The terrorist attack that left 12 people dead at Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper, has incited a debate about free speech and its limits in France.
Al-Qaeda in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it was retaliation for images of the Islamic prophet Mohammed that the newspaper had published. Muslim teachings forbid images of the prophet.
In response, Charlie Hebdo’s latest cover featured an image of Mohammed holding a sign that reads “Je Suis Charlie,” or “I Am Charlie,” a phrase adopted by the newspaper’s supporters in solidarity. The issue, which printed 3 million copies, sold out immediately in many locations but prompted a negative reaction from the Muslim community.
“As an organization, we are in constant discussions in international forums to explain that the freedom of expression is not an invitation to hatred and it is not to offend the religion of the others,” Iyad Ameen Madani, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said.
Recent public demonstrations supported free expression, but there has also been debate over the limits of free speech in France. French law does not protect defamation or hate speech, nor does it protect speech that is anti-Semitic, racist or homophobic.
French officials recently arrested 54 people for hate speech, including comic Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, who was previously convicted for racism and anti-Semitism. A recent Facebook post on Dieudonné’s page included the phrase “I feel like Charlie Coulibaly,” a merging of “Je Suis Charlie” and the name of one of the gunmen in the attacks.
Prosecutors said Dieudonne’s post showed support for the attackers, but he says his statements should be protected under free speech.
Warm up questions
- What is the goal of a political cartoon?
- What are some things that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have in common? (Hint: Do they have important texts? Holidays? Rules?)
- What are terrorists trying to accomplish? How should we fight terrorists?
Critical thinking questions
- Do you think that the right to freedom of speech should be protected in every case? When do you think it should not be protected?
- Do you think it was the right or wrong decision for Charlie Hebdo to run a political cartoon of the prophet Mohammed after the death of their colleagues last week? Explain your answer.
- Some news organizations chose to show the Hebdo cartoon in their coverage this week and some did not. Imagine that you are the head of a news organization and you have to make the decision, what would you do? Explain your answer.
