Financial Times' Editor Calls Charlie Hebdo 'Stupid,' Accuses Paper Of 'Muslim Baiting'

The Huffington Post ^ | 01/07/2015 | By Ryan Grenoble

[dennisw]

"Charlie Hebdo has a long record of mocking, baiting and needling French Muslims," Barber writes, pointing a finger at the paper for inciting the violence. "France is the land of Voltaire, but too often editorial foolishness has prevailed at Charlie Hebdo."

He continued:

This is not in the slightest to condone the murderers, who must be caught and punished, or to suggest that freedom of expression should not extend to satirical portrayals of religion. It is merely to say that some common sense would be useful at publications such as Charlie Hebdo, and Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten, which purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims, but are actually just being stupid.

The column has already accrued more than 500 comments at Financial Times, many of them critical and unforgiving.

"This article is appalling in its insensitivity to those who were killed and injured in today's horrific and totally unjustifiable attack," reads one comment. "Although the author states that he does not condone the murders, he is, by writing that the staff at the magazine lacked common-sense, insinuating that the victims brought this on themselves. Shocking and shameful."

Another describes the piece as "indescribably tasteless," both due to its content, and the fact that Foreign Times published it "as people lie bleeding in hospital, and as they carry the bodybags across Paris."

[dennisw]

It’s a silly, juvenile magazine and I wouldn’t buy it if I lived in France...but it certainly has as much of a right to attack Islam as it has to attack the Catholic Church.

I agree on silly and juvenile. Also very secular as in disdain for religion which has a long tradition in France called Anti-Clericalism.

Lefties too is my guess. But they had the cojones to include Islam in their satires. They were smart and courageous enough to name Islam as the threat to their secular ideals. Not Catholicism or Christianity. Bill Mahar is getting like this too with his anti-Islam statements.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Islam is EVIL.

KORAN commands death for those who insult Islam:

[33.57] Surely (as for) those who speak evil things of Allah and His Apostle, Allah has cursed them in this world and the here after, and He has prepared for them a chastisement bringing disgrace.
[33.58] And those who speak evil things of the believing men and the believing women without their having earned (it), they are guilty indeed of a false accusation and a manifest sin.
[33.59] O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
[33.60] If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the agitators in the city do not desist, We shall most certainly set you over them, then they shall not be your neighbors in it but for a little while;
[33.61] Cursed: wherever they are found they shall be seized and murdered, a (horrible) murdering.
[33.62] (Such has been) the course of Allah with respect to those who have gone before; and you shall not find any change in the course of Allah.

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/koran/koran-idx?type=DIV0&byte=650389

ISLAM DELENDA EST
(Islam must be destroyed)

[MeshugeMikey]

Id like to think that Im amongst Americas Leading Obie Baiters,,,

for what thats worth

[WayneS]

Hey Mr. Barber! Charlie Hebdo also has a long record of mocking, baiting and needling French Christians and French Jews.

So, tell me: How many cartoonists have French Christians and French Jews slaughtered in recent years you vapid moron?

[WayneS]

I would like to hear Mr. Barber explain, in detail, WHY criticizing muslims is “just being stupid” - WITHOUT showing any signs of a double-standard regarding other religions, and without being hypocritical in any way.

I’ll bet him $1,000 he can’t do it.

[heartwood]

The cartoons are vile, obscene, puerile, cheap and ugly. The captions I’ve seen are innocuous in comparison to the drawings.

The writers and artists at Charlie Hebdo attacked Christianity in the same manner they attacked Islam, and I would not want to keep company with them, but they were brave and criticism of their work is irrelevant at this point.

Their assassins would have readily killed the man who drew Bomb Turban Mohammed, or any of us at Free Republic who condemn Mohammed and Islam.

[SJSAMPLE]

OF COURSE it was “muslim baiting”. It would be foolish to argue otherwise. The muslim response is the CRIME.

[Kackikat]

True. Free Speech is just that, it’s either free or it’s not. The response is definitely the crime.

[Jolla]

This is a hard one for me, having a french wife for 20 years I am concerned - I will say killing someone for their writings is never the thing to do, period, free speech is free speech. BUT having said that, when someone is secular as most french are and CHARLIE certainly was they go after culture and politicians but the most “humor” they reserve for religion.
When you provoke and poke people in the eye for 20 years for their deepest religious beliefs - if someone did that crucifix in urine or that type of provocation every week and put it on national display - do they not have to accept any responsibility for their action? Again, death is most certainly NOT the thing to do, and I am frankly somewhat shocked I feel this way - I have told my kids for 15 years they are responsible for their actions, how can I tell them Charlie is not. They are holding a moment of silence at the french school my wife teaches at and the kids attend today, I stand with them.

[molson209]

Financial Times Editor thinks he’ll keep his head by sucking up

[TexasRepublic]

That murderous “religion” is worthy of any derision or animal waste that can heaped upon it.

[faithhopecharity]

and in addition, the FT is almost a house organ for the UK Foreign Ministry (which is a kissy toady for those same Gulf shieks, its a big embarrasment but nevertheless it continues....)

the same money is helping the sell-out British political hacks flood UK with enemy agents sworn on conquoring UK and enslaving her peoples.
The sellout politicians (just like in mainland Europe and in USA) get rich while the rest of us get shafted...

[PATRIOT1876]

So...where can I get the “Muhammad with a bomb” T-shirt?

[dfwgator]

Seems to me they “baited” Catholics too. Yet Catholics aren’t going around killing anyone because of cartoons.

[dfwgator]

Don’t the Saudis own the Financial Times?

[dfwgator]

if someone did that crucifix in urine

I have an idea.....IGNORE IT! That's that best punishment you can give to these attention seekers.

[TWhiteBear]

The Financial Times is owned,operated, edited,and fuel by White English Eunuchs.
His shriveled arguments and duplilcitious defense of the indefensible is both pathetic and humorous.
TWB

[BunnySlippers]

bookmark

[dennisw]

→

Bhupinder Singh Bhurji, Pamela Geller, and Robert Spencer

 

T-shirt with Kurt Westergaard's Mohammed bomb-head cartoon

 

 

[PATRIOT1876]

Cool T-shirt!