After Paris, Freedom
Writ Large is at Stake (Kurier, Austria)
"Immigrants
of Muslim faith need to know that they have to accept our achievements if they wish
to stay here. These include equality and equal treatment of men and women as
well as the separation of church and state. As a Christian, one may find
cartoons of the pope or Jesus Christ repellent, but censorship is the beginning
of the end of freedom. … Although the idea of a worldwide caliphate sounds utterly
insane, it appears that Syria and Iraq are not the only places where madmen fight
for it."
“This was an attack on an entire country,” a shocked
Frenchman said on television. The man understated the case. The shots of Paris
were an attack on free society as it was and is being established in many
parts of the world. It is based on a respect for dissent, on the separation of
church and state and on unconditional freedom of expression. The terrorists in
Syria who hope to establish a worldwide caliphate know nothing about this. They
despise us and our beliefs. They only know the structure of a theocracy, where all
who don't want to submit to their Muslim faith are killed.
To turn the Paris killings into a campaign against Islam
would be fatal. On Arab news channel Al-Jazeera,
the female presenter asked the Paris correspondent whether the satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo
had sometimes gone too far. “Why?” the correspondent asked. After all, no one was
forced to buy the magazine. So it is possible to hold a liberal attitude at Al-Jazeera –a station owned by the Emir
of Qatar.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
With two million
people and 50 heads of state from almost 60 countries
in Paris to show a
united front after Charlie Hebdo attacks, no senior
U.S.
So soon after this bloody act, we mustn't judge whether
someone is religious, an atheist, or an agnostic. There is only one standard: Those
who stand in favor of an open society with free expression - and those who are
against it. Of course, immigrants of Muslim faith need to know that they have
to accept our achievements if they wish to stay here. These include equality
and equal treatment of men and women as well as the separation of church and
state. As a Christian, one may find cartoons of the pope or Jesus Christ
repellent, but censorship is the beginning of the end of freedom.
Political Islam is
the enemy of freedom
And Muslims must tolerate criticism of their religion.Those who immediately see persecution
whenever the peacefulness of the Qur’an is questioned must learn about the
culture of open debate. Last summer, in an interview
with Kurier,
Muslim political scientist Hamed
Abdel-Samad emphasized, “Within the political
dimension of Islam, there is no such thing as a moderate movement.” He
continued, “For us Muslims the victim is irrelevant. We are instead concerned
with the offender. If the latter is Muslim, it is condoned.” Meanwhile, Abdel-Samad, an Egyptian, has been forced into hiding.
The alleged perpetrators have been identified. There is
every indication that radical Muslims fired the shots. Although the idea of a
worldwide caliphate sounds utterly insane, it appears that Syria and Iraq are not
the only places where madmen fight for it.Against this we must staunchly defend ourselves, but so must all Muslims
who reside among us.
We must mourn the Paris victims; their families deserve our
compassion. The only message of these murders might just be that freedom in an
enlightened, liberal society cannot be taken for granted.
