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

They are not trying to impose their faith on us. They are objecting to us taking it upon ourselves to make what are to them offensive comments about their faith.

Incidentally, for the purpose of elucidation, some official person in France has said that free speech is of the utmost importance but that does not, of course, include anti-semitism and racism.

Of course!

but actually that is not funny.

Soontobe re your comment at 14.01
I think Bags is quite capable of expressing her own opinions and doesn't need you to paraphrase them for her.

On 7th July '05, 4 British Islamic men killed 52 people and injured 700 by blowing up public transport trains/bus.

I wonder if they were offended by the previous day's decision to name London as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games?

Who knows - but it can't have had any bearing on what they did.

I am pretty sure I am allowed to post what I have written.

It cant be anywhere near breaking gransnet guidelines!

I think Bags is quite capable of expressing her own opinions

I'm sure it's not, soontobe.
But it's preferable to express your own opinions, and allow other posters the courtesy of speaking for themselves.

I don't think it did for one moment River ( sorry, but I couldn't find a 'being sarcastic' emoticon for my previous post) I don't believe extremists need an excuse to be extreme.

I thought you were all for freedom of speech jane.

You were upthread.

Thank you notso.

Yes, that's my point - they don't need excuses.

It takes very little to offend - even if we all walked on eggshells it wouldn't be enough.

grin (re soon's remark to ja about freedom of speech on this thread)

Yes soon.
I'm in favour of the freedom to express one's own opinions without having put in one's mouth by other posters.

Feeling offended is one thing. Murdering people because of feeling offended is another. Do you know of many murders which extremists have carried out because of mild offence notso?

There is a suggestion that some terrorist actions were at least partly in response to perceived injustices towards Muslims elsewhere, for instance the Middle East.

having words put in one's mouth

That sounds anything but freedom of speech to me janeainsworth.

If there were 10 steps to full freedom of speech, you would be objecting to step 1.

More brilliance on the subject of fanaticism, this time by Howard Jacobson. High recommend from me. Do have a read.

Do you change your mind often thatbags?

Are you still debating things with your family members in debates that started years ago?

People are allowed to agree to disagree. Good idea sometimes if you ask me.

I will agree to disagree with you thatbags.

Don't you discuss politics and current affairs with your family on a regular basis soon? Annoyingly my computer won't let me onto links these days as I'd like to read the Howard Jacobson one.

It's in today's Independent Tegan - if you can access that!