THE WORLD'S MOST POPULAR BELIEFS, DOCTRINES AND RELIGIONS
4. THE MUSLIM TERRORISM OF THE 21ST CENTURY
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The particular way of doing terrorism of certain world organizations suppose a link between Islam and violence, a fact that has appropriated the most popular publications today. However, the teachings of Islam offered by the Qur'an and the Sunnah suffer from the distortion of a particular exegesis that has nothing to do with those Scriptures, and in which violence has no place. However, it should also be considered that since Islam prohibits various attitudes and acts, such as drinking alcohol, free expression, the caricature of its prophet and universal human rights, especially those of women and children, it is also characterized by being a religion that in a certain way protects the radical Islam practiced by various terrorist groups around the world (such as: DAESH, ISIS and AL-QAEDA). It is clear that the senior leaders of Islam strongly denounce such terrorist acts, but on the streets, in families, in community temples, the message may be different.
An example of radical Islam terrorism was the religiously motivated attacks carried out by a group of Muslims against workers of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, in Paris, during 2015. Said barbaric acts were carried out by Muslims who, defending the dogma of not representing or caricaturing their prophet Muhammad, they decided to kill and injure innocent civilians in the name of Islam. These attacks led to one of the largest demonstrations in the history of Paris, where the population took to the streets to demand security, tolerance and respect for human life, freedom of belief and freedom of expression in all genders and shapes.
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This is the cartoon that sparked the wrath of Muslims:
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And these are some of the cartoons that were published after the terrorist attacks in Paris:
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On the other hand, just a few days ago the news emerged about the young French teacher, Samuel Paty, who was assassinated by radical Muslims in the suburbs of Paris, in October 2020; and the murder of at least three people inside the Church of Notre Dame in Nice, by another Muslim extremist, only 21 years old, who in addition to being armed with knives, carried a copy of the Koran. These are just a few recent examples (and in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic), of the madness that simmers within Islam, and that is simply unacceptable.
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Here is the note from the BBC News network, from October 20, 2020, about the murder of the French professor, Samuel Paty:
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“There was something hidden in the crowds that gathered in France over the weekend. The dramatic display of national unity, after the beheading of the teacher, Samuel Paty, outside Paris, masked growing dissent in some parts of the country over the nation's view of secularism and free speech. "Last year, a student told me that it was completely legitimate to kill someone who did not show respect for the Prophet [Muhammad]," Fathia Agad-Boudjhalat, a history teacher, told French radio. "This comes from what they hear in their families." Fathia has used cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad for years, along with cartoons by Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, to teach about freedom of expression. But many in their profession report troubling trends among a minority of students who appear to disagree with French laws and values.
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State secularism, or secularism, is central to France's national identity. It is as important as the concepts of "freedom, equality, fraternity" that make up its post-revolutionary motto. Laïcité decrees that public space, be it classrooms, workplaces or ministries, must be free of religion. Curbing free speech to protect the feelings of a particular community, says the state, undermines the unity of the country. But there is evidence that a growing number of people in France are uncomfortable with this argument and want the boundaries around secularism and freedom of expression to change. According to Michaël Prazan, a former teacher, this dissent began to grow in the early 2000s when the government banned religious symbols from schools. At the time, Prazan was teaching in a Paris suburb with a high Muslim population and believes that teachers have not reacted to a widening gulf between them and some of their students: "We need to be more receptive as soon as there is a student who raises a problem in class, like rejoicing in a terrorist act, "he told me. "We need to deal with that quickly before it spreads to the internet and is a death threat to the teacher."
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Teachers say they noticed a change after 2015, when Islamist gunmen attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo after it published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. "They deserved it," some students told philosophy teacher Alexandra Girat, "because the cartoons were too much, they shouldn't portray the Prophet [Muhammad] that way." Polls suggest that public opinion in France has hardened since the attacks, and most people now support the magazine's decision to publish the cartoons. Before, most said it was an "unnecessary provocation". Meanwhile, almost 70% of Muslim respondents believe that posting the images is wrong. But both sample groups strongly condemned the attacks themselves.
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The roots of the deepening divisions over religious identity and freedom of expression are complex. They include the influence of conflict abroad and the racism and social marginalization experienced by many descendants of Muslim immigrants. France's national values are difficult to defend, some say, if they don't seem to apply to you. So where does all that leave teachers like Samuel Paty, who are tasked with teaching students about free speech? A woman at Sunday's rally said France's leaders must act: "We cannot leave teachers alone to face these complicated religious, moral and philosophical questions," she told us. "They need direction."
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"We have been sounding the alarm for years," historian and professor Iannis Roder told French radio. " I hope this is a turning point in the recognition of the reality of what is happening on the ground. "President Macron has reportedly called on the government to propose" concrete actions "and to strengthen safety in schools, promising that “fear will switch sides.” More than 80 people who posted messages online in support of Paty's killer will be investigated by police, and associations with radical ties are also under new scrutiny.
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The government is under pressure, and a high-ranking opposition figure criticizes Macron's approach, calling for "weapons et non des larmes": weapons, not tears. But after so many attacks here over the past five years, the divisions and disillusionment seem to grow a little more each time. How students will react to Paty's murder will not be clear until early November, when schools return after a two-week break before the Christian holiday of Toussaint.
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After the 2015 attacks, some students refused to participate in a minute of silence that was held across the country to remember the deceased. A similar national moment is planned for Paty when the schools return next month. Once again, teachers will be watching to see what their students' response will be.
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Reference:
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54602171
References on contemporary murders in the name of extreme Islam:
https://apnews.com/article/paris-france-europe-islam-da41fade85acf34597c5b8762f44a12d
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53985407
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/world/europe/france-teacher-beheading.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54602171
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54729957
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