Gunmen Kill 12 at Office of French Satirical Magazine "Charlie Hebdo"

[ShaokhaN]

Anyone's death is a tragedy but am I the only one not surprised to see this happen? France has some horrible laws when it comes to freedom of religion, especially for Muslims; religious symbols are banned in schools (for all religions) while Muslim women have it even worse due to the French ban on face coverings. Marseilles also tried to institute a ban on religious symbols at civil partnerships but that wasn't passed. I see people posting Voltaire's "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it", but I don't think they've considered doing or saying the same for downtrodden religious people wanting to express their religious beliefs. Bear in mind that many Muslim women fled the Middle East due to oppressive laws governing what they can or cannot wear yet France did the same thing.

I don't feel so strongly about religious satire that I don't have sympathy for the victims, of course, but people have been quoting Stéphane Charbonnier's "I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees". I can't help but wonder how he thinks mocking an already-marginalised group is being "on his feet" or catering to them is being "on his knees". Kicking oppressed groups when they're down certainly requires being on your feet to do though ...

Sorry for bumping this, but I feel this article nicely answers this argument (which has been repeated by others in this thread).

[Crazy Diamond]

Sorry for bumping this, but I feel this article nicely answers this argument (which has been repeated by others in this thread).

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com...-hebdo-parody/

Where was the love for freedom of speech then?

Then there's this:

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/201...rt-spiegelman/

[ShaokhaN]

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com...-hebdo-parody/

Where was the love for freedom of speech then?

Completely irrelevant to what I posted.

Then there's this:

http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/201...rt-spiegelman/

That was a pretty empty wall of text. The author was apparently pissed at Art Spiegelman for the slogan "Cartoonists’ lives matter" and decided to let us all know how pissed he/she was. There's almost zero actual content except the idea that "interpretations are subjective so they're all true in a way". Uh, except that when you're accusing someone of racism for a drawing, there should be a little more substance behind the charge than "because I feel it's racist".

[Look]

It's becoming more and more evident to me that freedom of speech has uncomfortable boundaries. If someone expresses an opinion or an idea that other people might misunderstand or misinterpret then surely a discussion, a dialogue, is the best way forward, in order to help understanding.
What happened in Paris is truly horrendous. People being killed to, presumably, silence them. Just appalling, and horrific.

more news


Islamic Mobs in Egypt Are Burning Down Christians' Homes, Forcing Families to Flee for 'Insulting' Facebook Posts

http://www.christianpost.com/

Several reports over the past week have said that Coptic Christian families in the Beni Suef governorate in Egypt have seen their homes burned down and have been forced to flee angry Muslim mobs who accuse them of insulting Islam in Facebook posts.

Four Marines were killed on Thursday by a gunman who opened fire at two military offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before being fatally shot in an attack officials called a brazen, brutal act of domestic terrorism.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation named the suspect as Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez, 24, but said it was too early to speculate on a motive for the rampage, which comes at a time when U.S. military and law enforcement authorities are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by "lone wolves" to domestic targets.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reu...ficer-hit.html
NBC News reported that Abdulazeez was a naturalized American who was born in Kuwait. U.S. law enforcement officials said they were investigating whether he was inspired by Islamic State or a similar group.


Chattanooga Shooter Reportedly Kept a Blog About Islam

http://www.mediaite.com/online/chatt...g-about-islam/

The media has been asking lots of questions today on the potential reasons for why Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez attacked two military facilities, leaving four U.S. Marines dead in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Abdulazeez was a Muslim, but despite speculation, there has not been any definite proof or testimony yet that he had any extremist leanings or any connections to ISIS. A report from The Daily Beast, however, says that Abdulazeez kept a blog where he wrote two posts on July 13––just days ago––about his thoughts on Islam.

The first post was reportedly called “A Prison Called Dunya,” and he wrote about how Muslim life was temporary experience that was meant to “separate the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of Hellfire.”

“I would imagine that any sane person would devote their time to mastering the information on the study guide and stay patient with their studies, only giving time for the other things around to keep themselves focused on passing the exam,” Abdulazeez wrote, describing a hypothetical prisoner.

“They would do this because they know and have been told that they will be rewarded with pleasures that they have never seen.”

In the second post, called “Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men,” Muslims were described as having an innate understanding of Islamic faith, even if it cannot be expressed or understood by conventional descriptions.

[dancj]

"Our gods are dead. Ancient Klingon warriors slew them a millennia ago. They were more trouble than they were worth." -- Worf (DS9: "Homefront")

If I did that putting quotes in sigs thing, I'd be tempted by that one.