As we have reported, many Muslim groups and individuals have publicly rejected the ongoing terror campaign in France. As these Muslims state, no religious views should rationalize murder and terrorism, and a campaign of attack against our shared universal human rights.
In the meantime, there are extremist groups and individuals who are expressing solidarity and support for the terror campaign against France. We know this terror campaign is not limited to France, but is a world war against all of humanity and all human freedoms and rights. They are supporting terrorism and calling for attacks on our universal human rights, and they represent enemies of our shared universal human rights. They represent a global threat to our shared universal human rights, which must be recognized and challenged by all human rights groups.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) urges our fellow human beings responsible for our shared universal human rights to continue to aggressively challenge and condemn such extremist groups and individuals – anywhere in the world, and using any language. Our shared universal human rights, as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), is essential for peace, harmony, respect, and security for all of our fellow human beings of every identity group, every nationality, and every religious view and conscience.
While Twitter is being used to express solidarity among people of all religions and all nations condemning the terror campaign in France, Twitter is also being used by extremists to promote support for this terrorism campaign by extremists, using the hashtag translated as #ExpelTheCrusaderAmongYou
It is reported that social media has also been used to spread support for the terror campaign in France, including on Facebook with comments such as “this is the harvest of the hatred that France has sowed.”
Somalia’s Shebab extremist group in Africa also praised the terror campaign in Paris as a “heroic” act. Ashram and AFP reported that the Shebab extremist’s Radio Andulus praised the terror campaign against the Charlie Hebdo publication stating, “[t]hey made millions of Muslims happy by taking action. Some misguided people claim that freedom of expression was attacked, but that is not the case, and the two heroic people acted accordingly.”
Reuters and Pakistan Nation report: “A fighter of the Islamic State militant group praised Wednesday’s attack on a French satirical magazine that killed at least 12 people, telling Reuters the raid was revenge for insults against Islam. ‘The lions of Islam have avenged our Prophet,’ said Abu Mussab, a Syrian who fights with the Islamic State, which has captured broad swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory. ‘These are our lions. It’s the first drops – more will follow,’ he said, speaking via an internet connection from Syria. He added that he and his fellow fighters were happy about the incident. ‘Let these crusaders be scared because they should be.’ No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.”
The Algemeiner has published reports that “[o]ver the last several months, France has emerged as a top target for IS. In September 2014, IS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al Adanani urged IS supporters worldwide to mount attacks in their countries of residence against both military and civilian targets, using any means available. Al Adanani specifically identified France as a recommended target, a separate MEMRI dispatch reported at the time. Similar themes were echoed by several jihadi sympathizers on Twitter. A user identified as Najam wrote: “#Paris Is Burning. Oh Allah slaughter them, Allah attack them. This newspaper insulted the Messenger of Allah and Islam.’ Another user commented: ‘France turned the lands of the Muslims into battlefields, and now the Muslims have turned Paris into a battlefield. Allahu akhbar.'”
On December 23, 2014, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported that, using Facebook, “French IS Supporters And Fighters Urge Attacks In France And Europe.” MEMRI specifically stated that IS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-‘Adanan urged “IS supporters worldwide to perform attacks in their countries of residence against both military and civilian targets using any means possible. He specifically identified France as a recommended target.”
The USA Today published the comments by Bristish extremist Anjem Choudary, who rejected the concept of freedom of expression (which he is so dependent on), and stated that: “Muslims consider the honor of the Prophet Muhammad to be dearer to them than that of their parents or even themselves. To defend it is considered to be an obligation upon them. The strict punishment if found guilty of this crime under sharia (Islamic law) is capital punishment implementable by an Islamic State. This is because the Messenger Muhammad said, ‘Whoever insults a Prophet kill him.'”
The Radio Free Europe reported on praise for the terror campaign by British female extremists on Twitter, reporting that: “As news broke of the Paris attack, British female IS militant Umm Jafar Britaniyah, who is based in the Syrian town of Manbij, expressed her joy in a series of tweets. After her initial reaction — ‘ALLAHU AKBAR!!!!!! OUR brothers in France!!! May Allah reward them abundantly and grant them VICTORY AMEEN!!'” — Umm Jafar called on Allah to ‘help [the gunmen] kill as many kafirs [infidels] as they can.'”
Radio Free Europe also reported on another individual praising the terrorists: “Another female militant, who tweets in English under the name Umm Handhla posted her initial reaction to the attack: ‘ALLAHU.AKBAR buzzzzzzzzzzzzzn May allah protect the mujahideen in Franceeee!!! Shooting was maad!!'”
Radio Free Europe also stated that: “A male militant, who calls himself Abu Junaid As-Somali, and who tweeted extensively about the Charlie Hebdo attack tweeted his wish that Allah grant the two men access to Paradise, because they had ‘muted & killed that filthy najis [a person regarded as ritually unclean] Charlie.’ As-Somali had previously tried to claim that the IS group had been responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attack, tweeting about the ‘Islamic State wilayat [province] of Paris’ and telling ‘Muslims of France’ that they were lucky not to have to travel thousands of kilometers ‘to seek martyrdom.’ As-Somali added, ‘Violent Extemism is at ur doorstep, defend Islam there.'”
Radio Free Europe also reported of further calls to attack France, stating: “One video, released by Islamic State’s media wing, Al-Hayat, on November 20, 2014, features a group of French militants who urge French Muslims to carry out terrorist attacks in France. ‘Even poison is available, so poison the water and food of at least one of the enemies of Allah,’ one French militant says in the video.”
Radio Free Europe reported that “Bird of Jannah added that Muslims should not feel sorry for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack. ‘If you love them and feel sad for what happened to them, verily you carry no Al Walaa wal Baraa [loyalty and disavowal]. Your aqeedah [belief] has distorted! Fear Allah!’ she tweeted.”
Homeland Security Today also reported on support from other extremist groups for the terror campaign, as researched by Middle East groups. Homeland Security Today reported: “According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Violent Extremist reaction to the attack on Charlie Hebdo was almost immediate. Participants on jihadi forums and social media praised the attackers, saying that the shooting was a legitimate act of revenge against the weekly for insulting Islam and against France for its crimes against Muslims,” said MEMRI Executive Director Steven Stalinsky. MEMRI said, ‘Members of the pro-ISIS forum Violent Extemismi Media Platform (alplatformmedia.com) lashed out at France. A member called Al Dia’ Al Gharib wrote: ‘France was [once] part of the land of Islam and will return to be the land of Islam, in spite the worshippers of the Cross.”” “Another, who goes by the name Muhib Al Salihin, wrote: ‘France is one of the harshest enemies of Islam and of the Islamic State in particular.” Forum member Abu Al Qassem Al Shawqi commented: ‘[This] is news that quenches the thirst for revenge. By Allah, beloved ones, let us not think lightly of prayers. By Allah, they [the attackers] are soldiers of Allah.’ And a member calling himself Abu Bakr Al Zari’ni remarked: ‘Congratulations to France and to its people for reaping what their hands sowed. Did these evil cartoonists think that we were a nation that would remain silent in face of those who insult our Prophet…? Did [French President] Hollande and the governments that preceded him think that their interventions and despotism in the lands of the Muslims would not be met with retribution? No, by Allah, from now on the youths of Islam will no longer remain silent, especially since we have a state [ISIS] to mobilize armies if anybody insults the nation of Islam.’”
Homeland Security Today also reported that: “Arabic-speaking jihad supporters also celebrated the attack on Twitter, some using the Arabic hashtag ‘Paris Is Burning,’” MEMRI reporte
d, saying, “Many of them shared videos from the scene of the attack, calling the shooters ‘heroes’ and praising them for avenging the honor of the Prophet and of Islam. One, who calls himself Najam (@35njm), wrote: ‘#Paris Is Burning. Oh Allah slaughter them, Allah attack them. This newspaper insulted the Messenger of Allah and Islam.’ ISIS supporter Hamel Al Liwa’ (@blue964) tweeted: ‘Fear prevails among the newspapers and journalists who hate Islam. There are demands for military protection of the paper headquarters. #Paris is turning into a military barracks.’ Another ISIS supporter, Al Khilafa Hiya Al Hal [‘the Caliphate is the solution’] (@death4x), shared a video of the attack and commented: ‘France turned the lands of the Muslims into battlefields, and now the Muslims have turned Paris into a battlefield. Allah Akbar.’”
Homeland Security also reported other reactions from French speakiing extremists on Twitter. “ISIS supporter Abou Hafs (@Ansar_Al_Ouma) tweeted: ‘Oh Allah, the honor of your prophet has been cleansed.’ Another, Al Furat Wadijlah (@AlFuratWadijlah), commented on the character of the attack: ‘An RPG7 with Kalashnikovs, it’s a well prepared assault.’ He added: ‘That dog Charb [Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief and cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier, who is one of those killed in the attack] was supposed to publish this drawing on the first page this week.'”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) understands that we and the media can always find extremists in every identity group, which we will all reject. But there is a difference between ranting lunatics and individuals actively supporting terrorism against our fellow human begins, as well as such terrorist committing such violence. We cannot simply “ignore” such extremists, but also must challenge such views.
It is not simple or comfortable to challenge such extremists that claim to be within our own identity group. I am very well aware of this in my own years of challenges to white individuals, who have racial supremacist views, and I am well aware of the violent reactions from such ideological challenges. But we cannot abandon on defense of human rights, simply because it is difficult.
R.E.A.L. calls for the continuing rejection and challenging of such extremist views which defy our shared universal human rights, undermine shared need for security, respect, dignity, and peace, and which disgrace every religious view by calling for violence and hatred as a means to suppress the rights of others.
Terror Campaign Against France: The Lights of Paris and our Universal Human Rights Will Stand – Regardless of the Threats by Terrorists (Source: Jeffrey Imm, R.E.A.L.)
