Dear Mom,
This last week in France 12 employees at Charlie Hebdo were murdered by three Islamic extremists in the eleventh arrondisment (don't worry, I'm in the sixth!). One turned himself in, and the others were killed after holding five hostages in a kosher grocery store. Right now I'm at home, watching the television to see what is happening. On Sunday, I along with one million other people will be in Paris to mourn for the killed satirists. It's hard to know what to think in these situations. There's so many factors and it's all controversial. I do know a couple things: for starters Charlie Hebdo has the right to publish whatever they want whenever, because that is free speech. The purpose of satirical comics is to spark conversation, to criticize, and to exercise free speech. It's a digestible way to deal with today's conflicts and to encourage problem solving. Democracy doesn't work if the people are not involved. Secondly, no one should have been killed. It's important to remember that the terrorists who did this do not represent Islam they way they think they do. The Koran explicitly says you can't kill anyone because they don't believe in your religion. I think all people should make the separation in their mind from Islam and the extremists. I'm proud of the way France has taken this tragedy and turned it into a way to come together, and revisit their values. I think it's important culturally in times like this to stick together.
