RAJI BELLO ON CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACK Yesterday’s terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo is an unfortunate culmination of a clash between two extreme ideologies: extreme Islamic ideology on one hand and extreme liberal ideology on the other. Taking human life on account of blasphemy is not acceptable in the Islamic faith and stands to be condemned. The Holy Prophet himself did not react to blasphemy in this manner neither did he recommend it to his followers. While atheism represents a valid exercise of religious freedom and secularism is a suitable and practical political system for the modern multi-faith nation state, the use of these two as bases for assaulting the sensibilities of people of faith in the mass media is a form of extremism. There is no valid and compelling need for anyone to wilfully mock the symbols of religious faiths and it is not an essential element for sustaining a satirical newspaper. The exercise of freedom without responsibility in any society is an extreme ideology by itself and must be recognised as such. In the end, the actions of both the terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo and the editors of the newspaper will be counterproductive. Apart from being a criminal act of mass murder, the attack on the newspaper will reinforce a negative view of Islam, add fuel to Europe’s anti-Islam movements and provoke more ‘blasphemous’ acts. On the other hand, the newspaper’s satirisation of the Prophet of Islam, which almost all Muslims find objectionable, will not only feed extremism in the Muslim world but will tie the hands of the moderate Muslim majority in the struggle between moderation and extremism within Islam. The world will be a better place when moderation becomes a virtue to both the religious and the non-religious.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 08:23:21 +0000
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