When the editorial board sat down to discuss topics for the editorial this week, we all understood that given its importance to the press and the ideas of free speech, we needed to talk about the recent tragic shootings at Charlie Hebdo, attributed to extremists reacting to cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. However, coming from so many different backgrounds and feeling that it was so important to understand all of the different points of view that should be taken into account, we have chosen to encourage readers to truly step into the shoes of another who is affected by the murder of these 12 people.
Understand what it feels like to be:
-A Muslim in Paris, negatively affected by actions that you have no control over, being used as an easy target for misdirected frustrations
-A cartoonist in New York City, wondering if your rights may come at the cost of your life
-A French citizen, fearing for your safety after learning such events could occur in your place of work
-A Muslim from anywhere in the world, having to know that sacrilegious depictions of Muhammad are being made time and again as the result of the actions of the few
-A family member of one of the staff lost during the shootings, struggling to understand how something like this could happen
We hope that if you take the time to reflect, you will understand why we were so lost for words this week.
