Confused man this Mehdi Hasan. "Je suis Charlie" is about the right not to be killed for drawing cartoons. He agrees with that; there is no excuse. Case closed.
Then he raves on about offending and being offended which is irrelevant. People get offended for all kinds of reasons all the time. Some people offend on purpose, others just don't think it's funny and start to foam around the mouth already. But also here: being offended by words or pictures is never an excuse to kill the offender. Again, case closed.
He claims there are double standards and I think he is right. But there are more than just two standards; it's a mulitude of standards that operate in and among societies. In diverse and open societies different people are necessarily offended by different things
because they have different standards. Such societies can only keep a modicum of coherence however, for as long people don't kill each other for it. That is what the freedom of speech and expression is all about! The right to have double stndards, opinions and tastes of what is funny or not. You can go to a court and file a complaint if you feel you need to.. when you are so offended that it really is hard to bear any longer. "Je suis Charlie" defends that right of the offended to go to court, as well as the right to say or draw things that can be offensive without being killed. Case closed.
Since there are no points to score here for Mehdi Hasan, he desperately tries to point finger at other evil-dohars or suspects, and thusly create a sense of guilt by association via diversion. Don't governments of Western free-speech countries go to war using double standards that kill thousands of innocent Muslims?? And what about the Israeli Netanyahu gvt.. hu?? Sure those can be critised (of course.. he forgets to mention Hamas) but they can't be used as an excuse either to commit horrendous crimes... or can they? Two wrongs never make one right. If mister Mehdi Hassan hates double standards, hypocrisy, excuses.. he better applies it universaly and not step in that trap himself. But he did.
Mom: "Don't do that Johnny, its
wrong... you are not allowed to do that it must stop immediately!"
Johnny: "Yes but Bobby did the same yesterday... he started it, he did it first!"
Bobby: "That's a lie and you know it! Last week you called me a faggot while I said that if you'd do that again you would ceeeertainly pay the price! You simply asked for it duuude... grow up and own it!"
Johnny: "See mom, I told you this little fag is full if sad excuses he can't even take a joke or little insult.. what a looser! When I get really bitten I bite back and even harder, sorry!"
Bobby: "Such a lame excuse you produce there. You have been provoking me on purpose long enough.. till I snapped which is
exactly what you wanted to happen to further humiliate me and turn
me into the perpetrator instead. People know your dirty tricks long enough now."
Johnny: "The trick is that I never use
physical violence, at least not untill somebody else uses it against me. When I use violence in response to violence it is either as self-defence.. or as a
retaliation so that the attacker will be deterred next time he feels the urge. The trick is that
something has to deter or block you from doing it again. I'm only helping you to control or own violent urges and get some thicker skin as a bonus.. you will need it later in life when you are a grown up!"
Bobby: "Blablablaaaa.. intellectual sophistry. It is obvious that you just can't control
your urge of being mean to others. You are a sadist and very good in creating good sounding excuses that's all. I'm helping
you to own that fact and change it."
Johnny: "It doesn't matter what I say or you say. Fact is
you started using physical violence... which is a real and much more serious crime than me just throwing some whatever
words in your direction. You are just too sensitive and easily offended. Touphen up man! Don't be such a sissy.. If you ever wondered or doubted why I call you fagg all the time.. now you know."
Bobby: "Yea... as if physical pain is the
only type of pain people can experience. I suppose that when people mourn and cry because a loved one died... it doesn't count either in your book. Maybe you are not a mean hypocrite... just very stupid!"
Johnny: "Of course there are many forms of pain.. its just that I have the right to say things that may or may not hurt you emotionally. You have the right to take me to court for it and who knows.. the judge rules in a way that makes you very happy. But you
never have the right to bite my ear off, no excuse will be good enough for
that! Keep it simple please."
Bobby: "Life isn't as simple as Law me-boy... and you know it! You have a responsability too and can't hide behind lawyers and judges who give you cover for the mean tricks you are playing... I despise you!!"
Johnny: "That's ok, please despise me.. just keep your hands off me and your teeth indoors, thank you!!"
Mom thinking... with a nostalgic-ironic smile around her lips after hearing this conversation: "Kids... they grow up so fast, don't they... "