I am not Charlie: a Christian response to the killings in Paris - Bob Ekblad

I was deeply troubled by news of this week’s killings of journalists at Charlie Hebdo, France’s beloved satirical newspaper, by two French Muslim brothers of Algerian descent, Chérif and Saïd Kouachi. I’ve been haunted by footage I saw of these gunmen’s shooting of a police officer in cold blood on a Parisian street where our good friends live and where we regularly stay. The killing of four hostages in the Jewish kosher grocery store by another jihadist activist, followed by the French police’s shooting of all three gunmen, has made this a traumatic week for France and the world.

Should we be surprised by these killings? Offense, resentment, and shame carried by many young Muslim men and others on the margins today incite rage. In this case, the rage is directed against the dishonoring gaze and mocking words of journalism that appears to consider nothing sacred, except free speech.

In the twenty years of my chaplaincy ministry in our local jail and in prisons around the world, I have witnessed the consequences of the exercise of free speech over and over. Exercising your freedom of speech to say whatever you want in a prison context (and many other places too) is possible, but it is not advised, especially if your words increase offense and lead to a sense of powerlessness and shame when the offended one may not have an effective way to respond. If you disrespect someone’s mother, girlfriend, or even fellow gang member, you will likely pay the consequences at some point. 

Cartoons of a naked Prophet Mohammed published by Charlie Hebdo, as well as images of the victims of Israel’s recent bombing of Gaza or America’s tortured detainees add to many Muslim people’s experience of being disrespected by the powerful status quo. Chérif and Saïd Kouachi sought to vindicate the honor of Mohammed (and his followers).

Many second generation immigrants, like Chérif Kouachi and his brother (who was orphaned and then raised in France’s foster-care system), experience tremendous alienation growing up in Western European countries as disaffected minorities, and they find refuge in their identity as Muslims. Chérif Kouachi was reputed to have been first radicalized in his early twenties when he saw images and heard reports of American soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison.

The tremendous violence unleashed on Palestinians by Israelis has radicalized many young Muslims.  Attacks on Muslims in Iraq, Syria and Yemen by Americans and their coalition through bombing raids, drone attacks, incarceration and torture is radicalizing many more. And Western media that dishonors Islam or justifies violent actions against it only adds salt to the wounds.

People all around the world have reacted to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo by identifying with the slaughtered journalists, who have come to represent freedom of speech. Masses of mainstream Westerners with signs “I am Charlie” or “We are Charlie” (“Je suis Charlie”; “Nous Sommes Charlie”) are effectively cloning en masse those viewed by Muslims as dishonoring and mocking Islam.

When the French public and their sympathizers choose to first and foremost stand in solidarity with champions of freedom of speech (the French value of freedom or “liberté”) rather than prioritizing pursuit of communication and mutual understanding with Muslims (the value of brotherhood or “fraternité”), they further dishonor disaffected Muslims, provoking them toward deeper frustration and resentment and increasing violence.

So how might followers of Jesus respond to this escalation of hatred and violence? Jesus warned his disciples: “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end” (Matthew 24:6). Jesus expects his listeners to be aware that history is heading toward increasing tension and to resist the natural tendencies toward hard- heartedness or violence.

“Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:12–14). Anyone listening to Jesus is told to not be fearful, but to get on with the highest priority work—announcing the Gospel of the Kingdom. What is this Gospel?

It most certainly does not include Christians identifying with or justifying swift and effective retaliation, increased surveillance, growing suspicion, incarceration, hatred against Muslims, or fear. When James and John ask Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who refused them entry as they traveled toward Jerusalem, Jesus rebukes them, saying: “You do not know of what spirit you are of.  For the son of man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55–56).

Those following Jesus need empowerment by the Holy Spirit to love our neighbors, to love our enemies, and to actively pursue understanding and reconciliation. This includes first taking the log out of our own eyes through confessing our sin and renouncing our violence. We must refuse our natural proclivity to judge the other, and to seek instead understanding with Muslims or anyone we label an “offender.” Honest communication can happen only when we build relationships.

Now we have an opportunity—to refuse to let our love grow cold or be overcome by evil, but to pursue Spirit-guided ways to overcome evil with good; to refuse to let the light of our Gospel be overcome by the darkness, but to shine brightly, so that all can see the light of the face of Christ—the world’s Messiah Savior.

In contrast to the shaming gaze, we must seek to look with the compassion of Jesus, who sees the crowds harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and then exclaims: “The harvest is plenty but the workers are few: beg the Lord of the harvest to cast out workers into the harvest.”

Comments

[Florian Berndt]

Well, this seems to me a truly Christian response!!!

[Wayne Yoder]

That "the Muslim people's experience of being disrespected by the powerful status quo" of the west is true but this fact cannot serve as the cause for the killings. The explanation is more complex than that. For now, forget trying to explain, stay with description, and we followers of Christ are compelled to continue befriending Muslims.

[Francois]

Our hearts cringe with horror at the senseless shooting in Paris and the countless crimes happening globally around the clock!
The harsh reality of the judgment of mankind's iniquity can only be addressed with redemptive perspective in the light of the cross, where our Maker, through whom and in whom all things exist, allowed his creation to murder him and thus took our judgment upon himself, entered our death and hell and destroyed its claim over the human race! While his murderers were crucifying him he announced their forgiveness – “Father forgive them for they KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!!”
This doesn’t make any sense to our eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth judicial mindsets!
Yet the law leaves no-one innocent - according to James 2:10-14 you might be faithful to your wife, yet you have killed someone; your not committing adultery does not cancel out the murder! (And vice versa.)
See Romans 11:29 For God’s grace gifts and his persuasion of
man’s original identity are irrevocable. (kaleo - to surname, to identify by
name.) 11:32 In God’s calculation the mass of humanity is trapped in unbelief. This qualifies all mankind for his mercy. (the word, apeithes, unbelief is unfortunately translated, disobedience in many bibles) 11:33 I am overwhelmed by the limitless extent of the wealth of God’s wisdom and the perfection of his knowledge.
John 1:17 The law was given through Moses; grace and truth were begotten through Jesus Christ. Against the stark backdrop of the law, with Moses representing the condemned state of mankind, Jesus Christ unveils grace and truth! (He is the life of our design redeemed in human form.) Mirror Bible

[jan]

Thank you Bob.. as usual a response brimming with wisdom and compassion.. casting Light at this dark time.
my heart aches for ALL.