I first became aware of Charlie
Hebdo when I heard about the terrorist attack on January 7th. My
initial response was unattached; twelve people dead is tragic, but tragedy
happens all the time.
But for my French friends around me
it was not something to be unattached about, it was personal. It was an attack
in their nation. It was the targeted assassination of well known and dearly
loved public figures. I think this is inpart why the cry for solidarity has
been “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), because so many people can identify with
those killed at Charlie Hebdo. I have heard stories of people who grew up
reading comics and articles by those killed, whether published by Charlie Hebdo
or in other magazines. Satire and the idea no subject is too sacred to escape
mocking is a deeply held French value; it seems to date back at least to the
writings of Voltaire and the Enlightenment which are both at the core of the
French identity. Regardless of opinions concerning this freedom of speech, the
attack on Charlie Hebdo feels like an assault on French values and culture. France
is not my country, but it is my host country. French culture is not my culture,
but it is my friends’ culture. So I want to stand with my friends and grieve
this attack.
My concern now is what the backlash
will be. We panic when something as foundational as our culture or worldview is
threatened. France is characterized by a unique brand of militant secularism
known as laïcité which seeks to restrict the expression of personal beliefs in a
public setting. This philosophy confronted with the large North African Muslim
population now living within France has made anti-immigrant sentiments and questions
of religious freedoms into hot topics of debate since before we arrived in
France. I fear this new attack will only fuel the view religion is
fundamentally incompatible with French culture, and spur a rise in actions
against immigrants, specifically North-Africans, and Muslims. Already laïcité
and Islamophobia place restrictions on religions of any sort.
The Muslim community in France is as
deeply grieved by this attack as the rest of the French people, but now bears
the added weight put on them by political powers and mob mentality. Extremists,
both those who plotted the attack as well as the National Front (the
ultraconservative, nationalistic, and Islamophobic political party), want to
use this attack to divide the people of France and further their agendas. They
want to force Muslims to say either they condone Charlie’s images against Islam
and condemn Wednesday’s attack, or they condemn the images and condone the
attack. But this is a false dichotomy, and many Muslims feel caught in the
middle. A Muslim friend of mine said he has been hurt three times now: first
when Charlie Hebdo published their cartoons, second was the attack on
Wednesday, and now a third time when people began saying all Muslims are
terrorists.
People have also begun spreading “Je
ne suis pas Charlie” (I am not Charlie) on social media as a reaction to those
killed at Charlie being viewed as martyrs of free speech. In the wake of this
attack people are questioning and responding to the previous published works of
Charlie Hebdo. The tension which erupted with the attack is still lingering and
everyone is in a reactive mood. It has been noted social media polarizes people
and viewpoints; we either agree 100% or we are opponents. People feel the need
to critique and comment upon every single point of deviation they may have with
another person’s thoughts. Add this to something has volatile as Charlie Hebdo,
and we get a potential social media storm with overly defined and simplistic battle
lines dividing people.
This is missing the true need right
now. Whether the past actions of those at Charlie Hebdo were wise, disrespectful,
funny, or imprudent is not the issue. Twelve people are dead in what was an
attack on a cultural value. We do not have to agree 100% with Charlie Hebdo’s policies
to be grieved by this attack or to mourn with those around us. “Je ne suis pas
Charlie” at worst seems to say those who died deserved it, and at best
invalidates the grief of everyone affected by the attack. It may not be meant
as invalidation of others' grief, but it is perceived as such, and I cannot
agree with that. Now is not the time to ponder Charlie Hebdo’s policies, it is
a time to mourn together. If you do not feel comfortable changing your profile
picture to “Je suis Charlie” don’t, but please do not nullify another’s grief. Division
will not bring peace; it will spark only violence and fear. Our only hope is
that we can love others and work together through this.
Please pray for France: pray for
unity, peace, and understanding.
