All is forgiven. That’s the wording of the sign held by the prophet Muhammad in the last issue of Charlie Hebdo. This comes after huge marches in Paris and all over the world in support of freedom of speech, in response to the violent attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo by Islamic extremists that ended with the deaths of twelve. This is the culmination of years of back and forth between the magazine and extremists. The magazine’s offices were fire-bombed in 2011 after the publication of a cartoon ridiculing Muhammad.

Attacks by Islamic extremists have been an occurrence for some amount of time for European countries. The occupation of the Middle East by European powers after World War One led to the development of Islamic rebel groups intent on removing the yoke of foreign rule. In fact, the history of western powers attempting to subjugate the Middle East goes all the way back to the Romans and the conquerings of Alexander, and we are the most recent hegemon to join the list. Likewise, the invasion of the Middle East never bodes well for whomever has attempted it. The Soviet Union collapsed soon after invading Afghanistan, the great empires of Europe dissolved post World War Two, and Alexander’s Empire collapsed soon after his death.

The attacks in Europe aren’t new either. The paranoia created by bus attacks, explosions in clubs, and terrifying propaganda materialized in a 25,000 strong anti-muslim march in Dresden, Germany. It’s the same here, if not worse. Anyone remember the mass burnings of Qurans in Florida? Or the mosque near Ground Zero and the fiasco it created? Jeez, if I have to hear one more person point out that the president’s middle name is Hussein, I’ll go insane. It’s this kind of mentality that led to the editors of Charlie Hebdo to look at a front page depicting Muhammad and joking about whippings and think “this seems like a great idea, everyone will think this is hilarious.” One of the cartoonists, Stéphane Charbonnier, who drew some of the more inflammatory cartoons said this:

“We have to carry on until Islam has been rendered as banal as Catholicism.”

Stéphane Charbonnier is dead now. He was murdered in the recent attack after spending a year on al-Qaeda’s official hit list for his cartoons and the above comment. Obviously, he was wrong. Catholicism became like it is today after several cultural, scientific, and progressive revolutions that occurred in the Christian world and a waning influence of religion in the lives. Certainly it wasn’t satire about the Pope that ended the practice of burning heretics at the stake.

Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of free society. The ability to exercise that right is what separates those in the free world from those who live under oppressive governments and must carefully watch what they say. Of course the exercising of the freedom of speech is imperative to any healthy, free society. However, when exercising free speech, one must also exercise common sense. Islamic extremists like to kill people. And they’re exceptional at it. Choosing to react to Islamic extremism by making insensitive and general comments about the religion and it’s followers is idiotic. Martin Luther King Jr. once said:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Perhaps we could take a note from the great Dr. King. The wisdom is as applicable as ever. There’s too much hatred here for anything to be solved through violence and mud-slinging.