In the aftermath of the heinous attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in France, many are tweeting and writing in solidarity: Je suis Charlie. But I’m not. Because I am not Charlie.
Of course, I unequivocally support the right to free speech. Period. And I also believe in choosing to exercise that right responsibly and respectfully. That’s why I would not have published cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed, insulting 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide in the process (and no, I wouldn’t have published many of Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons insulting Judaism and Christianity, either).
In no way should this be taken — as it has been by some on Twitter — to suggest that I somehow condone the killings of Charlie Hebdo’s staff. That’s a ridiculously insulting idea and just plain wrong. It’s possible to honor and protect the free speech rights of publications like Charlie Hebdo while simultaneously believing such cartoons are unnecessarily disrespectful and offensive.
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