Condemnation of the new edition of Charlie Hebdo was swift and often fierce Wednesday (Jan. 14) in many majority-Muslim nations after the cover featured a drawing of the Prophet Muhammad with a tear in his eye.
“You’re putting the lives of others at risk when you’re taunting bloodthirsty and mad terrorists,” said Hamad Alfarhan, 29, a Kuwaiti doctor. “I hope this doesn’t trigger more attacks. The world is already mourning the losses of many lives under the name of religion.”
Wednesday’s 16-page issue of the satirical publication featured a cartoon on its cover depicting the prophet holding a sign that says, “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) ”” the slogan adopted in support of the weekly after last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris. The headline above the prophet’s head reads, “All is forgiven.”
I understand that some of Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of Muhammad and of Christian and Jewish religious figures have been cartoon pornography. This one on the cover following the killings, however, has an almost Christian ring to it, odd for a secularist magazine. It shows a caricature Muslim, perhaps Muhammad, in tears over what has happened, and says “All is forgiven.” Those who find this offensive and those who won’t show it out of fear need to reconsider their priorities.
This kind of reaction is exactly what terrorists would hope for. This kind of reaction validates what the murderers did to bring attention to their beliefs and their cause.
The Charlie Hebdo cartoons are at least in poor taste (but not the present one), but the cartoonists are not guilty of capital crimes. If they are indeed guilty, then they are receiving eternal punishment, while the murderers are enjoying their eternal rewards. I have an idea, though, that things are the other way around.
They are angry because there is no forgiveness in Islam.
“Under Islam, depictions of the prophet are forbidden.”
Which is a problem for Christians because we believe that such a stricture applies only to God, and Muhammad was only an ordinary man.