ATTACKS IN FRANCE/SAMUEL PATY, NICE/PRESIDENT MACRON’S ISLAMOPHOBIC HYSTERIA
The title translates as “Racist Blue Union.” (Charlie Hebdo)
This was the reason why I called Charlie Hebdo not only Islamophobe, but alsoracistTheir cartoon of the black French Gyanese minister of Justice, ChristianeTabira
“If the same thing happens tomorrow, I wouldn’t hesitate to save people. I don’t want to see discrimination between Muslims, Jews, or Christians. Terror has no place in these religions. Terror is terror everywhere.”
As said Tayyip Gultekin, a Turkish man, living in Austria, who togetherwith another Turkish man, Mikail Ozen, saved the lives of a police officer andtwo women during the Vienna attack in november 2020
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/two-austrian-turks-save-policeman-and-two-elderly-women-in-vienna-attack-41129
People say I’m a hero but I’m not a hero. I’m Lassana,” he said at the ceremony.
“I’ll stay the same. I would do the same again, because I was following my heart.”
So said Lassana Bathily, the Malinese muslim, who saved
6 customers of a Jewish store, that was also under attack during
the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in 2015
In october 2020, France was startled by two criminal attacks on civilians,
Austria, too, by one criminal attack, also in october, 2020. [1]
Despite the horroble things you daily read and see in the news, yet I was rather stunned by learning of the bizarre beheading, by an 18 years old Chechen muslim, Abdoullakh Abouyedovich Anzorov [who was killed by the police], of the French middle school teacher Samuel Paty, who taught history, geographics and civics.
Reason:
In a lesson about freedom of opinion, Paty had shown his student
the notorious Charlie Hebdo 2012 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
[2]
And that was not all:
Along came a second attack, possibly still more bizarre:
The stabbing of three people, who died of it, by a 21 Tunesian suspect. [3]
I wrote: ” still more bizarre”, because this happened in a Church in Nice…..[4]
A Church…….
But there was more:
The third attack, in the same month [october] took place in Vienna, where
a gunman opened fire on innocent civilians in the city centre of Vienna. [5]
But there also was another side of the story:
In Vienna, two Turkish migrants who live in Austria saved the lives of
a police officer and two elderly women! [6]
Recep Tayyip Gultekin, one of the saviour Turks, added to his action of courage and
humanity:
”“If the same thing happens tomorrow, I wouldn’t hesitate to save people. I don’t want to see discrimination between Muslims, Jews, or Christians. Terror has no place in these religions. Terror is terror everywhere.” [7]
That is the Spirit of true religion, whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism or any other religion or life philosphy.
REACTION OF THE FRENCH STATE ON THE ATTACKS
So far so good [or rather said: so bad]
And let there is no misunderstanding
Those three attacks on innocent civilians were horrible.
But that doesn’t mean that State reactions neglect elementary rights!
And elementary rights are not to be discriminated against, not
impose collective punishment, not to condemn without proof!
And that’s exactly what the French government did to
the muslim community in France!
THE STORM/ISLAMOPHOBIA IN EUROPE
Since 11 september 2001, a storm of Islamophobia came
over the Western countries.
In the Netherlands figures like the political fascist PVV leader
G Wilders, as the Islamophobic politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali [8]
In other Western countries the same negative developments took place.
The whole political
climate changed, since every attack from muslim
perpetrators had been reacted negatively on the whole muslim community.
Also Islamophobic provocations went on and on, as the
Muhammed cartoons, published by the Jylands Posten.
And in nearly all cases I stroke back, as in the case of
the Muhammed cartoons publications. [9]
Not to mention the general Islamophobia in Europe! [10]
Under note 11 a report on Islamophobia in France, of 2016 [11]
But there is a lot to read about this subject, alas.
Search for yourself at Google!
BACK TO FRANCE/ISLAMOPHOBIC REACTION AND MEASURES OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT
BACK TO THE FRANCE STATE/ISLAMOPHOBIC MEASURES
In fact, the reaction of the French government was no more or less than a declaration of war against muslims in France and international!
Instead of an appeal for unity, French government polarized by the showing of the offending Charlie Hebdo Muhammad cartoons, hanging from French government buildings [12], thus violating article 1 of the French Constitution, stating equality and respect for everyone regardless descent, race or religion, as respect for all religion. [13] But French State madness was not over yet:
To add insult to injury, president Macron stated, that ”France will not give up cartoons” in a homage to the beheaded school teacher. [14]GREAT!
Are the muslims in France, who are offended by those disrespectful cartoons,not also France?No wonder some islamic countries started a boycott against French products! [15]
The reaction of the French government was demanding, as if France still were a colonial Power!The french minister of Foreign Affairs stated as a reaction to the boycot calls:””These calls for boycott are baseless and should stop immediately, as well as all attacks against our country, which are being pushed by a radical minority,” [16]Not only a neo colonial and arrogant reaction, but also implying as if the countries, that appeal for the boycott, had anything to do with the recent attacks.Perhaps this minister and his government have to learn, thatthe days of French colonialism are over?
THE WORST:MEASURES AGAINST ISLAMIC ORGANISATIONS IN FRANCE
And now comes the worst!
The third action of the French government was the more discriminatory:Minister of Internal Affairs Damartin announced the prohibition of a number of islamic organisations, being ”enemies of the Republic” [17]ENEMIES OF THE REPUBLIC?
Readers, does it remember you of the ”fifth column” demonization? [18]Moreover:
Without any given proof or connection with any terrorist attack, thus alienating the majority of peaceful muslims in France!GREAT, AGAIN!
An example of Damartin’s witch hunt is the CCIF, a reliable collective that fights Islamophobia in France [19]
AND SO LOW, TO LASH OUT AT REFUGEES!
The intention is also the deportation of illegal refugees, who received thelabel ”muslimextremists” without any proof of involvement with any terrorist attack . [20]
EPILOGUE
Those measures, punishing a number of islamic organisations with no proven connections whatever with the attackers, for their deeds is a form of”collective punishment” [21], fitting in a police State, not in a democracy, whichFrance claims to be. [22]
To add my voice to the diminishing number of people and organisations, that fight against Islamophobia, discrimination and also racism, I wrote this article,
I also protested by the way of a Letter to the Editor, which I sent to a number ofFrench, American, British and Turkish newspapers. [23]I also protested in a Letter to the Editor in Dutch, sending it to a numberof Dutch and Belgian newspapers.
This was my contribution.
Readers, do you follow, fighting injustice!
Astrid Essed
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