive by having common values. Diversity divides and kills.

Depends. Take, for instance, Singapore and Malaysia. Both have diverse groups of people living peacefully among themselves. For Singapore, that diversity is celebrated.

I hope Ben Affleck and others like him now understand the argument that Sam Harris and Bill Maher were trying to make. Islam, like many other religions, has a bunch of ideas which are just dangerous and extremely outrageous which need to be discussed openly. While people like Affleck refuse to acknowledge that religious doctrine is a problem, radical extremists continue to target and kill people for something as simple as drawing a bunch of cartoons. This behavior of the extremists finds full justification in the religious texts, and our refusal to acknowledge this empowers and emboldens them.

@WillieB; WHAT? Excuse me, one word: SONY. THERE was THE CAVE IN of the last 1000 years. European satire hasn't been silenced by Islam, it's made it shout louder.

Once again, Islamist exremists demonstrate their complete inability to coexist with the rest of the world, and once again we hear only crickets from the so-called "moderates."

Evil festers, while Islamic apologists sit idly by...

UK0303:

" THERE was THE CAVE IN of the last 1000 years. European satire hasn't been silenced by Islam, it's made it shout louder. "

Oh really? When is the last time you saw a Mohammed cartoon then? Anywhere in the West? Except for Charlie Hebdo of course, but we can RIP that. The cave-in in happening as we speak, and one of the last remaining nails has just been hammered in.

I've just been watching a British Muslim on BBC who still couldn't help emphasizing how depictions of 'the prophet' are offensive although he decried violence. As was well put by one observer, for a religion which claims to be the answer to all human problems, it seems very insecure. The BBC of course didn't show any images of the material printed by Charlie Hebdo. I think we all know why.

Serrano Once again, freedom of expression under attack by, no doubt, Muslim extremists

Sorry : France officially supported Muslim extremists in Libya and in Syria (including Al Qaeda!!!) by money by information and by fire-arms and by Air Force !

So - here feedback

NEVER play with extremists/ mafia - today you are best friends, tomorrow they demand your head..

Time to hunt the extremists!

not exactly, time to ban Islam from civilized countries.

untouchable sacred book or prophets seen as gods are not really compatible with a vision of freedom and peace.

Olegek is right.... the West has been incredibly stupid to suppor islamic jihadis for short-term perceived gains. It goes way back... Afghanistan (Reagan supporting the Mujahedin), Iraq, Tunesia, Libya, Syria, Muslim Brotherhood in Eqypt... every secular dictator has been replaced by wild-eyed relgious nutcases, with our help. The West has gone insane.

While this massacre is outrageous, this magazina has been playing with danger for a long time. Do they really need to be satyrical by disrespecting different beliefs? It should have not been this way, but this attack was coming their way.

FullM3taL

I hope Ben Affleck and others like him now understand the argument that Sam Harris and Bill Maher were trying to make.

Harris argues Muslim violence is neither "radical" nor "extreme."

Harris argues Muslim violence is fundamental to Islam, and mainstream.

ALL Religion is, is a form of control for the 'mentally challenged'. No one in their right mind should fear something that does not exist. All GODS are imaginary for they do not exist unless humans act on their behalf which explains the BS we hear all the time that 'God works in mysterious ways' or 'it's Allah's will'.

If we all sat back and did NOTHING in the name of all these make believe deities, what would happen to the world? NOTHING!!!

The world would continue along and all would be much better off not being controlled in the name of some silly God which they must fear. Just think about how stupid that sounds, 'God fearing'. Kind of makes you think that deities must lounge around wearing a dirty, greasy white tank top (aka wife beater) and make you fear their wrath just like some poor woman does if she doesn't do what her thug of a husband wishes. Kind of sounds like a religion we all know of where women have 'less rights' than men do.

Religion is nothing but a power trip and those that act out violently come from the religions that are the most insecure about their standing. How immature as a people can you be if a 'drawing of your deity' causes you to kill? That's pathetic and sad and not a religion but a gang of thugs bent on control through violence.

Do they really need to be satyrical by disrespecting different beliefs?

Yes. It is called freedom of speech. Look it up.

@WilliB I must have missed the huge support the US has had for the Muslim Brotherhood or for Al-Qaida of late. It is easy for a petro-state like Russia not to give money to Saudi Arabia, but the free world needs access to oil and not from a bully like Russia. Forgive me if I cheer on the Chechens next time.

Rest in Peace to all the innocents. Just hoping the cowardly thugs are caught. It is high time that all islamists - wherever they are in the world - are hunted down and cleansed from the civilised world.

"When Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa on novelist Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses, it was the opening shot in a war on cultural freedom. Two decades later, the violence continues, and Muslim fundamentalists have gained a new advantage: media self-censorship."

Hithcen's wrote this 5 years ago. Since then, fundamentalist Muslim violence, and its credible threat of violence, has succeeded in bullying most of the media into self-censorship. Recall the Danish Cartoons. Recall South Park. Recall all of it.

Many recall how those on the so-called internationalist and pacifist Left refused to condemn the intimidation. Fewer recall how mainstream Christianity stood with the violent Muslims, and not with the "provocateurs."

Charlie Hebdo was one of the few organization which refused to bow. More precisely, the following individuals refused to bow to fundamentalist Muslim intimidation:

The cartoonists Charb, Cabu, Honoré, Tignous, and Wolinski. Other victims included the economist Bernard Maris, and publicist Michel Renaud.

And now, these people are dead. They are dead because they published cartoons of "the Propeht" and other such "outrageous insults against Islam."

They are dead because they exercised what every person posting on this message board takes for granted: the ability think what we wish and have our thoughts be heard. Do not forget for one minute that if fundamentalist Islam has its way, that you could be reading this sentence right now.

We are at a turning point. A lined has been crossed. The "media" has been attacked, and media people are dead.

WIll those who so far have allowed the newly dead to fight our battle continue to bow their head to fundamentalist Muslim violence? Will you let them?

Or will they -- will you -- stand up and realize you cannot bow low enough to appease these people. They, quite literally, demand submission.

-- Je Suis Charlie

"While this massacre is outrageous, this magazina has been playing with danger for a long time. Do they really need to be satyrical by disrespecting different beliefs? It should have not been this way, but this attack was coming their way"

Disgusting victim blaming. "Coming their way"? Just like blaming a rape victim for not dressing in burlap head-to-toe.

Religious extremists prove their religion is evil. We all know which religion is responsible.

JTDanMan

I agree. As I said earlier, their violence does find justification in their religious texts. My understanding of Harris's point is that there are many Muslims who do not personally engage in violence (whether or not they support the idea of violence for the defense of their faith is another matter entirely). These moderate Muslims, and other liberals, then turn around and say - "See, we don't do violence. And hence, it's not religion that's the problem. What they are doing is not our religion." The fact remains that the extremist version of Islam is just as plausible an interpretation of their doctrine. There are passages in Hadith which say that its blasphemous to draw depictions of Muhammad. And these ideas have a large number of subscribers, some of whom further believe that blasphemy should be punishable by death. And as long as we do not accept and criticize that, there will be no change.

You cant remove "Islam" from "radical Islam".

You will find that a vast majority dont follow the radical path, but that doesnt mean these radicals are following some completeoy different book.

'Do they really need to be satyrical by disrespecting different beliefs?'

They don't need to but they have the choice to. France believes in something called freedom of expression ( they had a bit of an event a few hundred years ago asserting this kind of idea among others ). Are there any other things you'd like to declare off-limits or is it just particular desert superstitions which deserve a pass because they might slaughter you for drawing cartoons?

Disgusting victim blaming. "Coming their way"? Just like blaming a rape victim for not dressing in burlap head-to-toe.

Religious extremists prove their religion is evil. We all know which religion is responsible.

Yes, I think they pulled this massacred to their side. I am not saying that they had it coming. If Islam is to be discussed, let's do it on diplomatic levels. Jokes never helped it - as we all know. Assassins killing stupid journalists.

Salman Rushdie:

Religion, a medieval form of unreason, when combined with modern weaponry becomes a real threat to our freedoms. This religious totalitarianism has caused a deadly mutation in the heart of Islam and we see the tragic consequences in Paris today. I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. ‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaning ‘fear of religion’. Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.

Je Suis Charlie!

FullM3taL I agree. As I said earlier, their violence does find justification in their religious texts. My understanding of Harris's point is that there are many Muslims who do not personally engage in violence (whether or not they support the idea of violence for the defense of their faith is another matter entirely). These moderate Muslims,

Think about this : Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, Bashar al-Assad - they have NEVER cooperating with Al Quaeda

NEVER allowed one jihadist step to the area controlled by governement forces

They NEVER used extremists or radicals ( they prefer to destroy them)

All these three leaders of Islam world was a SECULAR liders

What is a result of NATO wars and invasion ?

ISIS ? Rising Islam extremism in Europe ?

Another chilling reminder to the Europeans to repress their traditional freedom of speech.

This may once have been true, but less so today. Europeans repress freedom of speech regarding blasphemy and historical denialism, not to mention the ridiculous libel laws of Britain, the likes of which we've recently also seen in South Korea. The Yanks have taken over the mantle of free speech, to their credit.

@Olegek

Rising Islam extremism in Europe ?

It takes a special kind of Russian propaganda to believe that if we had only kept Sadam Hussein and Kadafi in power, all would be sunshine and smiles with the Islamists.

@JTDanMan Well, keep living in your vision of the world where democracy is the source of all problems. Civilized peoples know better.

Olegek is right.... the West has been incredibly stupid to suppor islamic jihadis for short-term perceived gains. It goes way back... Afghanistan (Reagan supporting the Mujahedin),

And, the Russians had no role in that whatsoever... right

While this massacre is outrageous, this magazina has been playing with danger for a long time. Do they really need to be satyrical by disrespecting different beliefs? It should have not been this way, but this attack was coming their way.

Yes, a brutal satirical counter-attack by Islamists on this French satirical magazine was certainly overdue.

Waiting....waiting...