Its A Scary World

The world has become a very scary and strange place of late.

This Sort of Scary Is Within Our Cultural Norms ....

For those of us lucky enough to be born into the Western world, most of the scariness in our lives comes from the external cultures being introduced into ours, often via immigration, or perhaps globalisation. And the strangeness's, well they can nearly always be explained within our own cultural contexts (even The 'Donald'). Mostly it comes from our Western freedom to do our own thing, as long as it harms no others, so eccentricities abound, and are largely tolerated.

Je Suis Charlie

The Blood soaked altars of Islam claimed some more sacrificial victims today, when twelve more brave men and women were murdered by Islamic Jihadists, this time at the offices of the left-wing and secular satirical magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' in Paris France.

But, in the week in which thousands have marched in Germany under the banner of the name 'Pegida', against the 'Islamisation' of Europe, it has also brought into sharp relief, the debate the between the Western European concepts of 'Freedom of Speech', and the concept of 'Freedom of Religion'. Does the right of people to practise their religion (no matter how odious), outweigh the rights of those of whose who think they are either deluded, or dangerous, or both?

Of course ironically, the left-wing in Germany counter marched to 'support' the Muslims .... how many will do so next time?

Charlie Hebdo had been attacked before by petrol bombs, however on that occasion no one was hurt, but this time it wasn't just the ten men and women of the editorial staff, and the two policemen outside, who have been killed, it was also a bloody assault on core European Values.... the very same values that allow those Muslims who detest the West, to spout their hatred, and yet still live here in safety (certainly compared to the treatment of non Muslims in Islamic societies).

Once again the Gates of Vienna are being pushed by the forces of backwardness .... its up to us all not to blink, or our cowardly politicians will appease these barbarians in the name of 'cohesion' .... the only real response would be for every publication in Europe to publish the Mohammed cartoons again on their front covers, and let Jihadists see that the days of being able to force acquiescence from our press are over.

Tribute By Oriol Malet

When last they were attacked, the editor Stephane Charbonnier (who died today), said that Islam should not be excluded from 'freedom of the press' to comment in the West. He added that "If we can poke fun at everything in France, if we can talk about anything in France apart from Islam, or the consequences of Islamism, that is annoying."

He bravely added that "This is the first time we have been physically attacked, but we won't let it get to us" .... to my shame I suspected that it would get to them editorially ..... they proved me wrong, but at a terrible price.

Charlie Hebdo RIP