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TheOpinionPages

EDI TORI AL

CharlieHebdoandFreeExpression
JAN.18,2015

TheleadarticleinthefirsteditionofCharlieHebdoafterthemassacreatits
ParisofficesbyIslamistsclaimingtoavengecartoonsoftheProphet
Muhammadtheeditiondistributedasanastonishingfivemillioncopies
raisedathorny,sensitivequestion.Afterthankingallthosewhohadshown
solidaritywiththemagazine,itseditorinchief,GrardBiard,askedaquestion
that,hesaid,tormentsus:
Arewefinallygoingtoridourpoliticalandintellectualvocabularyofthe
dirtytermlacardintgriste?
Looselytranslated,thosewordsmeandiehardsecularist.WhatMr.
Biardwaschallengingwastheargumentthatcommittedsecularistslike
himselfandthestaffofCharlieHebdohadessentiallybroughtthistragedy
uponthemselves,andthatthereis,byimplication,asortofmoralequivalence
betweendeeplyheldsecularistviewsandthereligioustotalitarianismhis
wordsthatheandhisstafflovedtoskewer.
Overtheyears,hewenton,CharlieHebdoandotherchampionsofla
lacitthesecularismenshrinedinFrenchpoliticshadbeenassailedas
Islamophobes,Christianophobes,provocateurs,irresponsible,throwersofoil
onthefire,racistsandthelike.
Evenaspeoplelamentedthemassacre,hewrote,someofthemoffereda

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maddeningqualifier:Yes,wecondemnterrorism,but.......Yes,burning
downanewspaperisbad,but.....Wehavehearditall,andourfriendsas
well....
Obviouslytherecanbenobutincondemningthemurderousattackon
CharlieHebdo,ortheideologythatencouragesmurderinthenameof
religion.
IrreverentmagazineslikeCharlieHebdohavebeenafixtureinWestern
societiesformanyyears,andFrancehasastrongtraditionofsuchjournalism.
TheInternet,moreover,hasopenedthedoortoalmosteveryleveland
formofexpression.
Yettherearelegitimatequestionsraisedaboutfreedomofexpressionin
thistragedy.
Inthewakeoftheterrorattack,Frenchauthoritiesbeganaggressive
enforcementsofalawagainstsupportingorjustifyingterrorism,including
arrestsofpeoplewhospokeadmiringlyabouttheshootingsatCharlieHebdo.
Notsurprisingly,theiractionshaveraisedquestionsofadoublestandard
oneforcartoonistswhodeliberatelyinsultreligion,whentheircartoonsare
certaintoantagonizeMuslimsatatimewhenantiMuslimfeelingsarealready
athighlevelsinFranceandacrossmuchofEurope,andanotherforthosewho
reactbyapplaudingterrorists.
Thedifference,accordingtoFrenchauthorities,isbetweentherightto
attackanideaandtherighttoattackpeopleorincitehatred.
Thedistinctionisrecognizedinthevariouslawsagainsthatespeechor
incitingviolencethatexistinmostWesternstates.
AsaconsequenceofWorldWarII,FranceandseveralotherEuropean
countrieshavelawsagainstdenyingtheHolocaust,andwithariseinanti
SemitisminFrance,authoritieshaveactivelysoughttocurbhatespeech,like

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theantiSemiticroutinesofacomedian,DieudonnMbalaMbala.
FreedomofexpressionisbroaderintheUnitedStates,butthere,too,
therearelegallimitationsonspeechthatinvolvesincitement,libel,obscenity
orchildpornography.
Butdrawingthelinebetweenspeechthatisdisgustingandspeechthatis
dangerousisinherentlydifficultandrisky.
InIsrael,mockingMuhammadcanbringaprisonterm,asitdidfor
TatianaSusskind,aRussianimmigrantwhoposteddrawingsoftheProphetas
apiginHebronin1997.
Shewasaccused,amongotherthings,ofcommittingaracistactand
harmingreligioussensitivities,andsentencedtotwoyearsinprison.Lawslike
thoseinFranceagainstwordsoractsofhatredarebasedonwhatisoftena
subjectivejudgment.Andanyconstraintsonfreedomofexpressioninvite
governmentabuse.
Tastes,standardsandsituationschange,andintheenditisbestfor
editorsandsocietiesatlargetojudgewhatisfitorsafetoprint.
ThatthetragedyinParishasservedtoraisethesequestionsisinnoway
aninsulttothemembersoftheCharlieHebdostaffwhoperished.
Shockingpeopleintoconfrontingrealitywas,afterall,whattheirjournal
whichtheyproudlycalledajournalirresponsablewasallabout.
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