Breaking News - Allegedly 10 people killed at office of satirical magazine in Paris

I'm still feeling shocked and trying to make sense of the killings. Was this simply a random attack? I don't think so.

www.slate.com/blogs/the_world_/2015/01/07/stephane_charbonnier_the_editor_of_charlie_hebdo_was_on_an_al_qaida_magazine.html

Satire doesn't have to be funny and it is not primarily intended a joke. "Savage indignation" often was and is the driving force.

I am not saying that satire itself is necessarily puerile - some of it may be, some of it can be very funny. It's knowing when to use it that needs sensible judgement.

Satirizing Hitler in WW2 was a huge morale booster.

Having said that I do think these are very dangerous times and a little caution wouldn't go amiss because it's one thing to put your own life at risk but what about the families of those also caught in the firing line?

I agree, whitewave. But what very, very dangerous times we are now living in.

No! Apart from anything else it is part of history and culture, and certainly not to be seen as puerile - in fact it is a very adult kind of humour and wit.
All cultures use it as a tool to criticise or help people to see something for what it is.

Yes. There have been idiots around since time immemorial.

Time for them to grow up?

Satire has been used for centuries it isn't something new. It is something that all governments and beliefs have at times tried to prevent, even to the extent of killing those who satirize them. We live in more enlightened times.

Nothing will stop it - a pity that some groups do not understand that.

There is no physical evidence nowadays for Christianity.
Christianity is based on faith.

Christians are told to "Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.

"If for instance anyone wanted to hurl abuse at you repeatedly, is that ok by you?"

A rational argument is not abuse, it's only seen that way by people who can't justify their beliefs with reason and evidence.

Read the Whyte quote here.

If people ridicule your beliefs, it's because they think your beliefs are ridiculous. The way to deal with that is to justify them with evidence and reasoned argument. If I wanted people to believe that I'd been for a joy ride round the solar system in a Martian's flying saucer, I would have to produce some evidence to convince them.

Interesting post - we need more like that. I like the quote "Remember that people are of two kinds: they are either your brothers in religion or your brothers in mankind." Apart from the absence of sisters of course!

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/muhammad-muslim-protestors-youtube_b_1931488.html

posted by my cousin (Muslim) on FB

The terrorists today should not feel they have 'terrorised' us all. That is what they want to do, fear is their weapon of choice.

The rise of anti-western Islam is a scourge and if the western powers could only get their heads together and put their differences away it would be more difficult for these atrocities to happen. Sadly we have major powers playing politics with various terror groups/powers in their need for routes /oil etc.

When the IRA were bombing in England we did not expect all British Catholics or other catholic nations to march and be outspoken against the IRA. Or have I forgotten that?

We won't give in. But we must use commonsense to protect innocent people.

The threat is the same as any other kind of blackmail and should be treated the same way. We shouldn't 'give in'.

I hope newspapers across the world don't publish these cartoons. It would be bravado without any sense behind it.

thatbags, I agree wholeheartedly with "the essence of the tweet" post and the message it contained. In hindsight I can see some of my posts on this subject have an element of the "mealy mouthed" about them.

I have to confess organisations like ISIS scare the s**t out of me and their Nazi like totalitarian vision of how the world would run if they had their way.

Before they came into being I found the extremist element within the Muslim religion alarming and have done ever since a friend was caught up in the 7/7 London bombing.

Before Muslin extremism, living and working in London I also found the IRA equally alarming, but they didn't have the added menace of wanting to turn the world into one huge Catholic state.

It would be the right response thatbags - & it will be interesting to see how the media responds to this. My initial thoughts are they'll be too scared to publish the cartoons.

bee Cartoonists across Europe have already paid their own kind of tribute, so I don't think so.

jingl It was the IS leader but, of course, IS sees itself as divinely inspired and carrying out the will of god. (Sorry, footling is not really a proper word; substitute pointless.)

That is a depressing thought, bee. I really hope the extremists have not 'won' and that they never will. There is a call for all European papers and magazines to publish the cartoons. I think that is the right kind of response to such intimidatory tactics.

What if we just put a complete ban on everything to do with Islam [and I mean everything]; what would the fundamentalists do then? Kind of say, ok, this is what you want so from now on you don't exist [hands over eyes and ears emoticom].

Was it Islam that was being mocked? Or IS?

Everything apart from Islam will be up for ridicule from now on. The terrorists have won.

Of course criticism of these people should be voiced - loudly.

But when it just satire put out in these mags simply to feed the contributors' egos by showing off what they think is their own special brand of "wit", not to mention the moneymaking involved, then no, I don't go along with it. It serves no useful purpose.

Just not sensible. Innocent people could get hurt. Sadly.

If someone wants to "hurl abuse at me" they have the right to do so. I don't suppose I would like it, but that is tough. I would be far more worried if they did not have that right.