British Muslims have largely condemned yesterday’s attack, but they’re worried about the repercussions ahead.
Joseph Okpako / Getty
Following Wednesday's terrorist attack on the offices of satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 people were killed by masked gunmen, people all over the world gathered to pay their respects. In London's Trafalgar Square, hundreds gathered in solidarity, holding up pens and banners that said "Je suis Charlie". I attended the vigil, and was surprised to see that alongside fellow journalists were members of the public who wanted to stand up for freedom of speech. Among them were a number of British Muslims, who wanted to make clear that the terrorists did not represent them or their religion.
Muslims rightly fear that yesterday's attack could result in more abuse, Islamophobic rhetoric, and, indeed, physical violence. Earlier today, three blank grenades were thrown at a mosque in the city of Le Mans, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called for the reinstatement of the death penalty.
I spoke to a number of British Muslims about how they felt about yesterday's attack and how it would affect both British and European Muslims in the future:
1. MohammedAli Gokal, trainee solicitor and former chair of Stanmore Jafferys
Tolga Akmen/Anadolu Agency / Getty / BuzzFeed
I blanched with disgust when I heard that the murderers had shouted 'Allahu Akber', meaning 'God is great', when carrying out their heinous crimes.
To my mind they are not Muslims, nor representative of my faith. Islam means peace, and the first principles of its beautiful teachings are founded on respect, compassion, and tolerance. I hope no one is fooled into thinking these men were 'Muslims' in any sense of the word. Suffice it to say the Prophet Muhammad would never have stood for what these murderers have done.
I would therefore call on all media outlets and politicians to refrain from use of the misrepresentative and scaremongering words like 'Islamist' and 'jihadist'. Was Ahmed Merabet, a Muslim policeman mercilessly executed during the attack, a member of what Nigel Farage scornfully termed 'the Fifth Column'? I think not.
