Liberté, égalité, fraternité. “Liberty equality, brotherhood!” This was the rallying cry of the French revolutionaries that resounded from the streets of Paris and reverberated the world over, sparking independence movements across continents. The Paris barricades and the French revolutionaries have been catalysts to numerous aspirations for independence from colonial rulers, including our very own nationalist struggle for self-determination.
The violence that claimed the lives of 10 French journalists, ostensibly in the name of religion, is anathema to these universally-held values of liberty, equality and brotherhood—concepts that are part of the fundamental tenets of Islam.
While many would take offense at the lampoons of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, no one should countenance the brutal massacre in Paris last Jan. 7. This brazen display of violent intolerance contravenes the precepts of Islam, which value the sanctity of human life.
We are saddened by this horrific event that has once again cast Muslims as rampaging, overzealous demagogues, as if to belie the fact that a vast majority are peaceful, law-abiding members of their respective communities.
We, at the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), share the sorrow of the families of the victims, some of whom were innocent bystanders.
There are other venues to vent our vehement disgust or raging fury over the pointed mockery of our beliefs or the cavalier treatment of our spiritual icons. After all, we are living in the age of reason. We no longer take umbrage through the strength of our fists and the edge of our swords. Rather, our level of civility mandates our claiming redress of our grievances through democratic processes which we have long struggled to establish with our blood, sweat and tears. The peaceful resolution of conflict is a core principle of Islam. While we remain steadfast in our faith, we cannot abide the willful disregard of the precepts that both Muslims and Christians hold dear—liberty, equality, brotherhood.
We stand in solidarity with our French brothers and sisters as we decry the violence that has struck the city of Paris, as all peace-loving citizens of the world should.
—SALMA PIR RASUL,
executive director,
Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy,
NCPAG Annex Bldg., RP de Guzman Street,
UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City