Trying
to Understand the Actions of French Islamic Terrorists
| Courtesy of CNN |
Evelyn E. Smith
M.S. In Library Science,
University of North Texas (2012)
Addendum
December
21, 2015
Readers
should note that within the House of Islam every action has an opposite reaction. Hence, devout Muslims who also seek to reform
their faith without the violence that is currently inflecting terror
upon the world are voicing their opposition to Muslim extremism. While Christianity underwent a Reformation and a Counter Reformation, Islam has yet to transform itself so that Sunnis and Shiites can peacefully co-exist--never mind living with other "People of the Book"--Jews and Christians.
Akyoli,
Mustafa. (2015, December 21). A medieval antidote to ISIS. New
York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/a-medieval-antidote-to-isis.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=0
Reviving
the now heretical concept on irja, which literally translates as "postponing" [judgment] until the afterlife, just might be the
start of a Muslim Reformation.
Nomani,
Asra Q. and Afrafa, Hala. (2015, December 21). As Muslim women, we
actually ask you not to wear the 'hijab' the name of interfaith
solidarity. Washington Post. Retrieved from
Conservative,
yet well-educated and open-minded Muslim women argue that to force
Muslim women to wear a hijab, which is ordinarily
mistranslated as head scarf, actually subjugates Muslim women rather than honoring them, noting
that fundamentalist Islamic theology shouldn't be the only belief
system that devout Muslims should be allowed to practice.
___________
Below readers will find a
catalog of possible reasons that apologists give for Said and Cherif
Kouachi's massacre of an anti-authoritarian, leftist, satirical
Parisian weekly's cartoonists and journalists along with the
subsequent storming of a Jewish grocery by one of their brethren.
Both western and Islamic writers have proposed religious,
socioeconomic, psychological, and political explanations for their
heinous actions. However, since both moderate Muslims from around
the world and their Western counterparts with the exception of United
States President Barack Obama have visibly shown that they condemn
the radical Muslim terrorists' actions, this points the way to an
eventual thoughtful, non-violent resolution to the differences that
besets the clash of Western and Middle Eastern culture. Such
reconciliation will take much time and effort, for the publication of
a cover depicting Mohammad after this killing spree is also sparking anger
throughout the Muslim world.
Individuals seeking to
explain the reasons for these attacks fall into easily
identified categories:
1) The attacks result from an edict to avenge blasphemous images of Mohammad;
2) Fundamentalist Muslims literally rather than figuratively interpret the Hadith;
3) French society hasn't fully integrated Muslims from its former colonies;
4) Islamic terrorists continue to blame the Jews and Israel for all their problems;
5) AQAP is competing with ISIS in a grizzly, one-up-man-ship-contest;
6) Radical Muslims can't take a joke like most Christians, Jews and more moderate Muslims can;
7) Muslim terrorists are simply bullies.
1) The attacks result from an edict to avenge blasphemous images of Mohammad;
2) Fundamentalist Muslims literally rather than figuratively interpret the Hadith;
3) French society hasn't fully integrated Muslims from its former colonies;
4) Islamic terrorists continue to blame the Jews and Israel for all their problems;
5) AQAP is competing with ISIS in a grizzly, one-up-man-ship-contest;
6) Radical Muslims can't take a joke like most Christians, Jews and more moderate Muslims can;
7) Muslim terrorists are simply bullies.
The Images of Mohammad Are Blasphemous Excuse for Terror
 |
| Courtesy Hexie Farm |
This view holds that not
only are Charlie Haebo's cartoons and articles sometimes
scatological and always in poor taste, but they are also blasphemous
since the Quran prohibits idol worship. Here Muslims fall back on
circular reasoning, pointing to the Hadith, a collection of sayings
attributed to Muhammad and his early followers that Muslims use to
interpret the Quran: The Hadith forbids images of the Prophet, for in
principle, although certainly not in the case of Charlie Haebo's
cartoons, seeing a drawing of Mohammad might lead believers to
idolatry. Non-Muslims must understand that Islam is a religious and political doctrine based not only on the Quran but also on the Hadith and the Sira--both of which focus on the life of Mohammad, the role model for all Muslims. Thus, for pious Muslims, not showing deference to Mohammad is tantamount to disrespecting Islam.
Bingham, John. (2015, January 7).
Prophet Mohammad cartoons the roots of Muslim fury. The
Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/11331774/Prophet-Mohammed-cartoons-the-roots-of-Muslim-fury.html
It's been 400 years since “Europeans
were put to death for heresy”, but John Bingham argues that this is
the motive behind the extremists who carried out the Charlie Hebdo
massacre (2015, January, para. 1-2). Bingham thus points out
numerous instances in which radical and fundamentalist Muslims have reacted violently
against similar instances of what they would label as blasphemy,
starting with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's issuing a fatwa* as haram in
1989 against Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses (1988) (2015,
January 7, para. 3). Similarly, when Theo Van Gogh (1957-2004), a Dutch film director, dared to criticize the treatment of women in Islam, a Dutch Moroccan Muslim murdered him. Curiously enough, Van Gogh entitled his film Submission, which translates into Arabic as "Islam".
The cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, however, not only drew the Prophet, but they also insulted him through the use of satire and off-color humor (Bingham, 2015, January 7, para. 4 & 11). This particularly angers French Muslims whose ancestors hail from North Africa since some Sunni Muslim clerics not only forbid the drawing of Mohammad, but they also prohibit drawing the likeness of any living thing as haram* (Bingham, 2015, January 7, para. 10). Bingham maintains that Christians are better able to ignore those who insult their beliefs since Protestants and Catholics have a 400 year jump start successfully coping with religious insults (2015, January 7, para. 19).
The cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, however, not only drew the Prophet, but they also insulted him through the use of satire and off-color humor (Bingham, 2015, January 7, para. 4 & 11). This particularly angers French Muslims whose ancestors hail from North Africa since some Sunni Muslim clerics not only forbid the drawing of Mohammad, but they also prohibit drawing the likeness of any living thing as haram* (Bingham, 2015, January 7, para. 10). Bingham maintains that Christians are better able to ignore those who insult their beliefs since Protestants and Catholics have a 400 year jump start successfully coping with religious insults (2015, January 7, para. 19).
Ring, Wilson. (2015, January 15). Salman Rushdie threatened over
book, defends freedom. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/salman-rushdie-threatened-over-book-defends-free-speech-001305283.html
Rushdie while
speaking at the University of Vermont, Rushdie has defended absolute
freedom of speech, explaining, “Freedom is indivisible . . . You
can't slice it up, otherwise it ceases to be freedom. You can
dislike Charlie Hedbo, . . . but the fact that you dislike
them as nothing to do with their right to speak (Ring, 2015, January
15, para. 5).
Choudary, Anjem. (2015, January 8).
People know the consequences; Opposing view. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/01/07/islam-allah-muslims-shariah-anjem-choudary-editorials-debates/21417461/
Radical British Muslim
cleric Anjem Choudary argues that while Muslims disagree about how
much freedom of speech the law should permit, for even non-Muslims, or kafirs,
acknowledge that freedom of speech requires personal responsibility (
2015, January 8, para. 2). Choudary goes on in detail to clarify
this stance: “Muslims consider the honor of the Prophet Muhammad
to be dearer to them than that of their parents or even to
themselves. To defend it is considered to be an obligation upon
them. The strict punishment if found guilty of this crime under
sharia* (Islamic Law) is capital punishment implementable by an
Islamic state. That is because the Messenger Mohammad said, 'Whoever
insults a prophet, kill him” (2015, January 8, para. 3).
Taylor, Adam. (2015, January 7). Why
would terrorists kill cartoonists? Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/07/why-would-terrorists-kill-cartoonists/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/07/why-would-terrorists-kill-cartoonists/
Sunni Muslims in particular
consider blasphemy against the Prophet a crime, although teachings on
how it should be punished vary (Taylor, 2015, January 7, para. 6).
___________
A
Literal Interpretation of Jihad
| Courtesy Sullivan-County.com |
The Quran commands followers
of Allah to wage a jihad*, or
holy war, on infidels*, not to mention Sunnis and Shiites
battling each other, so a pair of disaffected, fundamentalist Muslims might have taken this precept literally, and thus with Al
Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula's blessing, they undertook their own
personal armed struggle.
Engber, Daniel. (2006, February).
Graven images 101: Does Islam really prohibit images of religious
figures. Slate.com. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2006/02/graven_images_101.html
The edict against depicting Allah and the prophets comes from the Hadith. Generally, however, Shiite Muslims" are more flexible on what drawings they allow than Sunni Muslim* are. For example, Persian art in the 15th and 16th centuries pictured Mohammed with his face, hands, and feet covered up, and some even earlier Persian art shows full views of the Prophet. Shiite Muslims have also portrayed the Prophet's grandson (Engber, 2006, para. 2-3).
Whether Sunni or Shiite, all Muslims
agree, however, that neither Muslim nor infidel can draw Allah
under any circumstances--a ban that Jews and Christians also follow. Whether or not Christians and Jews consider illustrations
of biblical figures kosher, however, depends in part upon the
differences that exist between different sects or denominations:
Historically, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal Christian
believers as well as Reform Jews have been much more likely to use
depictions of biblical figures as teaching tools while Calvinists and
evangelical Protestants have been much more hesitant to use such
illustrations, seeing this as a violation of the
first commandment—Thou shalt have no other gods before me"(Exodus 20:3) as have Orthodox Jews (Engber, 2006, para. 4-6).
Kaleem, Jaweed. (2015, January 7). Why Muslims are talking about Islam and blasphemy after Charlie Hebdo. Religion. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/charlie-hebdo-muslims-blasphemy_n_6433104.html
Islamic leaders throughout the world
have spoken out against this terrorist attack, pointing out that it
doesn't represent “Muslim values” even as responses have ranged
from supporting calls to educate non-Muslims about the Islamic faith
to debating about Islamic values concerning blasphemy (Kaleem, 2015,
January 7, para. 3-4). For example, Azhhar Azeez, the President of
the Islamic Society of North America, explains that a definite
boundary exists that separates freedom of speech from bigotry
(Kaleem, 2015 January 7, para. 4).
Kaleem then furnishes a short summary
of views on the pictorial depiction of Mohammad, noting that these
aren't banned by the Quran, but the Hadith, a collections of the
sayings of Mohammad, forbids this practice since it might make an
idol of the prophet (Kaleem, 2015, January 7, para. 8).
Similarly, Yasir Qadhi, an
Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis,
Tennessee, emphasizes that while defending Mohammad's honor is a
sign of belief, this is best done “by following his teachings and
practice, not by murdering in his name.” Qadhi admits that the
penalty of blasphemy is death, but he then specifies that an Islamic
state must carry out this punishment, rather than vigilantes (Kaleem,
2015, January 7, para. 11-12). This begs the question as to whether
or not the Kouchi brothers were operating on behalf of a political
entity like Al Qaeda and thus were fulfilling Sharia law.
See
also:
Charlie Hebdo radical
cleric Anjem Choudary calls depicting Mohamed an 'act of war'.
(2015, January 14, The Independent). Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/charlie-hebdo-radical-cleric-anjem-choudary-calls-cover-depicting-mohamed-an-act-of-war-9975618.html?utm_content=bufferc10d4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
___________
The
Discrimination Charge
| Courtesy IRIS.org |
This defense holds that
Muslims living in France haven't been fully assimilated into French
society and feel discriminated against. Thus, Said and Cherif
Kouachi, who through born in France were of Algerian descent, “fell
through the cracks” after authorities sent to a school for troubled
teens with “social needs”. Upon leaving school, the two young men
joined a Parisian gang led by two radical imams.
And the next generation of terrorists is ready to take their place:
Beardsley, Eleanor. (2015, January 14). Some French Muslims see conspiracies in Paris shooting. Parallels. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/01/14/377230249/some-french-muslims-see-conspiracies-in-paris-shootings
A Paris daily newspaper, Le Figaro,
reports that 80 percent of the students at the Pierre de Geyter
Middle School in the St. Denis district, a primarily Muslim
neighborhood, refused to participate in the national moment of
silence observed throughout France following the attacks on the
offices of Charlie Hebdo and a kosher Jewish grocery (Beardsley,
2015, January 14, para. 1-3). Some French Muslims also believe that
the video showing the shooting at the publisher's offices were staged
(Beardsley, 2015, January 14, para. 5).
Burke, Daniel. (2015, January 8). Why
Islam forbids images of Mohammed. CNN News. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/07/living/islam-prophet-images/
After noting that the terrorists who
stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo yelled out, “We have avenged the Prophet”, Burke notes that the fiat forbidding
pictures of Mohammad started out as an attempt “to ward off idol
worship” (2015, January 8, para. 1 & 3). Burke goes on to
explain that this decree is possibly a reaction against the
Christian doctrine of the Trinity, although paradoxically the
zealots' actions are “a kind of reverse idol worship” (2015,
January 8, para. 6).
However, Burke also points out that this motive doesn't tell the whole story since many Muslims who have immigrated to European countries from the Middle East feel that these offensive images weren't merely being critical, but they were also a form of bullying (2015, January 8, para. 13). He also notes that observant Muslims in the United States have also opposed the Comedy Central cartoon South Park's depiction of Mohammad as well as the “Draw Mohammad Day” that followed in its wake (Burke, 2015, January 8, para. 14). Most recently, some Muslim countries have banned recent biblical epic films like the remake of Exodus and Noah because they told the stories of Hebrew prophets (Burke, 2015, January 8, para. 15).
Verses from the Quran decorate Sunni
mosques because of this prohibition against the illustration of
living things even if some historical instances exist where Shiite
Muslims in Iran, Turkey, and Central Asia pictured the prophet
(Burke, 2015, January 8, para. 16-17).
Hirst, Tomas. (2015, January 7). How
Charlie Hebdo became a top terrorist target. Business
Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-how-charlie-hebdo-became-a-top-terrorist-target-2015-1
The French Council of Muslim Faith (DFCM) and the Grand Mosque of Paris has in the past unsuccessfully tried to sue Charlie Hebdo to prevent the publication of offensive cartoons. Moreover, even those who defend the magazine's right to publish these offending cartoons admit that they have been crass (Hirst, 2005, January 7 para. 3 & 17).
Pleasance, Chris. (2015, January 12).
They were too weak to resist jihad,' says former boarding school
teacher: How Kouachi brothers went from football-loving teenagers
with no interest in religion to extremist killers. Daily Mail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2906376/They-weak-resist-jihad-says-former-boarding-school-teacher-Kouachi-brothers-went-football-loving-teenagers-no-religion-extremist-killers.html
When the mother of Said and Cherif
Kouachi couldn't care for her two teenage sons after the death of
their father, French social workers sent them to an isolated boarding
school that specializes in education children with “social needs”
in the Mastiff region of France (Pleasance, 2015, January 12, para.
3-5). As teenagers they were passionately interested in football,
but they were far less interested in their studies (Pleasance, 2015,
January 12, para. 6-8). After leaving school at age 18, the brothers took up
a life of petty crime where they they fell under the influence of two
radical imams (Pleasance, 205, January 12, para. 9-11). French
authorities may have another generation of disaffected terrorists to
contend with since Said is supposedly the father of at least two
children while Cherif has fathered at least one child (Pleasance,
2015, January 12, para. 27).
___________
If
All Else Fails, Try "It's
Israel's Fault"
| Courtesy World Religious News |
While
plugging a book on Jon Stuart's Daily Show, January 12, 2014,
former President Jimmy Carter blamed the terrorist attacks on
Israel's occupation of the West bank.
Jimmy Carter: Israeli-Palestinian
conflict a cause of Paris attacks. (2015, January 13). Jewish
News. Retrieved from http://www.jewishaz.com/us_worldnews/world/jimmy-carter-israeli-palestinian-conflict-a-cause-of-paris-attacks/article_eae01bdc-9b65-11e4-967c-078a2f29f103.html
While
a guest on Jon Stewart's Daily Show, January 12, 2015, former
President Jimmy Carter attributed the terrorist attacks in Paris to
Israel's occupation of the West Bank.
___________
The
King of the Mountain Theory: An Al Qaeda vs. ISIS Competition
| Courtesy Quora.com |
Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP) wants to show its rival, the Islam State in Syria
(ISIS), that it's still the premier Muslim terrorist operation,
according to the British tabloid, The Daily Mail. Indeed, a
corresponding ISIS threat warning that it plans to strike again in
Western Europe and the United States supports this idea.
Burleigh, Michael. (2015, January 8).
'ANALYSIS: Was Charlie Hebdo massacre Al Quaeda's bid to
re-establish itself as a global terror force after being eclipsed by
ISIS', asks Michael Burleigh. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2901892/ANALYSIS-Charlie-Hebdo-massacre-Al-Qaeda-s-bid-establish-global-terror-force-eclipsed-ISIS-asks-Michael-Burleigh.html
As the Kouachi brothers were fleeing
the Charlie Hebdo offices, after shouting “Allah Akbar”,
or “God is greater” in Arabic, one of them cried out in French
that they avenging the Prophet on behalf of Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula, an affiliate of Al Qaeda in Yemen (Burleigh, 2015, January
8, para. 1). Burleigh theorizes that this suggests, “AQAP feels
eclipsed by ISIS . . . , and it is determined to put itself back in
the international spotlight” (2015, January 8, para. 3). Indeed,
AQAP's Online magazine, Inspire, has included Charlie
Hebdo's editor on its hit list (Burleigh, 2015, January 8, para.
4).
Additionally, AQAP has a foreign
operations unit that trains disaffected Islamic citizens of western
countries (Burleigh, 2015, January 8, para. 5). The leader of AQAP,
Nasir Abdel Harem al Wuhayshi, originally served as Osama bin Laden's
aide-de-camp and subsequently became Al Qaeda's general manager
(Burleigh, 2015, January 8, para. 6).
Yemen, “the poorest Arab state”,
makes a perfect staging ground for Islamic terrorists because a
vacuum of power exists there because the Yemeni army stays busy
fighting rebels (Burleigh, 2015, January 8, para. 7 & 8 &
22).
News bulletins January 14,
2015 confirmed that the Kouachi brothers were operating on behalf of
Nasir Abdel Harem al Wuhayshi and Al Qaeda in Yemen.
Herridge, Catherine. (2015, January
14). Al Qaeda in Yemen commander claims responsibility for Charlie
Hebdo attack. Associated Press. Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/14/video-purported-to-be-from-al-qaeda-in-yemen-claims-responsibility-for-charlie/
Schmitt, Eric, Mazzetti, Mark, &
Callimachi, Rukmini. (2015, January 15). Disputed claims over Qaeda
role in Paris attacks. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/15/world/europe/al-qaeda-in-the-arabian-peninsula-charlie-hebdo.html?emc=edit_th_20150115&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=48045608
American counter terrorist experts
believe that the youngest of the two Kouachi brothers, Cherif took
the lead in the attack on the Charlie
Hebdo newspaper offices, even though Said may have also
traveled to Yemen (Schmitt, 2015, January 15, para. 2). This
information further clarifies Cherif's statement made to a French TV
statement last week that Anwar al-Awlaki financed his trip to Yemen
in 2011 (Schmitt, 2015, January 15, para. 5). Counter-intelligence
researcher, Brian Fishman, speculates that Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula may have given the brothers minimal training before
sending them on their way along with a suggested hit list (Schmitt,
2015, January 15, para. 7) An undisclosed spokesman for AQAP told
The New York Times that the Kouachi brothers
were ”heroes of Islam”, but he referred to Armedy Coulibaly's
attack on a Jewish grocery“ a coincidence” (Schmitt, 2015, January
15, para. 9).
__________
A
Priest, a Reverend & a Rabbi, But Not an Imam, Walked
into a Bar
| Courtesy uncyclopedia.com |
Toughened by the
Reformation, the Counter Reformation, and the Holocaust, practicing
Christians and Jews have had more time to adjust to vulgar, satirical
and sacra religious taunts and jibes, but the Islamic world didn't
experience first a reformation and then a subsequent enlightenment.
Moreover, satire is haram*, or forbidden, particularly when
infidels poke fun at the Prophet.
See:
Does Islam have a sense of humor? (2007, November 20, BBC News). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7102519.stm
Albaih, Khalid. (2015, January 8). When cartoons upset the 'wrong people'. Al-Jazeera English. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/paris-charlie-hebdo-cartoons-att-20151810528121783.html
See:
Does Islam have a sense of humor? (2007, November 20, BBC News). Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7102519.stm
Albaih, Khalid. (2015, January 8). When cartoons upset the 'wrong people'. Al-Jazeera English. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/01/paris-charlie-hebdo-cartoons-att-20151810528121783.html
Khalid Albaih, an Muslim
Arab cartoonist, condemns the attack on the offices of Charlie
Hebdo while admitting, “It's no easy feat to come up with a
cartoon that can pass all levels of censorship”, starting with
self-censorship and progressing to government-imposed censorship
(2015, January 8, para. 4). Albaih nevertheless finds the
publication's slant “to be hurtful and racist”, so it takes some
courage for him to continue to argue for freedom of speech (2015,
January 8, para. 5).
Note to Muslim Imams: Cartoons of the prophet receive a lot more attention if their creators are martyred, so it might be best public relations' ploy to borrow a page from Christian New Testament and turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).
__________
A Bullies
Pick on the Weak Hypothesis
| Courtesy Daily Caller |
Right wing political parties
in Europe and conservative American pundits argue that political
correctness, multiculturalism (to the point of allowing Muslims to
carve out areas in their countries where Sharia law is allowed), and
an original unwillingness of ethnic Europeans to perform menial
employment has left the West unwilling or unable to stand up to
Muslim terrorists.
Not one of these reasons
justifies this attack, but all of them provide possible clues for the
reasons behind this particular attack on some ill-mannered infidels.
Parker, George. (2015, January). The
blame for the Charlie Hebdo murders. The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/blame-for-charlie-hebdo-murders
George Parker believes that these
murders aren't a result of France's failure to assimilate Muslim
immigrants, nor do they have anything to do with France's support of
the United States' actions against ISIS or its invasions of Iraq,
They also can't be understood as a reaction against Charlie
Hebdo's disrespect for the Islamic religion (2015, January, para.
1).
Parker, however, admits that Islam does
include a minority of adherents who approve of violence in defense of
their beliefs (Parker, 2015, January, para. 4). The newspaper also
has a history of insulting the sensitivities of Jews and Christians,
but only radical Muslims have responded with threats or murderous
actions (Parker, 2015, January, para. 4). Parker thus concludes,
“For some believers, the violence serves as a will to absolute
power in the name of God, which is a form of totalitarianism"
(2015, January, para. 4).
____________
Some Reasons
for Cautious [Long-term] Optimism
| Courtesy mideastposts.com |
Finally, in retrospect, readers must
consider the reaction of Muslims to Charlie Hebdo's latest defiant
cover:
Kuruvilla, Carol. (2015, January 14).
Muslims around the world react to Charlie Hebdo's new cover.
Religion. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/14/muslim-charlie-hebdo-cover_n_6473050.html
In Cherif Koachi's “alleged neighborhood”, “Charlie Hebdo remains a symbol of 'the everyday humiliation of Muslims in France'” (Kuruvilla, 2015, January 14, para. 11). Meanwhile, authorities in Turkey and Iran have condemned the publication of this issue, a Turkish court blocking Internet access to a cover depicting a weeping Mohammed (Kuruvilla, 2015, January 14, para. 15-17). This contrasts with the more restrained response of Muslim clerics in the United States and the United Kingdom: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America defends freedom of the press while at the same time urges understanding and respect (Kuruvilla, 2015, January 14, para. 19). A group of 54 Muslim “leaders” has provided guidelines to British Muslim who seek to defend the Prophet short of violence (Kuruvilla, 2015, January 14, para. 24-25).
Nelson, Fraser. (2015 January 7). Not
in our name—Muslims respond in revulsion to Charlie Hebdo
massacre. The Spectator. Retrieved from http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/01/not-in-our-name-muslims-respond-in-revulsion-to-charlie-hebdo-shooting/
The Muslim Council of France and its
counterpart in the United Kingdom have harshly criticized the attack
on the offices of the French weekly newspaper, Charlie Hebdo,
and the Imam of the Mosque of Paris, Dalil Bouubakeur, has said, “We
are entering a new phrase of this confrontation . . . we are
horrified by the brutality and savagery” (Nelson, 2015, January 7,
para. 1-2). A sampling of Tweeter posts by Muslim Tweeter account
users follows.
So now that non-Muslims readers know all possible justifications for the terrorists' actions,
they can perhaps rationally consider the consequences of any possible
future actions—or reactions-- before civilization descends further
into an abyss of violence. Will Western cultures self-censor
themselves because they fear the wrath of radical terrorists, or will
they continue to defend freedom of the press?
___________
Islamic, Arabic Terms for Kafirs*
Added January 19, 2015
| Islamic.arts.org Geometric designs and calligraphy usually take the place of representative art in Islamic countries. |
Fatwa: Literally, a learned, official
interpretation of Islamic, or Sharia, law. The media, however, uses
this term to indicate that an Islamic cleric has pronounced a death
sentence on a person or a group of persons.
What is a fatwa? (n. d.). The Islamic Supreme Council of America. Retrieved from http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/understanding-islam/legal-rulings/44-what-is-a-fatwa.html
Haram: Haram translates as "sinful" and therefore prohibited. Hence, since Sharia law associates drawing a picture of the Prophet with blasphemy, Muslim custom prohibits it. Trouble starts, however, when Muslims start requiring non-Muslims, or infidels, in Western countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, to conform to Islamic beliefs and practices.
Infidel: An infidel is an English term for an unbeliever, or a non-Muslim, a kafir, or a shirk. Jews are infidels because they refuse to believe in Islam's Allah. Christians are Infidels because they believe in the Trinity, so Muslims classify them as polytheistic. Western authors, like Olive Schreiner in The Story of an African Farm (1883), have also appropriated kafir so that it means an outsider.
What is a fatwa? (n. d.). The Islamic Supreme Council of America. Retrieved from http://www.islamicsupremecouncil.org/understanding-islam/legal-rulings/44-what-is-a-fatwa.html
Haram: Haram translates as "sinful" and therefore prohibited. Hence, since Sharia law associates drawing a picture of the Prophet with blasphemy, Muslim custom prohibits it. Trouble starts, however, when Muslims start requiring non-Muslims, or infidels, in Western countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, to conform to Islamic beliefs and practices.
An act, such as adultery, murder, or gossip, can be haram, or anything Islamic law or custom associates with sin can also be haram. Thus, the term can be applied to a large number of dietary restrictions, such as eating pork or shell fish or drinking alcoholic beverages, and more than a few personal habits, such as listening to or playing music or decorating with drawings or paintings of zoological or botanical subjects, dying the hair, or wearing perfume.
Haram, of course, can indicate those acts that Christianity and Judaism classify as sins; for example, murder, bearing false witness, and adultery. Conversely, those actions that Islam permits are halal. For example, wearing cotton is halal, but wearing silk is haram.
For more information, go to http://www.muslimconverts.com/Munajjid-books/forbiden.htm.
Infidel: An infidel is an English term for an unbeliever, or a non-Muslim, a kafir, or a shirk. Jews are infidels because they refuse to believe in Islam's Allah. Christians are Infidels because they believe in the Trinity, so Muslims classify them as polytheistic. Western authors, like Olive Schreiner in The Story of an African Farm (1883), have also appropriated kafir so that it means an outsider.
Jihad: While jihad literally means "striving in the ways of Allah", it also means a war waged against unbelievers. Muslims use the term to apply to a "greater jihad", which indicates an internal struggle to live a righteous life, or to fight on behalf of the oppressed, or they use it to apply to what they refer to as "lesser jihad", a struggle waged against unbelievers.
Increasingly, Wahhabi* Muslims since the colonial era have applied the term to an armed struggle. Even so, the use of jihad in one way doesn't negate the use of it in other ways.
Increasingly, Wahhabi* Muslims since the colonial era have applied the term to an armed struggle. Even so, the use of jihad in one way doesn't negate the use of it in other ways.
Streusand, Dougas. (1997, September).
What does jihad mean? The Middle East Quarterly, pp. 9-17.
Middle East Forum. Retrieved from
http://www.meforum.org/357/what-does-jihad-mea
Sharia: The legal
code of criminal and civil law that applies in many Muslim countries
as well as a set of laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance,
and custody that Muslims living in some European countries wish to be
applied to themselves.
Johnson, Toni, and Sergie, Mohammad
Aly. (2014, July 25). Islam: Governing Under Sharia. Backgrounders.
Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from
http://www.cfr.org/religion/islam-governing-under-sharia/p8034
Shiite and Sunni Muslims: Sunni
Muslims see themselves as much more traditional in their beliefs than
their rival Muslims, the Sunnis, as evidenced by the Sunnis'
reverence of the Prophet. Approximately, 85 to 90 percent of all
Muslims are Sunnis. Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists are members of
this sect, although this doesn't mean that all Sunni Muslims are
terrorists. Shiite Muslims claim that the son-in-law of Mohammad,
Ali, and his descendants have the right to lead all Muslims. Shiite
Muslims live primarily in Iran and Iraq, but large communities
of Shiite Muslims also live elsewhere.
Sunnis and Shias: Islam's ancient
schism. (2014, June 20). Middle East. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-16047709
Wahhabism: An ultra-conservative,
fundamentalist sect of Islam named after Muslim cleric Muhammad ibn
Abd al Wahhab (1703-1792) that interprets the Quran literally. Most
Wahhabi Muslims live in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qater, although Wahhabi doctrines also influence the Taliban and other terrorist groups.
Analysis Wahhabism. (2014) Frontline.
PBS. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html
For a listing of classical rhetorical arguments for and against granting asylum to Syrian immigrants, go to the following link:
____________
For a listing of classical rhetorical arguments for and against granting asylum to Syrian immigrants, go to the following link:
Smith,
Evelyn. (2015, November 19). Pros and Cons of Accepting Syrian
Immigrants. McGregor, Texas, McGinley Memorial Public Library Books
and Friends. Retrieved from
http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=18
