"Je suis Charlie"
That is the sentiment echoing not just around France, but around the world right now. The thought that the humble pencil could get you killed is a shocking one, but it is not new. Islamic extremists have targeted schoolgirls who campaign for the right to education, schoolteachers, school children who have the temerity to attend school as well as journalists, aid workers and anyone else who defies their misguided notions that God doesn't approve of education or free speech, or women, or in fact anyone who isn't completely and utterly consumed by anger and hate.
Yet this isn't entirely a religious issue. These people are not defenders of the faith of Islam - in fact the majority of ordinary Muslims both in the UK and abroad, have spoken out against these murderers and terrorists. Not that you'll ever read much of that in the tabloids, particularly not the Daily Mail whose well known agenda is very much right wing.
Above is the statement given out by the Islamic Society of Britain - one of many from around the world and accompanying this statement on Facebook were messages from Muslims condemning the attacks and stating that it is completely against their religion to commit such crimes. Yet where are the reports of these official statements? Have you noticed how the media will happily print ISIS images and show ISIS videos, yet are not so compliant when it comes to representing the majority of that religion instead of the minority.
No, the terrorists are not acting on behalf of God or the Prophet Muhammad. They are acting within their own interests. They are using the weapons of power to assert their own authority. These young men release propaganda videos which are really a lesson in self worship and self absorption. They want to be noticed, they want to be a big hero in the eyes of their equally disturbed comrades, they want to be in power - which is a direct assault against everything taught in Islam.
We don't have to look far to see how religion is used as an oppressive tool. The Christian missionaries used it to enslave people, the Crusaders used it to murder people - you'd be forgiven for thinking that religion is at the root of all that is evil in this world. The Prophet Muhammad did order the killings of infidels and Jews (although most Muslims concur that this was done in the throes of yet another religious war), Moses killed an Egyptian and was responsible for the killings of many more, in fact the Old Testament catalogues many crimes against humanity "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" - where is the forgiveness there? In fact it's only in the New Testament that we hear about mercy and forgiveness and loving your neighbour, yet even Jesus wasn't averse to preaching about hell.
What most religions have in common though is their worship of an all-powerful omnipotent God who states that they should worship no other, that they should not judge or they face judgement themselves. Most religions have the basic 10 commandments as a starter and I'm pretty certain one of those was "thou shalt not kill".
So the extremists who are busying themselves with a killing spree in the hopes of finding a multitude of virgins waiting for them in heaven are going to be bitterly disappointed. Theirs is not a religious cause but a self-serving cause. Most of the young men caught up in the violence are from troubled backgrounds - they were nobodies who saw a chance to become somebody. They feel that society owes them something and in their depraved way, they think that all their problems stem from the fact that the West hates Muslims. They are unable to take responsibility for their own lives, for their own choices and actions.
The Muslims are not alone in this. Once upon a time it was the Christians who felt oppressed and persecuted and their answer was to start the Crusades - a murderous regime which saw the slaughter of many Jews and Muslims in the name of religion.
Yet let's not kid ourselves - the violence and the bloodshed have precious little to do with religion and a lot more to do with control and power. Religion is merely a tool.
I stand with the French journalists killed because they believed in freedom of speech and I also stand with the Muslims who are watching the events with horror. These terrorists will not win, but there will be others after them - including Christians - because the hunger for power and control is one which is always prevalent and this is the true killer.
No, the terrorists are not acting on behalf of God or the Prophet Muhammad. They are acting within their own interests. They are using the weapons of power to assert their own authority. These young men release propaganda videos which are really a lesson in self worship and self absorption. They want to be noticed, they want to be a big hero in the eyes of their equally disturbed comrades, they want to be in power - which is a direct assault against everything taught in Islam.
We don't have to look far to see how religion is used as an oppressive tool. The Christian missionaries used it to enslave people, the Crusaders used it to murder people - you'd be forgiven for thinking that religion is at the root of all that is evil in this world. The Prophet Muhammad did order the killings of infidels and Jews (although most Muslims concur that this was done in the throes of yet another religious war), Moses killed an Egyptian and was responsible for the killings of many more, in fact the Old Testament catalogues many crimes against humanity "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" - where is the forgiveness there? In fact it's only in the New Testament that we hear about mercy and forgiveness and loving your neighbour, yet even Jesus wasn't averse to preaching about hell.
What most religions have in common though is their worship of an all-powerful omnipotent God who states that they should worship no other, that they should not judge or they face judgement themselves. Most religions have the basic 10 commandments as a starter and I'm pretty certain one of those was "thou shalt not kill".
So the extremists who are busying themselves with a killing spree in the hopes of finding a multitude of virgins waiting for them in heaven are going to be bitterly disappointed. Theirs is not a religious cause but a self-serving cause. Most of the young men caught up in the violence are from troubled backgrounds - they were nobodies who saw a chance to become somebody. They feel that society owes them something and in their depraved way, they think that all their problems stem from the fact that the West hates Muslims. They are unable to take responsibility for their own lives, for their own choices and actions.
The Muslims are not alone in this. Once upon a time it was the Christians who felt oppressed and persecuted and their answer was to start the Crusades - a murderous regime which saw the slaughter of many Jews and Muslims in the name of religion.
Yet let's not kid ourselves - the violence and the bloodshed have precious little to do with religion and a lot more to do with control and power. Religion is merely a tool.
I stand with the French journalists killed because they believed in freedom of speech and I also stand with the Muslims who are watching the events with horror. These terrorists will not win, but there will be others after them - including Christians - because the hunger for power and control is one which is always prevalent and this is the true killer.