More Than a Quarter of British Muslims Say They Sympathize With Charlie Hebdo Murderers

Whenever there's a terrorist attack, politicians and the media assure us that only a tiny minority of Muslims have extremist views. The problem is that actual statistics prove, again and again, that the minority is never tiny. Following the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, for instance, 27 percent of British Muslims said that they sympathize with the motives of the attackers. Since there are approximately 3 million Muslims in Great Britain, the number of Muslims who sympathize with terrorists killing cartoonists is close to a million.

Is it any wonder the British media are so terrified of criticizing Islam?

Telegraph—This morning the BBC published details of a major poll of the attitudes of Britain’s Muslims. The headline on the front of the BBC website linking to the research states: “Muslims ‘oppose cartoon reprisals’”. This of course relates to attitudes within the Muslim community towards the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks.

It’s a reassuring headline. It’s also wrong. Many Muslims - a majority - do indeed utterly oppose the murderous killings in Paris. But a very, very large number of Muslims don’t. Presented with the statement “I have some sympathy for the motives behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris”, 27 seven percent agreed with the statement. A further 2 per cent refused to answer the question. And an additional eight percent said they were unsure whether they had some sympathy or not.

That is a shocking figure. And an utterly shaming one for Britain’s Muslim community. If this poll is accurate, over a quarter of British Muslims overtly sympathise with the motives of those responsible for the cold blooded murder of 16 journalists, police officers and Jews.

Below the report is an article by BBC Today program reporter Sima Kotecha. It begins: “Islam is a religion of peace and love - not violence: sentiments that have been expressed numerous times here in Bradford. Out of the dozens of people I've spoken to, an overwhelming majority have said they're angry that their interpretation of Islam has been eclipsed by an extreme ideology that is too often projected in the media."

That statement - and those sentiments - are simply not compatible with the BBC’s own research. In a separate finding, the BBC found 68 per cent of Muslims believed “acts of violence against those who published such images [of the prophet Mohammed] could never be justified”. Which means 32 per cent of those questioned take a different view. Another question asked respondents if they agreed with the statement “Muslim clerics who preach that violence against the West can be justified are out of touch with mainstream opinion”. 49 per cent agreed. Meaning again, that a majority of Muslims either disagree or sit on the fence. (Continue Reading.)

For my thoughts on the Charlie Hebdo Massacre, watch this:

Charlie Hebdo and Islam

Here's a good video on the Charlie Hebdo Massacre and its relation to Islam (French with English subtitles).

French Police Detain Eight-Year-Old Muslim for Declaring "The French Must Be Killed"

Hmmm. With so many peaceful verses in the Qur'an, where did such a young boy get the idea that Islam promotes killing?

PARIS (Associated Press) — Police detained and questioned an 8-year-old boy from the south of France who claimed to support the men who attacked the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, drawing criticism Thursday that France's measures to prevent people from defending terrorism have gone overboard.

Dozens of people have been arrested and accused of defending terrorism since the attacks, with some already drawing yearslong prison terms in special expedited court proceedings. But the child from the southern city of Nice appears to be the youngest by far.

The boy declared "The French must be killed. I am with the terrorists. The Muslims did well, and the journalists got what they deserved," Fabienne Lewandowski, deputy director for public security in the Alpes-Maritimes region, told BFM television. She said the child also refused to take part in the national minute of silence for the victims on Jan. 9. (Continue Reading.)

To understand why an eight-year-old boy has such a low view of non-Muslims, watch this:

Tens of Thousands of Iranian Muslims Protest Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

People are being slaughtered around the world in the name of Allah. But it's good to see so many Muslims who realize that cartoons are much more important.

Agence France-Presse—Tens of thousands took to the streets in cities across Iran after Friday prayers to condemn French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

The biggest demonstrations were in cities other than Tehran, with state television showing large crowds angered at the depiction of the prophet.

The image was published one week after 12 people were killed by Islamist gunmen at the magazine's Paris offices because of earlier such cartoons.

"Death to France, death to Israel, death to Britain, death to Charlie Hebdo," the crowds chanted in southern cities such as Qom and Isfahan, carrying flags and placards in reverence to the prophet. (Continue Reading.)

For more on the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, watch this:

Niger: Ten Killed, Churches Torched in Cartoon Riots

But Islam is peaceful and tolerant and Muhammad supported freedom of speech and open criticism of his claims, right?

(Reuters) - At least five people were killed on Saturday in protests in Niger against Charlie Hebdo's cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, authorities said, bringing the death toll from two days of violence in the country to 10.

Police fired tear gas at crowds of stone-throwing Muslim youths who set fire to churches and looted shops in the capital Niamey after authorities banned a meeting called by local Islamic leaders. A police station was attacked and at least two police cars burned.

"They offended our Prophet Mohammad, that's what we didn't like," said Amadou Abdoul Ouahab, who took part in the demonstrations.

President Mahamadou Issoufou said all five of the dead were civilians, with four of them killed inside burned churches or bars. He said an enquiry would be opened and those responsible for organising the violence would be punished.

"Those who pillage religious sites and profane them, those who persecute and kill their Christian compatriots or foreigners who live on our soil, have understood nothing of Islam," he said in a televised address.

The president added, however, that he shared the disgust of Muslims who felt offended by the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad and that freedom of expression should not mean liberty to insult religious beliefs.

Issoufou joined a march in Paris last weekend alongside French President Francois Hollande, in the wake of a gun attack that killed 12 people at the offices of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which had angered many Muslims by printing cartoons of Mohammad in the past.

But Issoufou said on Saturday he had wanted to demonstrate his opposition to terrorism and not support for the newspaper itself. (Continue Reading.)

For more on Islam and violence, watch this:

The Ghost of Charlie Hebdo and the Purple Beret

On January 7, 2015, two Muslim terrorists stormed the Paris headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. After killing numerous people, the jihadists yelled "Allahu akbar!" and "We have avenged the Prophet!" Politicians, the media, and numerous Muslim organizations united in claiming that the attack had nothing to do with Islam. But is this correct?

Fox News Posts Latest Charlie Hebdo Cartoon

It's always odd to see news programs or articles discussing cartoons that they won't even show. (Check CNN's site to see what I mean.) Fox News originally wouldn't show the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, but it seems they've changed their policy.

Muhammad Appears on Cover of New Charlie Hebdo Issue

The new issue of Charlie Hebdo will feature Muhammad on the cover:

CNN—If the Charlie Hebdo attackers thought they could eliminate the magazine, they're about to be proven wrong a million times over.

Editors of the Paris-based satirical magazine released the cover of their next issue on Monday night, and it shows a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed, holding up a sign with the now-famous slogan "Je Suis Charlie."

That slogan has become a rallying cry in the wake of the horrific shootings that left 12 dead at the magazine's offices last week.

The cover illustration also includes the words "Everything is forgiven."

The new cover was shared by Liberation, a French newspaper that lent office space to the surviving staff members of Charlie Hebdo.

Liberation's news story about the new cover said it was specifically meant to depict Mohammed.

Many major news organizations, including CNN, have refrained from showing any of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that purport to show the prophet. Executives at CNN have cited concerns about the safety of staff members and sensitivity about Muslim audiences.

The issue of Charlie Hebdo is scheduled to be shipped to newsstands on Tuesday and put on sale on Wednesday. Resuming publication is a triumphant moment for the magazine, and one celebrated by journalists around the world. It is also a highly provocative moment -- as Monday's cover indicates.

Many Muslims find depictions of Mohammed to be deeply offensive, and there has been speculation that Wednesday's attackers were motivated in part by past Charlie Hedbo cartoons. (Continue Reading.)

"Speculation"? Seriously?

Charlie Hebdo Comes to Speaker's Corner

Here's Jay Smith discussing the Charlie Hebdo cartoons at Speaker's Corner in London.

Muhammad Orders the Execution of Critics

When Muhammad entered Mecca, he ordered his followers only to fight those who refused to surrender to him, except certain people who were to be executed whether they surrendered or not. In our earliest detailed biographical source on the fall of Mecca, Ibn Ishaq lists eight people who were to receive the death penalty. The charges against four of the eight were "insulting Muhammad." One of the four critics was eventually pardoned; the others were killed.

Politicians, the media, and Muslim groups assure us that Muhammad never retaliated against people who insulted him. Too bad these modern apologists weren't there to tell Muhammad how tolerant they would one day imagine him to be.

Here's the passage from Ibn Ishaq, with details on the critics underlined. Pass it on.

German Newspaper Hamburger Morgenpost Firebombed for Reprinting Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

Didn't anyone bother to tell the arsonists that Islam promotes open criticism and free speech, as politicians and the media insist?

Berlin (AFP) - A German tabloid that reprinted cartoons from the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo lampooning the Prophet Mohammed was targeted in firebombing Sunday, police said.

With security services on high alert after a killing spree in Paris by Islamic extremists, police in the northern German port city of Hamburg said no one was injured in the blaze at the headquarters of the regional daily Hamburger Morgenpost, which caused only slight damage.

"Rocks and then a burning object were thrown through the window," a police spokesman told AFP.

"Two rooms on lower floors were damaged but the fire was put out quickly."

The Hamburger Morgenpost, known locally as the MOPO, had splashed the Charlie Hebdo cartoons on its front page after the massacre at the Paris publication, running the headline "This much freedom must be possible!" (Continue Reading.)

Sunan Abu Dawud 4361 (Muhammad on Killing Critics of Islam)

Here's Sunan Abu Dawud 4361 (4348 in some editions), in English and Arabic, along with the rating (sahih). In this hadith, a man kills the mother of his children for speaking against Muhammad. Muhammad, in response, says that no one is to punish the man.

So when Muhammad's own companions killed critics of Islam, and Muhammad approved, why do politicians, the media, and Muslim groups keep insisting that killing critics has nothing to do with Islam?

Who Is Hayat Boumeddiene?

Here's a short CNN video on Hayat Boumeddiene, the wanted female jihadist still on the run in France.

Al Qaeda Claims Responsibility for Paris Attacks

Al Qaeda used to plan grand bombings, but I've always been more worried about the day when Al Qaeda starts sending in gunmen. The bombings require so much planning that they're easier to stop. It's hard to catch shooters before they start shooting.

Fox News—A member of Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen said the group directed the massacre at a Paris magazine, hours after near simultaneous raids by French police on Friday killed the two Islamist brothers behind the attack and an ally of theirs.

The raids, conducted at locations 25 miles apart, took out Cherif and Said Kouachi and a suspect in a policewoman's killing who had seized hostages at a Paris grocery on the brothers' behalf, but also left at least four hostages dead, according to authorities and reports from the scene.

The Al Qaeda member on Friday provided to The Associated Press a statement in English saying "the leadership of AQAP directed the operations and they have chosen their target carefully."

There was no independent confirmation of the report.

He said the attack was in line with warnings from the late Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden to the West about "the consequences of the persistence in the blasphemy against Muslim sanctities." (Continue Reading.)

Muslim Terrorist Amedy Coulibaly Dead, Along with Four Hostages

In 2009, French President Nicolas Sarkozy met with future terrorist Amedy Coulibaly at the presidential palace as part of a forum on disenfranchised youth. In 2013, Coulibaly was later sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a plot to help Muslim terrorist Ait Ali Belkacem escape from prison. In 2015, Coulibaly murdered policewoman Clarissa Jean-Philippe following the Charlie Hebdo massacre (which was carried out by the Kouachi brothers, who were his friends). Coulibaly is now dead, along with four of the hostages he was holding.

Can we talk about Islam yet?

Amedy Coulibaly and Girlfriend Hayat Boumeddiene

Fox News—Near-simultaneous raids by French police Friday evening at locations 25 miles apart took out the Islamist brothers behind Wednesday's massacre at a Paris satirical magazine, and a cop-killing ally who had seized hostages at a Paris grocery, demanding police free his jihadist cronies.

The lightning-quick strikes ended two tense, hours-long standoffs, one at a printing plant north of the city and the other at a kosher supermarket on Paris' east side, where Reuters reported four hostages were killed. A hostage held north of the city by the brothers, who killed 12 in a commando-style attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, was reportedly freed. The fast-moving developments, signaled by explosions and gunfire at a printing plant in Dammartin-en-Goele, followed by similar sounds at Hypercacher (Hyper Kosher), a Jewish supermarket in eastern Paris, brought to a climax a three-day terror ordeal and manhunt involving nearly 90,000 police and military personnel.

Cherif and Said Kouachi, the radicalized French-born slackers whose attack on Charlie Hebdo left two police officers among the dozen dead, were both killed in the first raid. The brothers, 32 and 34, respectively, are believed to have ties to Al Qaeda in Yemen, and military experts who viewed footage of their bloody, late-morning raid on Wednesday said they appeared to be well-trained terrorists. Charlie Hebdo had long angered Muslim radicals with its penchant for publishing cartoon images of Prophet Muhammed.

In Paris, police said Amedy Coulibaly, who is believed to have know the brothers and was suspected of killing Paris Police Officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe Thursday, as she attended to a routine traffic accident in the city, was killed in a raid moments later, ending his supermarket siege. Police had identified him and his longtime girlfriend, Hayat Boumeddiene, as suspects, but her whereabouts were not immediately known.

Coulibaly, 33, and Cherif Kouachi were committed followers of convicted terror kingpin Djamel Beghal, according to Le Monde. (Continue Reading.)

To understand jihad, watch this:

Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi Killed Following Hostage Standoff

Paris (CNN)—Cherif and Said Kouachi, the two brothers wanted in the massacre at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine, have been killed by security forces in a town where they'd been surrounded, a local mayor said.

About the same time late Friday afternoon, explosions could be heard around where people were being held hostage in a kosher grocery store in eastern Paris. (Source)

To understand what Islam teaches about dealing with non-Muslims, watch this:

Said Kouachi, Cherif Kouachi, and Hamyd Mourad Identified as Charlie Hebdo Mass Murderers

Police officials in France have identified the Charlie Hebdo terrorists as Said Kouachi, Cherif Kouachi, and Hamyd Mourad. The Kouachi brothers were born and raised in France.

PARIS — French police have identified three men as suspects in Wednesday’s massacre of a dozen people at the offices of a satirical weekly newspaper, a brazen attack that set off a massive manhunt amid widespread condemnation of the killings.

According to police and other officials, two of the suspects are French brothers aged 34 and 32 years old from the Paris region, and the third is an 18-year-old from the northeastern city of Reims. There were conflicting reports on whether the teenager was also a French national.

In a late-night telephone interview with CNN, Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman said the three gunmen have been identified and “may have been arrested.” One “may have been prosecuted in the past,” he said, but he did not know the charge.

There was no immediate official confirmation of any arrests in the case.

The Associated Press, citing police officials, named the suspects as Frenchmen Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi. The news agency identified the 18-year-old as Hamyd Mourad. It quoted one official as saying the suspects were linked to a Yemeni terrorist network. (Continue Reading.)

To understand jihad, watch this:

Jihadists in Paris Kill 12 in Attack on Charlie Hebdo Magazine Headquarters

The French magazine Charlie Hebdo is deliberately offensive towards everyone. Unlike the vast majority of satirical works (which make fun of everything but Islam), the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo went out of their way to show that they can make fun of Islam too.

In the latest offering from the "religion of peace," 12 people are dead at the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo. This attack serves as a warning to the media: "Don't treat Islam like you treat other ideologies." The media, of course, are all too happy to comply.

A cartoon of Muhammad

BBC—Gunmen have attacked the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring seven in an apparent Islamist attack.

Three masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car.

The gunmen shouted "we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad", witnesses say.

President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack "of exceptional barbarity".

A major police operation is under way in the Paris area to catch the killers. The number of gunmen was initially reported to be two, but French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve later said they were hunting three "criminals".

Four of the magazine's well-known cartoonists, including its editor-in-chief Stephane Charbonnier were reported among those killed, as well as two police officers.

Mr Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection.

French media have named the three other cartoonists killed in the attack as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski. Reports say the attack took place during the magazine's daily editorial meeting.

Several of the wounded remain in a critical condition.

The satirical weekly has courted controversy in the past with its irreverent take on news and current affairs. It was fire-bombed in November 2011 a day after it carried a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.

The latest tweet on Charlie Hebdo's account was a cartoon of the Islamic State militant group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. (Continue Reading.)