Our sacred right to blaspheme

Charlie Hebdo has been attacked, threatened, misunderstood and maligned — but it sticks to its core values. The world discovered Charlie Hebdo after the Danish cartoons of Muhammad affair of 2006 and the newsroom massacre in Paris of January 7, 2015. But not everyone quite grasps the magazine’s originality. To read more on Politico

In praise of Blasphemy

IN PRAISE OF BLASPHEMY : Why Charlie Hebdo is not ‘islamophobic’ is finally out in english. According to Salman Rushdie, « This is a vitally important book ». To order it on Itunes – To order it on Amazon  First Comment of Nick Cohen in StandPoint magazine : « In her new book In Praise of Blasphemy: Why Charlie Hebdo is not Islamophobic, Caroline Fourest wanted …

Jihad and Racism Without Borders

The terrorist attacks continue relentlessly in quick succession. Blood has been spilled on the streets of Algiers, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Madrid, Tunis, Islamabad, Baghdad, Bali, Bombay, New York, London, Paris and San Bernardino. For decades only Muslim countries were targeted. Jihadi violence -- once barricaded within the lands of Islam by dictatorial regimes or civil …

Our Dead, Our Self-Defense

Since January 11, French people have felt united, in response to such a cowardly and monstrous attack. But now, we're already hearing discordant voices. With a warped and falsely rebellious spirit -- unless this is a case of Stockholm syndrome -- you will always find those that create excuses for the murderers. Their role, however, …

A sickening article

Hard to describe the feeling of nausea caused by the media buzz over the shocking article in Le Parisien newspaper. An outrageous presentation of personal or trivial facts known only to those close to Charlie, a sensationalist, conspiracy theory “headline”, all the necessary ingredients to start the wild rumours flying again. Charb’s family and his …

Vladimir Putin and the sovereignists, together in the Syrian quagmire

Just a few days ago strange echoes could be heard coming from public debates. It was like standing in the nave of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The pro Russian sovereignists choir was singing loud praises to Vladimir Putin. A man, a real man.. The same man we sometimes see in the …

Jeremy Corbyn Fundamentalist Friends

Should we celebrate Jeremy Corbyn’s victory? The radical left speak of an “earthquake”. For others, however, it is a political suicide. In fact it all depends how one views Jeremy Corbyn. From a purely economic angle, shared by most newspapers, his victory is encouraging and shows that in England there is still a left which …

Finding sociological excuses for fanatics will not reduce racism

To be or not to be Charlie. That is no longer the question. More than four months after the January 7 demonstrations, two sides are confronting each other to say what Charlie really is. For one side Charlie is a republican, defender of secularism and the right to commit blasphemy. For the other side Charlie is …

In Praise of Blasphemy (Bernard-Henri Levy)

American friends, especially PEN Club writers, please read, right now, Caroline Fourest's new book, Eloge du blasphème (In Praise of Blasphemy, Grasset 2015), if you wish to understand: 1. why Charlie Hebdo was and is more respectful to Muslims than the idiots who think they are honoring Islam by killing; 2. that the real provocateurs were not the cartoonists …

Were the Chapel Hill Killings a Terrorist Attack?

A crime is always despicable. Whether the result of a terrorist attack or a crime, death is always despicable. First and foremost for those who lose their lives and their loved ones. But when do these deaths become news stories? If the motivation tells us something about society. Political and not personal hatred tells us …