• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
  • WORLD DEMOCRACY
  • POLITICAL ART
  • more
    • election technology
    • money politics
    • political dissidents
    • THIRD PARTY
      • third party central
      • green party
      • justice party
      • libertarian party
    • voting methods
  • DC INFO
    • author central
    • about
    • advertise with DC
    • contact
    • privacy policy

Democracy Chronicles

Does Charlie Hebdo Reflect Rising Islamophobia?

by Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye - February 6, 2015

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin
Nuremberg Rising Islamophobia
Nuremberg Trials Day 115 – Nazi cartoonist Julius Streicher at center.

Freedom Can Be Reckless Without Fear of Poisonous Mushrooms (Charlie Hebdo From a Muslim Perspective)

Did the cartoons of Nazi antisemitic propaganda before the Second World War really contribute to a change of German perception about Jews and other groups? The death of millions of minorities in the Nazi holocaust is often said to have resulted from a gradual but systematic process of constant pillorying, mocking, stereotyping, and of caricaturing multiple groups as subhuman or worthless. The Nazi propagandists largely achieved what they planned inside Germany by robbing minorities of their humanity dignity, and ultimately people reacted the propaganda intended.

In 1930s the world saw how powerful propaganda can have a terrible effect of reinforcing seemingly built-in racial, ethnic and religious misconceptions. 75 years after this organized campaign of hate, many minority groups are still are dealing with the aftermath of the demeaning caricatures.

The landmark Nuremberg Trials of postwar Europe executed the notorious cartoonist Julius Streicher by hanging. He had never killed someone directly in his entire life, his crimes were of a different sort. The jury ruled that Streicher had helped to create an atmosphere in which Jews were doomed to get killed enmass. Streicher was convicted of “crimes against humanity” even though he never physically harmed anyone. As Streicher’s case shows, cartoons can create an existential threat to certain community if conducted irresponsibly and in the right pretext.

Rising Islamophobia and Charlie Hebdo

Six decades after Streicher’s conviction, many Muslims worry that the lessons may be forgotten behind claims of advancing the unfettered freedom of “European’s mores”. The murders of Charlie Hebdo staff inside in their offices was a horrific tragedy. The victims have justly received sympathy from across the religious divide including both the Presidents of Palestine and Israel, Abbas and Netanyahu respectively. It now seems however that the terror wrought by those twelve deaths in Paris will lead into a second tragedy: a deepening backlash against Muslims in Europe and beyond.

Fox Rising Islamophobia
As seen on The O’Reilly Factor October 6, 2014.

Before the most recent violence, an outcry in the Muslim world over the controversial cartoons in Charlie Hebdo was unable to bring any condemnation from international human rights organizations or even European governments, most of whom found little problem with them.

Backsliding on European support for Palestinian recognition has clearly taken place. After Sweden announced its recognition of the Palestinian state in defiance of European norms in October of 2014, popular opinion against the move has halted any further such action in Europe. There are no European Union MPs that dare suggest following following Sweden anymore. At the same time, talk of the possible relabeling of Hamas on the EU terror list has been tabled for the moment. At the same time, the rise of far right wing extremists in Europe is causing concern for minority groups.

Muslims increasingly face a dilemma of whether to stay in paradoxically “pluralistic” Europe while compromising some of their fundamental values and beliefs. Led by the success of the firebrand Fox News Channel in the United States, major international media outlets compete with each other to get foothold in the booming Islamophobic market. While not all are necessarily hate-driven, they feed a narrative that drives fear of Muslim people.

The wider Muslim community has been susceptible to a simplistic overreaction when prominent Western cartoonists depict their religious symbols. It is clear from the Charlie Hebdo violence that this generalized world trend is increasingly problematic. But the view of many across the Muslim world of 1.6 billion people is that Charlie Hebdo’s latest cartoons have compounded Europe’s struggle to live with its Muslim citizens and added to popularized stereotypes. The horrific and condemnable violent attack on Charlie Hebdo for a mere sketch shocked all the Abrahamic faiths alike. It is another day of useless violence and hatred that is adding to a growing toll on all sides. Through it all, European Muslims must go ahead knowing that the unrelenting media bias against their community is set to continue without a successful refocus on unity rather than division across the world.

FacebookTweetLinkedInPin

Filed Under: DC Authors Tagged With: Democracy Protests, Election History, Europe, Germany, Jewish People, Political Artwork, Racism and Prejudice, Religion and Democracy

About Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye is a Somaliland activist who is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is a Senior Editor at Democracy Chronicles and a member of Anti-Corruption International (ACI). Checkout the rest of our international team of authors as well. Together, they help cover free and fair elections on every continent with a focus on election reform in the United States.

Some highlighted Democracy Chronicles topics

Africa American Corruption American Local Elections American State Elections Asia Capitalism and Big Business Celebrity Politics China Democracy Charity Democracy Protests Democrats Dictatorships Education Election History Election Methods Election Security Election Transparency Europe Internet and Democracy Journalism and Free Speech Middle East Minority Voting Rights Money Politics New York City and State Elections Political Artwork Political Dissidents Political Lobbying Redistricting Republicans Russia Socialism and Labor Social Media and Democracy South America Spying and Privacy Supreme Court Third Party Voter Access Voter ID Voter Registration Voter Suppression Voter Turnout Voting Technology Women Voting Rights Worldwide Worldwide Corruption

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Home | DC AUTHORS | Does Charlie Hebdo Reflect Rising Islamophobia?

Primary Sidebar

Advertise button

The Christian Evangelical Church

By Jack Jones January 22, 2023

I am not against Big Business having a voice, just not all the voices, and especially not an impersonator pretending to speak for God.

No One In Monterey County Is Good Enough To Serve In Legislature

By Joe Mathews January 9, 2023

California’s “democratic reforms” have left a place as… [key] as Monterey County without any state representation from one of its own.

democracy chronicles newsletter

DC AUTHORS

In America, the Joe-mocracy Rules

By Joe Mathews December 27, 2022

A republic? A democracy? No, our country is an avuncular autocracy run by old guys named joe.

Property Rights, Indiana-Style

By Andrew Straw December 24, 2022

Indiana’s justices have replaced constitutional property rights with ad hominem politics. Replacing them starts with better governors.

To The American Oligarchs: Lay Off Us

By Jack Jones December 21, 2022

No matter how many jobs are ruthlessly pulled out from under us, we are still going to do what it takes to put food on the table.

Indiana’s Irrational Ballot Access System

By Andrew Straw December 4, 2022

Opposing the potential 2024 retention of the Chief Justice Loretta Rush will be key to preventing disability discrimination bad blood in Indiana courts.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden’s Loan Forgiveness program

By Jack Jones November 24, 2022

What is unlawful is the Texas federal judge’s decision to strike down President Biden’s loan forgiveness program, not the program itself.

DeSantis Battles Trump in Florida Steel Cage Match

By Steve Schneider November 20, 2022

We take you now to the much-anticipated DeSantis-Trump steel cage match, in which “DeSanctimonious” has promised to “kick Trump’s ass.”

Why Gambling Can’t Really Lose In California

By Joe Mathews November 2, 2022

When state voters approved an expansion of casino gaming, gaming interests assured us that gambling here would be governed by strict limits.

MORE FROM OUR AUTHORS

VISIT OUR POLITICAL ART SECTION:

dc political art

DEMOCRACY CULTURE

Girl Scouts Earn Democracy Badge At Workshop In Salina

Girl Scouts Earn Democracy Badge At Workshop In Salina

January 26, 2023

The workshop assisted Girl Scouts in grades K–10 in earning their Democracy Badge through learning activities on democracy.

Study: Media Can Reduce Polarization By Telling Personal Stories

Study: Media Can Reduce Polarization By Telling Personal Stories

January 26, 2023

Sharing personal experiences and pairing them with facts reduces political dehumanization and increases political tolerance.

Study: 2020 Election Resulted In Increased Anxiety And Depression

Study: 2020 Election Resulted In Increased Anxiety And Depression

January 7, 2023

A review of 2020 Household Pulse Survey data reveals that as an election nears, people in [America] report more depression and anxiety.

Key Iran Labor Sectors Launch Major Strikes

Charlie Hebdo Caricatures Iran’s Mullahs

January 7, 2023

The satirical weekly is publishing a special issue on Wednesday, January 4, mocking Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in support of the protests…

First Impressions Are Strongly Influenced By Political Partisanship

First Impressions Are Strongly Influenced By Political Partisanship

December 22, 2022

How we perceive strangers or the impressions we have about them, particularly their faces, is influenced by political partisanship.

MORE CULTURE

VISIT OUR US DEMOCRACY SECTION:

American Democracy