Freedom of Speech and Charlie Hebdo

Charlie Hebdo: But let be clear: nothing is more offensive and denigrating to the conscience and to Islam than murdering people for their views. Canadian Muslims have categorically condemned the attack on Charlie Hebdo. The killers despicably claimed they were avenging the Prophet Muhammad but they betrayed the Prophet message of mercy and peaceful coexistence, according to Toronto Star. But the debate should not be focused around freedom of speech. Free expression is a near-absolute in our western democracies. It is a protected right and for good reason. It is premised on a free market of ideas. Speech is allowed to enter the market, where it can be analyzed, debated and then accepted or rejected and Charlie Hebdo has long operated on the fringes and is now only popular for doing what seems to be in vogue being Islamophobic. Many of the magazine cartoons were plainly bigoted and unnecessarily inflammatory. They depicted Muslims as brown-skinned and turban-wearing violent misogynists. The cartoons reinforced harmful stereotypes about Muslims and were designed to shock. Freedom of speech protects Charlie Hebdo right to publish all of its cartoons, even if highly offensive. The magazine should be critiqued in the same forum, the media, using the same weapon, the pen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.