Parisian Terrorist Attack at Charlie Hebdo office

On January 7th three Islamist gunmen opened fire at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly newspaper. Satirists had depicted the prophet Mohammed in caricatures since 2011. These caricatures have gone as far as to depict the prophet in the nude. The massacre result in 12 casualties and eleven wounded. During the attack, gunmen were heard to have shouted Allahu akbar or "God is the greatest" and "the Prophet is avenged." Currently, French police are closing in on the shooters responsible for the attack. 

Prior to the attack on Wednesday, the magazine's office was fire-bombed and their website was hacked in 2011. In 2012 after the magazine published an illustration of Mohammed in the nude, French riot police surrounded the office in order to protect against a possible attack. 

In an time of growing Islamophobia in Europe as a result of a rise in immigrant populations from the Middle East, criticisms of the religion have become more frequent. Whether an individual perceives the depiction of Mohammed as bigoted or an expression of free speech, the massacre was certainly not justified. Individuals worldwide of French heritage and otherwise have expressed support for the magazine through peaceful demonstrations sporting the phrase "Je suis Charlie" or "I am Charlie." Even if the magazine was expressing Islamophobic views, individuals in nations that protect free speech (such as France) should be able to vocalize their views without having their lives threatened.