How do we respond to violent terrorism by political Islamist?
At this time the details and actions are still unfolding. Nevertheless, there are already a number of very different media responses to the Islamist violence in Paris which killed 12 and injured many more in the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
As a way to assist us to explore options and differences while broadening our perspectives, below are several very different articles.
Here is a Financial Times columnist's response which looks at the violence and the "blame of the victim" - and a very quick media response to it:
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/01/07/financial-times-charlie-hebdo-kinda-asked-for-it-yknow/
Here is the "official" Financial Times editorial:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/08e3a53a-966c-11e4-922f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3O9TocWdU
Another media response is in New Yorker magazine by George Packer which also explores the issue of "who is to blame" but turns that question in an interesting way:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/blame-for-charlie-hebdo-murders
Here are two very different takes on the violence focusing on underlying principles and differences, how conflicts arise and possible solutions :
http://www.wsj.com/articles/reuel-marc-gerecht-france-and-the-new-charismatic-jihad-1420675227
http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamist-terror-in-paris-1420675706
Since cartoons seem to have been the major offense which gave rise to this violence, here is a collection of cartoon responses as well as internal links to the originals and more:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/worth-1000-words-cartoonists-draw-for-slain-colleagues/?utm_source=The+Times+of+Israel+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=6f16049143-2014_01_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-6f16049143-54382825
Here is an interesting conclusion by Charles Hill about violent Islamism in an article published prior to the attack:
"John Kerry’s statement about ISIS having “no place in the modern world”
was oblivious to the possibility that the modern world itself may be
coming to an end. History is not predetermined to proceed always in a
progressive, ever-better direction. If the current course of events and
ideas is not reversed, the coming age will have abandoned its
assumptions of open trade, open expression and the ideal of government
by consent of the governed. Political Islam will be comfortable with
itself at last."
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/12/political-islam-is-succeeding-113835.html#.VK6x_Xs_ZNZ
Here is a collection of emails from the Doha Qatar based
Al-Jazeera staff and editors which seems to reflect some of the conflicts between Islam
and freedom of speech/freedom of press:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/396131/i-am-not-charlie-leaked-newsroom-e-mails-reveal-al-jazeera-fury-over-global-support
And here are the anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists:
http://tabletmag.com/scroll/188193/conspiracy-theorists-blame-paris-attack-on-israel
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