Show mercy to all the wounded

The cold-blooded assassination of eight members of the staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, and the related murders and hostage-taking at a Paris kosher supermarket, triggered a wave of revulsion that the world has rarely seen before. On Sunday, Paris witnessed the largest public demonstration in its history as well over a million people poured on to the streets to proclaim “Je suis Charlie”. Large numbers assembled in other French cities with the same message. It was an act of solidarity echoing the legendary occasion when a Roman general called on a mass of slaves, whose revolt he had just crushed, to identify their leader Spartacus. One by one they stepped forward to declare “I am Spartacus”, thereby volunteering to share in the savage punishment the Romans had intended for him alone.

The French demonstrators, and the 42 world political leaders who attended the march, were in effect saying to those who followed the extreme Islamist ideology of the assassins, that if they wanted to eradicate the principle of freedom of expression that the magazine symbolised, they must eradicate the rest of us too. Events surrounding the attack on Charlie Hebdo are a prime example of the principle attributed to Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” which is often taken to be at the very core of the French Enlightenment. Charlie Hebdo was already notorious for the deliberately offensive satires drawn by its panel of cartoonists, some of whom have now paid with their lives. Religion – Islam, but also the Catholic Church – has provided many of their targets. Muslims in particular were offended by its repeated and often unfavourable depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, which they felt was contrary to one of the fundamental principles of the Islamic faith.

“I am Charlie” therefore turns out to be not so straightforward a proposition. There is a very civilised argument, more civilised indeed than what the Charlie cartoonists were up to, which says that the very possibility of a peaceful society rests upon a minimum degree of mutual respect. A familiar theme of the banners carried in Paris on Sunday was “Je suis Charlie, je suis flic, je suis Juif,” merging all three classes of victim: police officers and Jews as well as cartoonists, into one. Muslims must not be turned into another class of victim. Those who say “Je suis Charlie” in the name of solidarity must also be prepared to say “Je suis musulman”, “I am a Muslim”, as indeed some of them did. In the name of solidarity, their offence at the depiction of Muhammad must be taken seriously. This applies not just to previous cartoons but to the relatively benign latest edition of Charlie Hebdo, where the cover has a drawing by one of the survivors of the massacre, showing Muhammad in tears. He declares “All is forgiven” and holds the slogan “I am Charlie”. A Hebdo staff member said it meant that they wanted to forgive the assassins.

Many parts of the global media, including in Britain, reproduced that image on Wednesday morning. Muslim leaders protested; it was as if millions of peaceable Muslims, vast numbers of whom condemned the Paris atrocities, were being punished for the sins of the very few. Those leaders deserve admiration for the moderation of their language. A group of leading British imams released a message to their followers saying: “Most Muslims will inevitably be hurt … But our reaction must be a reflection of the teachings of the gentle and merciful character of the Prophet. Enduring patience, tolerance, gentleness and mercy … is the best and immediate way to respond.” Those are noble principles, just as fundamental to civilisation as freedom of expression.