For Shame

"We're trying to explain to people what's happening," he said.

This panel by Australian cartoonist David Pope has been retweeted over 64,000 times as of the morning of Jan. 8. Pope tweeted: 'Can't sleep tonight, thoughts with my French cartooning colleagues, their families and loved ones #CharlieHebdo.' (David Pope/Twitter)

"As we cover the shootings at Charlie Hebdo in Paris, there are obviously calls to make. NN [CBC News Network] has been doing a great job of handling this on the fly...Please bear in mind: We aren't showing the video of the shooting of a police officer lying on the ground. It's just too graphic and horrifying. NN is using a still of the moment and that's a good solution."
"We aren't showing cartoons making fun of the Prophet Muhammad. Other elements of Charlie Hebdo's content and style are fine, but this area should be avoided as, quite simply, it's offensive to Muslims as a group."
"Many people are arguing that the violent actions in Paris today invite -- some would say almost require -- others to show solidarity with Charlie Hebdo by reprinting the offending cartoons. Some individuals, including politicians, are tweeting these images. I understand the impulse but don't buy the logic."
"We wouldn't have published these images before today -- not out of fear, but out of respect for the beliefs and sensibilities of the mass of Muslim believers. Why would the actions of a gang of violent thugs force us to change that position? This isn't the time for emotional responses or bravado. There are better ways to honour and stand beside our fellow journalists."
David Studer, director of Journalistic Standards and Practices, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Quebec French-language newspapers decided to run a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo. But the CBC in its coverage, covers up the cartoons while showing the mastheads. (CBC)  

"When leaders do this a lot of people are listening."
"When 'barbaric' gets attached to them, these are the kind of stereotypes and images that are being built up. What is achieved by using rhetoric like that?"
Karim H. Karim, journalism professor, Carleton University

How perfectly useful, and presumptuous it is for Professor Karim to gently rebuke the Prime Minister of Canada for characterizing the slaughter at Charlie Hebdo as 'barbaric' as being unhelpful. Is this a debate we are experiencing between murderous Islamic jihadists and the civilized world? Are we mortally offending the jihadis by using a descriptive like barbaric to name what they are doing?

They may do as they wish, conduct atrocities to teach the West a 'lesson' on how best to comport ourselves around the uber-sensitive topic of Islam, the Prophet Mohammad and the place of Islam in the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow, but the world outside of Islam must be respectfully attentive, even in those instances when jihadis run amok, slaughtering those who offend them. So 'barbaric' is out.

And so is republishing anything remotely as insulting as the scribbling of cartoon figures that appear to have a hovering resemblance to any of the forbidden topics. For that matter, anything that depicts Islam in any form, symbol or comment, represents an insult of insurmountable proportions; well, not entirely insurmountable; honour and dignity can be restored by vengeance, and so France has been temporarily cleansed of its incendiarily-black reputation through its cartoonists' derogatory caricatures.

Why they are derogatory when they simply question, or point out the obvious that there is nothing particularly godly, spiritual or peaceful about Muslims dedicated to the spread of Islam drenching the world in blood, simply points out our ignorance about the many facets of Islamic persuasions to the recognition of its divine and unquestionable presence to save humankind from itself.

And so, the public broadcaster that public tax dollars support is not merely cautious, but committed to ensure it ruffles no feathers, even when the eagle has swooped to devour the meek doves symbolic of peace. But then, many Canadian newspapers also took it upon themselves to protect the public from the possible frightening prospect of actually viewing cartoons held by Islamist jihadists to be so hateful that they merit death in obeisance to Islam.

There was solidarity in Canada, nonetheless, when most of the French press did proceed in sympathy with France and Charlie Hebdo. And the French-language CBC simply ignored what its English-language counterpart neglected in its cowardice-induced insistence it would not insult the sensibilities of Canadian Muslims by publishing. They may now all presumably take offence at the insensibility of the French press, which distinguished itself by publishing the unpublishable.

There simply is no 'good solution', Mr. Studer & Co. for crass cowardice. Free speech and Canadian values take second place to ensuring the sensibilities of Muslims are not offended. Unfortunately, this is a most especial courtesy granted only to the Muslim community; the sensitivities of Christians and Jews are expendable, they tend to sulk, not slaughter when offended.