Sunday, January 11, 2015
Murdoch loses the plot over Charlie Hebdo
The claim by Rupert Murdoch, reported in today's Independent, that Muslims must “recognise and destroy their growing jihadist cancer” or be "held responsible" after the Paris shootings at Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket is so outrageously wrong-headed and irresponsible that I hesitate to respond to or report on it.
However, Mr. Murdoch is a man of influence and power and nonsense like this cannot be ignored. He may well have said that all Christians should be held responsible for the actions of Anders Breivik, the crusaders in the eleventh century or the Spanish Inquisition for all the sense he makes.
What happened in Paris was the work of terrorists, not of any particular community. In fact one of their victims was a Muslim. It is the responsibility of us all to root out this evil and purge it from our society, irrespective of our beliefs or convictions.
By identifying one part of our community for that task, Murdoch is playing a blame game that will heighten racial and religious tensions and play into the hands of the terrorists.
However, Mr. Murdoch is a man of influence and power and nonsense like this cannot be ignored. He may well have said that all Christians should be held responsible for the actions of Anders Breivik, the crusaders in the eleventh century or the Spanish Inquisition for all the sense he makes.
What happened in Paris was the work of terrorists, not of any particular community. In fact one of their victims was a Muslim. It is the responsibility of us all to root out this evil and purge it from our society, irrespective of our beliefs or convictions.
By identifying one part of our community for that task, Murdoch is playing a blame game that will heighten racial and religious tensions and play into the hands of the terrorists.
