Charlie Hebdo - What Happened?

One of the worst terrorist attacks in Paris happened recently due to the controversial nature of the magazine's content. Charlie Hebdo's offices were attacked by the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, resulting in 11 casualties and more injured.

What had caused this was the satirical nature of the magazine. Many publications made fun of religion; Catholicism and Islam in particular. The magazine would often mock Islam, and would also publish magazine covers with parodies of Muhammad on them. This is a problem because some sects of Islam prohibit its worshipers from viewing images of Muhammad.

translation:
Sharia Hebdo
100 lashes if you are not dying of laughter

Regardless, the offensive nature of the magazine had caused an upset among not only radical Muslims, but Muslims in general, which led to al-Qaeda planning attacks on them since 2011.

After the initial shooting, more terrorist attacks occurred near Paris, some involving hostages. Because of this, security in the region has been heightened, also causing people to fear travelling there. Personally, I would not risk travelling, because even though those at large are now either captured or dead, it doesn't mean that other terrorist threats can't infiltrate the government of France.

People feel as if this is a violation of freedom of speech, both in France and here at home. The entire situation is heartbreaking, but I don't think we should necessarily support the magazine's message. While we should most certainly mourn the losses and do what we can to help Charlie Hebdo recover, it doesn't mean the magazine is no longer offensive. Many cover photos, such as the one above, would often mock other religions, causing controversy. This is still absolutely no reason to shoot up the building, however. Hopefully the magazine will be able to recover from its losses.