Je Suis Charlie

This is an archived post.

I feel very much upset when one makes a fun of me or cajoles me especially if what they are saying are lies. It gets me aggravated if the insult was illustrated in form of a picture, acting or a penciled cartoon, ooh you can’t possibly compare that to how I would feel if you did the same thing to Buddha, my sacred cow, the great Zeus, Patriarch Abraham, the prophets; Moses, Isaiah, Mohammed (Peace be upon Him), my clan’s deity Amadioha, Jesus Christ Son of God. Not even an illogical article against Higgs Particle would I forgive.

Why would I feel annoyed and desire to unleash my wrath on you for the crime committed against any of these beings, even though you can argue that according to general belief they all of course are dead and you were just expressing your freedom of speech either with your mouth, keyboard or a pencil and an app on your latest Mac OS or Widows device.

Sincerely, you are right they are all physically dead and the amendments on your constitutions and national byelaws allows for free speech and opinion even though they might be causing billions of people daily heartaches.

Unfortunately what you intentionally failed to take into account when paying for your pencil apps subscription is that these graphical representations on your cover page is the reason why I kneel and hit my head on the floor every other day facing the East or miss my favorite show on Discovery channel on Sunday morning just to attend mass, sit beside an older lady and sing and pray while reading from a book much far much older than the Declaration of Independence.

That your insulting cartoon is about the divinity that made me shave my hair and sit cross-legged in a cold monastery up the mountain wearing only loose linen dresses, the same reason I wake up early on a winter morning and pour libation on carved wood while killing a 5Kg chicken even though I live on below a dollar daily.

It is my belief, my life, my moral yardstick and entire being, it is my only perception of what is, could be and should be. My life revolves round the simple conception of the existence of laws, words and lifestyle of that black and white figure drawn with your pencil. Actually I am ready to go to jail, be stoned or die just to protect the name of the Prophet Moses, Mohammed (Peace be upon Him) or the sacred scrolls of Buddha. The simple fact of speaking or writing wrongs against ‘Dead’ guys who you have no case against brings to light that your insult and assassination of character is directed at me. By trying to proof ceaselessly that my God does not exist or can’t fight for Himself, you are calling me a savage and uncivilized human who lives in a forgotten era. Such insults I would not take. While I condemn all forms of terrorism, I also approve freedom of speech against insults in whatever form it may come. You may be Charlie, you may march with a million people by your side, but I am a vexed believer and wouldn’t hesitate to express my anger as freely as you expressed your opinions.

This post was authored by Mcze, a featured author.

The opinion contained in the post are purely his.