Jan. 21, 2015

By Alexandria Zamecnik

Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, was attacked on Jan. 7, 2015 by two Islamist militants, killing 12 people and injuring 11, becoming the largest terrorist attack on French soil in more than 100 years.

The gunmen allegedly targeted the magazine for the provocative cartoons it published of Muhammad. In some interpretations of Islam, it is considered forbidden to depict the prophet in any way. When leaving the building the gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar!” meaning “God is great!”

Two of the suspects, Cherif and Said Kouchai, were killed in a shootout with French police. A third suspect is believed to still be at-large.
Many days have passed since the initial attack, and with those passing days, questions of Freedom of Speech and tolerance of religions have come to the forefront of national media and attention.

35,000 people attended a rally in Paris the night after the attack, holding signs saying “Je Suis Charlie,” or “I am Charlie,” to show support for the journalists who died. These supporters held pencils high in the air as a statement to say “the pen is mightier than the sword.”

A week later, hundreds of thousands of people marched through Russia to protest any newspapers showing Prophet Muhammad.

Not all protests have been peaceful. Anti-French rallies have been taking place in Niger. Ten people have been reported killed, while 45 churches have been torched to the ground. More than 170 people were injured during these protests. Christian schools and orphanages also were torched.