The barbaric assassinations of 10 Parisian journalists and two police officers by suspected Islamist terrorists on Wednesday must fill the world with righteous rage and the resolve to challenge the use of brutality and intimidation to suppress free expression.
Of grave concern is that governments throughout the West haven’t done more to rail against such assaults on journalists, or fully recognize them for what they are: attacks on democracy itself.
The news-gathering profession has suffered devastating losses in recent years, especially in the battlefields of the Middle East. Now that non-state actors such as ISIS have made the entire region a war zone, those losses have escalated, and have expanded across the globe.
The 10 staffers who were murdered in the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly newspaper known for its cartoons, are the latest to die in the line of duty. The newspaper’s commentary was no less consequential for its humor, which reflected a particularly French perspective — in this case, one that’s frequently mocking of religious beliefs of all kinds, as well as atheism.
The killers asserted that they were taking revenge for the publication of a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad, anathema to devout practitioners of the Muslim faith. At various flash points in recent history, some political leaders, including those in France, have urged journalists to refrain from what they call provocations.
Wednesday’s shocking carnage has all but extinguished such calls.
Extremists believe they can dictate when people outside their faith have overstepped their bounds. They don’t have that power. But too often they’ve been accorded it, when news organizations self-censor or government officials try to rein in the media.
The right to have and openly express a viewpoint, even if it can be construed as offensive, is worth defending vigorously. Otherwise, the freedom to criticize society’s leadership and institutions starts to erode.
Many are pointing out that this episode has occurred at an especially perilous time for the Muslim communities of Europe. The scourge of hatred and scapegoating historically accompanies periods of economic distress, and Europe has struggled to recover its footing. Muslims have been the target of demonization.
In some German cities, regular anti-Muslim rallies have been mounted by a group that calls itself Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West. That group, also known as PEGIDA, attracted its biggest crowd so far this week in Dresden.
This rising tide has been countered, as it should, by demonstrations of moderation, in other cities. Lights around the historic Cologne Cathedral went out as a silent, symbolic statement; elsewhere, thousands joined more vigorous protests.
But if the voices of reason are to prevail, they must be raised firmly against attacks that strike at the heart of democracy.
For their part, Muslim organizations must speak out loudly and continuously to condemn such heinous acts. The cruelty of the extremists, in addition to claiming Muslim victims, has created an untenable barrier between the Islamic mainstream and the non-Muslim world that must come down.
Across Paris on Wednesday, people gathered in a show of solidarity with Charlie Hebdo and the loved ones of the victims. Mourners carried signs that read "Je suis Charlie." They are right.
Each of them is Charlie. We are all Charlie. The media, often presented as an interest group separate from the general public, are, in reality, the public’s voice. And when someone tries to silence that voice, we must fight back — all of us.
