Scottish Catholic Observer

The whole of France and indeed of Europe was stunned by the murderous attacks in Paris last week.

The target was the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo (Hebdo is colloquial French for ‘weekly’) and the attackers were French-born citizens.

They claimed to be avenging the honour of the prophet Muhammad whom the magazine, and particularly its cartoonists, had lampooned.

Unprecedented numbers took to the streets to demonstrate. France has the largest percentage of Muslims of any European country (though still only about 10 per cent), but the demonstrations were not anti-Islam.

For over a century France has prized its laïcité—the secularist principle that separates Church (and other religions) from State. But an important aspect of that principle is the right to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression. It was in defence of that principle that the millions crowded the streets of the capital waving their Je suis Charlie placards.

It is also in defence of that principle, and in defiance of terrorist attempts to suppress freedom of expression, that Charlie Hebdo has published a further weekly issue from borrowed premises, printing five times its normal circulation figure this week.

Tens of thousands of French people live in London; smaller but significant numbers live in Scotland, particularly in Aberdeen since oil-exploration in the North Sea brought companies such Total and Elf Aquitaine there in the 1970’s. I personally have long-term friendships from that time. I also have a nephew and a cousin who live and work near Paris. These events touch us all.

Many French people will have been shocked, and perhaps even ashamed, that the perpetrators were French-born and were French citizens. What went wrong? In theory France is a very centralised country, but questions arise (not new, but with a new urgency) about local pockets of radicalisation, about social inequality, about the free movement of workers, about immigration quotas, about racism. Security authorities emphasise that other terrorist plots have been identified and foiled. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t.

Alongside thorough policing and the sharing of intelligence, we also need to pray. Christians believe in the power of prayer: but so do Jews, so do Muslims. Let all of us pray; and let us work for mutual recognition and understanding.