I was badly shocked and saddened by the vicious terrorist attack that took place in Paris yesterday. I mourn its victims, those from Charlie Hebdo and the police officers who were murdered. I also mourn the policewoman who lost her life today, whether or not that incident was related to yesterday’s terrorist attack. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and to the French people.
At the same time, I join the growing chorus of sentiment in proclaiming, “Je suis Charlie.” The cause of free expression is both noble and vital. One cannot overstate the importance of free expression.
John Stuart Mill made among the strongest arguments for free speech in his classic work, On Liberty. Those arguments resonate as loudly and clearly today as they did when he first put them to paper nearly 150 years ago. He wrote:
[T]hough the silenced opinion be an error, it may, and very commonly does, contain a portion of truth; and since the general or prevailing opinion on any object is rarely or never the whole truth, it is only by the collision of adverse opinions that the remainder of the truth has any chance of being supplied.
That point goes to the heart of Charlie Hebdo's satirical work. The power of its cartoons, from the perspective laid out by Mill, is not that they were "truth" per se (they weren’t), but that they contained “a portion of truth.”
The cartoons presented contemporary perceptions. Those perceptions were grounded in real events and developments taking place across the Mideast and South Asia. Those events and developments, Mill’s "portion of truth," represent a good starting point for a serious dialogue among Muslims and also an interfaith dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims.
The pathologies and wanton cruelty exhibited by the extremists in the name of Islam are solely and completely the responsibility of those extremists. Silence, though, can lead to those acts being permitted to define far more than the extremists. That’s the message that was conveyed through the cartoons. No good person—Muslim or non-Muslim alike—can permit such perceptions to become de facto reality without risking grave harm to humanity, injury that would far surpass what the terrorists inflict today. As Edmund Burke so succinctly put it, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Therefore, yesterday’s brutal attack must serve as a clarion call for a renewed and robust defense of free speech. Free expression, not all of which is tasteful and some of which can shock the senses, is the lifeblood of creativity, innovation, research and inquiry, learning, and human progress.
Neither France nor the West can afford to compromise when it comes to safeguarding this most basic freedom. The costs of doing so would vastly outweigh any perceived or actual benefits. Without free expression, France cannot be France and the West cannot be the West. Therefore, like so many here, I stand in full solidarity with my friends in France at their time of peril and enormous sadness, and with good people all across the world, in declaring, “Nous sommes tous des Charlie.”
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11 comments
Valérie D said:
Don Sutherland replied to Valérie D:
William Sutherland said:
Pam J said:
They are psychopaths.... pure and simple.... lets start calling this slime and all those like it what they truly ARE.
They hide behind creeds(or race....or colour) because they are nothing.. and will be nothing and not all the bloodshed in the world will make their psychotic butchery into something of worth.
.t.a.o.n. said:
Don Sutherland replied to .t.a.o.n.:
Treasa Ui Cionaodha said:
If Only these murders could take on board that we the world have the right to believe in what ever we believe and accord us all a live and let live policy. Also to tolerate as a basic right of freedom of thought, the freedom of expression and basic right to Free Speech . Ju Suis Charlie.
A section of a Poem I learned as a child. Thought me tolerance to all in whatever their believes are. WE ARE ALL CHILDREN OF THE UNIVERSE.
"You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy."
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata,
Don Sutherland replied to Treasa Ui Cionaodha:
Bernadette said:
Kathleen Thorpe said:
Fizgig said:
I don't say these things to condone the type of reaction 4 psychopaths chose to engage in to express their opposition to mockery or satire. It is reprehensible and barbaric. Yet, it is nothing new and not something mere words will ever change. History books are full of such heinous actions with countless lives lost.
Those who live in free societies where freedom of expression is a right should be mindful of the fact that their words have the power to cause real harm. Mockery of religious beliefs can have tragic consequences and can incite untold violence. Should that alone curtail what people say in print? Perhaps not... But if one chooses the actions, unfortunately, one must also be mindful of consequences. The editor had warning (which few in such situations are likely to get) and yet chose to risk not only his life, but the lives of others who worked for him in his satirical pursuits. It's a blessing the killing ended with the loss of less than 20 lives. Most of the other religious groups, etc., that publication offended over the years just chose to ignore it all, but they did eventually pick on a group that was far less understanding.
These murderers hid behind the veil of religion... But, the mind of a psychopath is rarely that simple to analyze. Freedom in a world such as we live in is far more complicated than people realize and should be treasured and worth more than to waste it making fun of others. Especially in a world where one person's joke is another person's declaration of war... Yes, that's what humanity has come to: people dying over someone's attempt at humor. Mourn not just for those who lost their lives in Paris, but for humanity in general.... Scores more will die in the name of freedom, religion, greed, etc. -- the list of reasons gets pretty long.