An attack on a journalist, anywhere in the world, is an attack on all of us in the profession. I always feel sad when a reporter or photographer dies in an accident on their way to cover a story; or when a war correspondent is killed in crossfire, as has been the case over the years. More than ever though, journalists are being targeted by extremists and it’s just tragic. Unlike what many people assume, journalism is neither the easiest nor the most rewarding career. Many journalists will tell you that they are in the profession because they are driven by passion—the desire to tell stories that must be told even when it means risking their lives. That 10 Charlie Hebdo, (a Paris-based satirical weekly publication) employees, including the editor-in-chief and his deputy, together with three renowned cartoonists were gunned down in their own office, is terrible. Yes, they were provocative and insensitive on many occasions, and were undoubtedly disliked by several people; but they didn’t deserve to be killed. According to witness reports, the gunmen, thought to be at least three, said they were avenging the publication’s disrespect for Prophet Mohammed. Someone should have told them that the same magazine has poked fun at everybody, from politicians to bankers and even Christians. There was widespread outrage when they published an unflattering cartoon of the Virgin Mary delivering baby Jesus. So, the satire is not necessarily intended to annoy Muslims. I think we all need to stop being so touchy-feely, irrespective of the faith we profess and come to terms with the fact that people will have an opinion about us or our beliefs—whether we like it or not. So many lies have been said about Jesus. Several books and movies have depicted him as a married man with children. Others swear they have seen his tomb, bones and all and Christians who believe Jesus resurrected on the 3rd day may be offended by these falsehood but they have not pick up arms to attack those responsible for spreading the lies. There are many ways to voice one’s grievances. You can choose to ignore it all because deep down, you know the truth. Alternatively, you can hit them where it really hurts, the pocket. If movie and book sales are low, they probably won’t be encouraged to produce more. There’s also court. You can literary sue for and about anything these days; so why not pursue that course instead of taking other people’s lives? The assault on Charlie Hebdo is similar to the attacks journalists and media houses in Somalia endure from Al-Shabaab. Some reporters’ cars are strapped with bombs; others are shot right in their offices in broad daylight for speaking out against the militants. It’s just hard to believe security hadn’t been stepped up at the Paris-based publication, given that they’ve been attacked before and the fact that some of the cartoonists have received persistent death threats over the years and were even named on Al Qaeda’s most wanted list for crimes against Islam! Why then didn’t they take more precautions, for instance by working from an undisclosed location, using pseudonyms or simply securing the premises to fend off any potential attack? Looking at the footage of the attack, a policeman who must have been one of the first to respond appeared to plead for his life and he probably wouldn’t have had to do that had there been a team of armed security personnel guarding the building. Most importantly, those assailants wouldn’t have got to the poor journalists. What a loss!
