• Home
• /
• Opinion

Behind the Paris attacks

Freedom of expression should be not turned into stigmatisation

I fail to comprehend why over a billion Muslims should carry the burden and guilt whenever an act of terror is carried out in the name of their faith by an extremist minority. Every incident of terrorism wherein an assailant justifies their use of violence by associating it to Islam, all Muslims are turned into villains; guilty until proven otherwise. The manner in which the recent Paris attacks unfolded seems to demonstrate this.

Did it really matter to anyone that one of the French police officers killed in the heinous crime was a Muslim? Did it matter that the kosher supermarket helper who saved so many lives also happened to be a Muslim? Was it an important factor that their descent and country of origin was not as French?   

All those who came up close and personal with terror during those dreadful days – those who died or survived it – shared a single common factor: they were all victims of a terrorist attack. Was it necessary for a Muslim victim to be present in this ordeal so that the faith is not stereotyped and all its followers are not victimised? And what would have ensued if not a single French citizen who happens to be a Muslim was not killed during the incident?  

Let there be no mistake about what had happened in Paris.  It had nothing to do whatsoever with freedom of expression. It was not about the standoff between religious denominations and leanings — either of the attackers, the victims, or that of the state. And it certainly was not about the principles of liberty or equality that is an acclaimed pillar of so many societies.  The heinous attacks in the French capital was an act of terrorism whose targets were singled out just to justify it. Innocent targets are in abundance and terrorists are never ashamed in selecting the most vulnerable of all when they want to inflict harm, simply because no moral or ethical obligation would prevent them from doing so.

It is unfortunate that every act of terror that is carried out in the name of Islam, Muslims across the globe feel obliged to step up their defense of their faith. The peaceful vast majority of millions of Muslims have no choice but to walk the extra mile in expressing their condemnation of terrorism and showing their solidarity towards those who have fallen victim to it.  With each terror strike, religion is placed at centerstage. The question is not whether one religion or the other promotes hatred or conflict.  The issue is how people fall prey to those who are using it in such a manner. 

What further complicates the situation is the French authorities’ announcement of beefing up security in the country, and more specifically identifying Jewish schools and synagogues as recipients of such protection. Ensuring safety surely is a natural reaction.  But this very announcement makes one wonder as to why Muslim mosques were not also named in the announcement. After all, several of them had been attacked and bombed in retaliation to the terrorists’ attacks. Was that not an act of terror?  Was it not extremism against a religious group? Or is one religion’s place of worship more valuable and sacred than another?

This brings us to the crux of the matter. In an age of transit terrorism and the globe-trotter terrorist, societies will be challenged in how they react when terror strikes and what will be done to ensure that the fabric holding them together is not torn apart.  Today, not a single nation in the world can claim that it does not reflect or represent a certain level of multiculturalism or diversity. 

The question is what action will it adopt in order to safeguard it against extremism of any kind.  This no doubt will be the litmus test that would show the true colour of any society – whether it is a unified population standing against adversity, or one that is made up of fragmented and segmented groups that are living together, yet in isolation.  As a matter of fact, any measure adopted on an individual or official state level, will determine whether extremism and racism spreads or is eliminated. 

Najla Al Rostamani is a UAE-based columnist and media consultant with interests in local and international socio-political affairs