Kamis, 08 Januari 2015

Why It Is Not Okay to Blame the Dead Victims of the #CharlieHebdo Attack

The #CharlieHebdo attack has a significant impacts on how my Muslim friends see this tragedy. First thing I noticed that for them, it's all about religion and such thing called 'the freedom of speech' is nonsense if you use that to attack their religion and Mohammad.

I respect my Muslim friends and how the value their religion and their Prophets. As someone who grew up in SUCH a religious family, I find it difficult to separate the doctrine of my family religion from my personal views. Even though personally I categorise myself as a 'free-minded' person, still I am not that perfect that sometimes I can be bias in judging a problem. Because I will still use the values of Christianity like, "don't be self-righteous", "make peace, not war", "pray for people that hate you", and "forgiving others". That why I cannot see why someone must attack others just because they do not like them? Why don't they just pray and use a peaceful approach instead? Well, I wish I could do better than that. Because it seems the world does not work in Christian way. 

After I posted comments about my support for the victims of the #CharlieHebdo attack, some of my Muslim friends approached me and then we discussed about our feelings about the attack. For them it is all about religion and there is no such thing called ''making fun of Islam and their Prophets". I am also interested in a comment from a senior Indonesian journalist. Overall he stated that the attack was caused by the cartoonists themselves, because they kept publishing satirical cartoons about Prophet Mohammad even though they had been criticised and threatened by Muslim groups.

Post by Pepih Nugraha.

I understand the reason behind his statement and my Muslim friends. For them, Prophet Mohammad is a highly respected figure and it is painful when other people make fun and disrespect their religion. Especially when you have been warned before NOT TO do that. Because it is not funny!

But is it fair to justify the attack with the "they did it first" analogy? 

People have different opinions on this issue, but for me I will not use the analogy. First only cowards will use that reason. Additionally, not just because it simplifies the actually a complex social problem, it gives legitimization to other religious extremists to do the same. 

So instead of simplifying a chronic social problem, let us think clearly and constructively. 
Firstly, France is different from Indonesia and in my previous article I explained how France is a vulnerable country and the social tension is high. Silvestri from the the City University London has an interesting insight how actually the #CharlieHebdo attack was a horrific escalation of violence in an already tension society.  So I must say the satirical cartoons are just the small top of an iceberg of the French social problems. 

Secondly, before we make any comments on this topic, we need to understand that people in journalism and media industry are sensitive about 'the freedom of expression' topic. This has become a sensitive topic because the increasing number of journalists and media producers that were killed or imprisoned on duty. For example there were journalists who were murdered and three Al Jazeera journalists are jailed in the Middle East for being  falsely accused and then found guilty of aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

 

Please spare your time to read a letter from an Egyptian journalist who could not make it to his son's birth.

If someone justifies the attack with the 'they did it first' rule, while ignoring other social tensions other related conflicts then maybe they need to sit down and do a little research. And before you rush and leave your computer, thinking I am just a stupid person, an interesting article by Ali Mamouri from the Australian Catholic University about Islam, blasphemy and free speech, three interrelated issues that have become a modern conflict could be your cup of tea. 

So before you rush to your phone, computer, pad, or even your boyfriend (like me) and make nonconstructive comments, please make sure you have done appropriate research. Done by reliable sources and verified. 

And please don't hate me just because I wrote this. I am just like other people who love laughing








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