Charlie Hebdo

Charlie Hebdo

It is difficult to let the Charlie Hebdo attack and its aftermath go uncommented here. The village held its tribute to the victims on Friday, a minute's silence outside the Mairie. The relevant details have all been published and I can add nothing other than a personal view.

Firstly, the claimed legitimacy for the attack on Charlie Hebdo's offices should be dismissed out of hand. Islamic extremists were of course provoked by Charlie Hebdo's cartoon, as indeed they could claim to be provoked by the day-to-day life of almost everyone in western society. Western society has standards that Muslim extremists will never accept and has every right to those standards. As much was demonstrated by the public display of solidarity by the leaders of western nations and religious groups in France. Any Muslim who cannot accept that should live elsewhere if possible or else confine their objections to peaceful protest.

I think too much attention has been given in western societies to Muslim sensitivities, no doubt partly because of fear of such reprisals. Politically correct circles and advocates of bizarre forms of multiculturalism have played no small part in this. Sensitivity to others beliefs is a laudable form of courtesy but not to the extent that it precludes criticism or occasional lampooning; those are rightly cherished freedoms in the west and must remain so, the more so if threatened by fear

By the same token western nations have erred, I believe, in their interventions in Arabic nations' affairs. Democracy and freedom of speech have never had much of a role in Arab culture and the west has no right to try to introduce them. If other countries willingly harbour groups plotting and effecting terrorist acts in western countries then by all means give them a bloody nose but stay out of their culture. Even, I would argue, if clear atrocities are being carried out in their countries the west should abstain from direct intervention. If their culture is to change and become more humane, the inhabitants of the countries themselves must effect that change.

At the root of much of this is oil and Israel. While the west remains dependent on Arab oil, so foreign policies will be skewed accordingly. And Israel's situation, whilst complex and difficult in the extreme, has not been helped by their policies and strategies towards Arabs in and around their territories. Netanyahu's offer to have the Jewish hostages who were killed buried in Israel was a blunder simply pouring fuel on the fire, another stupid mistake.

The world is in a mess but at least we should not compound the mess.