Je Suis Charlie Hebdo, Whether I Would Draw That or Not

Je Suis Charlie Hebdo, Whether I Would Draw That or Not
Front: French expatriates David Nalmin (R), Gabriel Giraldi, and American Patty Rasmussen carry a French flag through Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Sunday, to support France after terrorism around Paris that killed 17 people last week, on Jan. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/John Amis) Background: Copies of the latest edition of the magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 14, 2015. Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images
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From the absurd claim that there are “no-go zones” in European cities where only Muslims venture, to the very deaf whining that Muslims must condemn the Jan. 7 Charlie Hebdo murders (they do, they have, they are), some reactions to the tragedy in Paris have been foolish.

Free speech is one of the super core, ultra core, American principles, as we all know. So the idea that anyone would kill over a cartoon is repellent. Looking for pictures to go with this column, I found an image of a march in Pakistan, and men holding a banner saying the surviving cartoonists should be hung. I was offended. That feeling of righteous indignation could lead us in a wrong direction.

"It's never OK for the government to say, 'you can't say that.'"
Greg Magarian, professor, Washington University at St. Louis
Mary Silver
Mary Silver
Author
Mary Silver writes columns, grows herbs, hikes, and admires the sky. She likes critters, and thinks the best part of being a journalist is learning new stuff all the time. She has a Masters from Emory University, serves on the board of the Georgia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and belongs to the Association of Health Care Journalists.