On 10 July 2013, two days after 51 demonstrators were killed and another 435 were injured in protests against the military coup in Egypt, Charlie Hebdo published a front cover showing an Egyptian Muslim dying in a hail of bullets, despite holding a copy of the Qur’an to his chest. Yes, that was the punch line: his religion could do nothing to save him from his fate (as the provocative caption made clear).
Call me a cynic, but I suspect that if a satirist had published a cartoon mocking the victims of Wednesday’s atrocity the following day, there would have been an outcry and widespread condemnation. And rightly so.
For all the regurgitation of words the grossly anti-Semitic Voltaire did not actually utter – “I may not agree with you, but defend your right to say it” – it all seems to be a rather vacuous platitude, for where was this vast outpouring of solidarity for those Egyptians massacred while exercising their curtailed right to freedom of expression in the face of a military coup?
Far from defending their right to say what we did not agree with, Europe’s bravest satirical magazine published a cartoon lampooning the dead, while our esteemed former prime minister decided to stand shoulder to shoulder with the General.
The truth is, nobody really believes in those words wrongly attributed to Voltaire. We choose when to defend free speech and when to curtail it. And if fifty people are massacred whilst defending beliefs we dislike, it is no business of ours – though we retain the right to laugh at them if we so choose.
Everybody decries the killing of innocents – what occurred on Wednesday has been rightly condemned – but there is no need to lionise the satirists as defenders of free speech, to celebrate their vulgar work. They chose when to defend it and when to mock those who died fighting for theirs.
Both the act of terrorism and the reporting of terrorism are political.
Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Istanbul was featured in Breaking News and took second position on the BBC News website that evening, but was a mere footnote on the world news page by Wednesday morning (hours before the atrocity in Paris took place).
By that time it was known that the female suicide bomber was a member of the Marxist DHKP-C.
Though one suspects that the horror is broadly the same whether you are ripped to pieces by an Ideological Leftist, a White Supremacist, a Muslim Extremist or a Provincial Separatist, the vast majority of terrorist plots in this country and worldwide are not considered newsworthy. [1. According to Europol statistics, Islamists were responsible for 0.7% of failed, foiled and completed terrorist plots across Europe between 2006 and 2013.]
News, after all, is not a natural account of everything that is happening in the world. News is a political and commercial construct. It is a product.
Should we be excited about Intel Curie – or should we be worried?
Should we be excited about Drones which can fly by themselves using Intel’s RealSense technology – or should we flinch in horror at what is to come?
Will it be a brave new world – or Brave New World?
Events like this are meant to silence us in multiple ways.
To silence our response to extremism, because it must be on mainstream terms.
To silence our opinions, because they supposedly legitimize the actions of extremists.
To silence our voices in our own communities, because the world is framed as a polarized us and them.
To silence our compassion for the wronged elsewhere, because victimhood is political.
I suggest we resist: speak up. Speak kindly, graciously, gently, politely and fairly. Speak against yourself if you are wrong and for yourself if you are right. Speak the truth. Speak with and of justice. Speak no lie and never in vain. Speak up.
“…stand firmly in justice, witnesses for God, even if against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, God is more worthy of both…” 4:135
In Europe, we have Freedom of Expression within the law.
That is why Maurice Sinet was sacked by Charlie Hebdo for an allegedly anti-Semitic column and charged with inciting racial hatred.
In France, racial insults in public are punishable by up to six months in prison and fines of up to €25,000.
But we’re not meant to talk about that.
You may be right that now is not the time for Muslims to object to being bashed over the head for their alleged hatred of freedom in response to the actions of two or three criminals…
Conversely, you might argue that now is not the time for journalists, columnists and politicians to debate the fate of multiculturalism, the place of Islam in Europe, the right to offend Muslims and the impact of immigration on civic society…
…all of which have been trawled over and discussed ad nauseam over the past twelve hours on the Radio, on TV and in the Press.
You may be right that now is the time for Muslims to be quiescent; to apologise for actions which they did not commit or condone.
Conversely, you might argue that if silence is demanded from one, it should be demanded of the other.
The way British journalists talk about Freedom of Expression, you’d think they had never picked up a book on Publishing Law. The copy on my bookshelf lists a vast range of exclusions, though perhaps even the author could not have forseen the broad restrictions added in the decade and a half since publication. In Britain, as in much of Europe, we have conditional freedom of expression.
I’m sorry, but the reporting and commentary on the BBC news this evening was shocking.
Knowing nothing about the identity of the attackers, we learn that France must ask itself whether it has got its approach to immigration right. Now rolling commentary on communal tensions.
But who’s to say the perpetrators aren’t natives, self radicalised by watching videos on the internet, like Maxime Hauchard, Mickael dos Santos or Raphael Amar?
Can all those words, broadcast to millions over the airways be taken back? Can the rolling commentary be undone?
What a vast amount of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest spark.
I was wondering why yesterday’s suicide bombing in Istanbul disappeared from the front pages of our newspapers. Then I realised: it was apparently carried out by Marxists. So that’s all right then.
The redefinition of terrorism goes on.
There’s nothing new about these insecurities. Perhaps what’s different is that the folklore of this generation – the standard narrative in novels, films, TV shows and magazines – provides a hopeless caricature of relationships, reducing them to animalistic mating rituals: man and woman meet in a bar/restaurant/post-nuclear holocaust/alien invasion, and an hour later jump into bed together.
In my time, at university, nearly 20 years ago, those same insecurities were bubbling away in every dorm. As they leafed through their copies of FHM magazine, 3 out of 5 students in every flat were in despair, wondering what was wrong with them. Mostly they’re all now happily married or in long-term relationships. They probably look back on their naive, impatient youth with a mixture of self-loathing and tragic embarrassment.
But here, in the Muslim community, we have our own set of insecurities, or uncertainties, in the simplest of human relationships, such as a greeting on the street or a conversation on a public forum. When does a lowered gaze become I’m ignoring your existence? When does a greeting of salam become a huge faux pas? I admit that after 18 years navigating the Muslim Community, I’m largely none the wiser.
I purchased Anker’s Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse from Amazon at the end of December, primarily for use with a Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro 3, of course, is billed as the tablet that can replace your laptop, but for reasons known only to them, Microsoft sell the Type Cover as an optional extra for an extortionate (in my opinion) £110. Anker’s keyboard and mouse combo cost me £16, which felt a much fairer deal, though Chinese workers may disagree.
It’s described as a mini keyboard. Personally I’d say it’s very close to full size (except for the the absence of navigation keys and numeric pad, obviously). The key block is virtually the same size as my traditional Dell desktop keyboard, and the layout is very similar to that on Dell XPS laptops. The keys themselves are possibly slightly smaller.
It is a US layout, but that ought not be a problem if you’re a touch typist (configure the keyboard layout in your operating system to your preference). The keyboard is perhaps a little more springy / clicky than more expensive keyboards, but honestly there’s not much in it. I’ve had no problems touch typing on it. The layout is well thought out.
The mouse won’t win any prizes for its looks, but it’s perfectly functional. For the bulk of my work I tend to use a Kensington Orbit optical trackball, which I find reduces repetitive strain in my right hand and arm. However the Anker mouse is fine for light use and is fairly comfortable to use.
The power save mode on both the keyboard and mouse are very helpful, as I often forget to turn off another wireless mouse we have. You simply have to click any button to reactivate them.
The battery/stand bump on the keyboard does make the keyboard a little more bulky, but it will still fit in my slim Evecase neoprene messenger case with the Surface Pro 3. So it is definitely portable, but it’s much closer to desktop proportions than a lot of real mini keyboards on sale on Amazon. Very handy if you plan to do proper work, rather than casual text input.
I’m perfectly happy with this keyboard and mouse combination. As it happens, I’m now using it with both the Surface Pro 3 and a Mac Mini, and it appears to work flawlessly with both. I suppose the only drawback is having to switch the wireless receiver dongle from one USB device to the other, but it’s hardly a major issue. A Bluetooth keyboard would not have presented this issue, but I have read mixed reviews of Bluetooth keyboards on the Surface.
Overall, a very good purchase for the price – and with very speedy delivery. I have no hesitation recommending this keyboard and mouse set if you’re on a tight budget.
No new resolutions for me, but a reminder for my daily living… What does it mean to believe?
“And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who ward off evil;
Those who spend of that which God has given them in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; God loves the good;
And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember God and implore forgiveness for their sins — Who forgives sins except God alone? — and will not knowingly repeat the wrong they did.
The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever — a bountiful reward for workers!”
Qur’an 3:133-136
In summary, those who believe should be:
- Charitable (generous in giving money or other help to the needy / mild or tolerant in judging others; lenient)
- Composed (serenely self-possessed; calm)
- Clement (inclined to be lenient or merciful)
- Contrite (feeling regret and sorrow for one’s sins or offenses; penitent)
If we can try to act on these daily, then perhaps we too can be counted among those being referred to. The best of resolutions, inshallah.
What our community needs more than beards and pieces of fabric is justice and compassion.
“Verily, God does not look at your appearance or wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and deeds.”
Open your eyes. Illegal attempts to enter UK are on the rise because civil unrest is on the rise. Turkey is hosting 1.7 million Syrian refugees; Lebanon is hosting 1.3 million. The UK is legally hosting 100.
