{"id":180528,"date":"2015-01-16T13:26:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T21:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=180528"},"modified":"2015-01-16T13:26:35","modified_gmt":"2015-01-16T21:26:35","slug":"charlie-hebdo-china-press-freedom-solidarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2015\/01\/charlie-hebdo-china-press-freedom-solidarity\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Hebdo, China, Press Freedom, and Solidarity"},"content":{"rendered":"

The January 7th attack on the Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo inspired an international wave of support for freedom of speech and of the press. Over the past week, however, China\u2019s state media have repeatedly used the killings to call for limits on it<\/strong><\/a>. The Wall Street Journal\u2019s Josh Chin highlighted a commentary by Xinhua\u2019s Paris bureau chief Ying Qiang, for example:<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie Hebdo had on multiple occasions been the target of protests and even revenge attacks on account of its controversial cartoons,\u201d the Xinhua news agency commentary said, adding that the magazine had been criticized in the past for being \u201cboth crude and heartless\u201d in its attacks on religion.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] \u201cThe content of the Xinhua commentary reflects Xinhua\u2019s own point of view,\u201d [foreign] ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, adding that China opposed terrorism in all forms.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany religions and ethnic groups in this world have their own totems and spiritual taboos. Mutual respect is crucial for peaceful coexistence,\u201d the commentary said. \u201cUnfettered and unprincipled satire, humiliation and free speech are not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chinese news agency isn\u2019t alone in raising questions about the tenor of Charlie Hebdo\u2019s cartoons about Islam. Xinhua took note of this, quoting editorials in Western newspapers criticizing the French magazine\u2019s approach and advocating greater respect for others\u2019 religions and faiths. Still, none of the Western editorials it cited expressly advocated limiting freedom of speech. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Also at Xinhua, Liang Xizhi presented a very similar argument<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Any killings or violence related to terrorism should be condemned and the perpetrators be brought to justice. However, it is high time for the Western world to review the root causes of terrorism, as well as the limitation of press freedom, to avoid more violence in the future.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] The attacks against Charlie Hebdo should not be simplified as attacks on press freedom, for even the freedom itself has its limits, which does not include insulting, sneering or taunting other people\u2019s religions or beliefs.<\/p>\n

The world is diversified and every religion and culture has its own core values.<\/p>\n

It is important to show respect for the differences of other peoples\u2019 religious beliefs and cultures for the sake of peaceful coexistence in the world, rather than exercising unlimited, unprincipled satire, insult and press freedom without considering other peoples\u2019 feelings. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Radio Free Asia pointed out two further examples<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWesterners believe that when a small minority of Western media satirize the Islamic prophet, that this is \u2018freedom of the press,\u2019\u201d [Global Times] said in an editorial on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people even see the protection of this freedom a Western value.\u201d<\/p>\n

[T]he Global Times said many Muslims living in the West \u201cfeel that they are neither trusted nor respected.\u201d<\/p>\n

It said Western politicians were unwilling to \u201ccurb\u201d media outlets because of their need to win votes. \u201cSometimes they even support the media,\u201d the paper said.<\/p>\n

While the official Xinhua news agency echoed the Chinese government\u2019s condemnation of the attacks, it said they had highlighted \u201cissues with France\u2019s anti-terrorism and immigration policies in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n

French involvement in strikes on Libya and the Islamic State had turned the country into a target for terrorists, while religious extremism has been allowed to flourish under the country\u2019s liberal religious freedom policies, it said. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(State media articles advocating press restrictions missed the opportunity to argue that information controls might have dampened a wave of attacks on 26 French mosques<\/a> with firebombs, guns, grenades, and pig heads.)<\/p>\n

As Hong Lei said, these do not necessarily represent Beijing’s official position. Chinese ambassador Kong Quan\u2019s appearance at a 1.6 million strong\u00a0\u201cunity march\u201d in Paris was in any case no more ironic than the presence of many other foreign officials<\/a>. Senegal banned Charlie Hebdo<\/a> days after its president participated in the march. \u201cWe vomit on all these people who suddenly say they are our friends<\/a>,\u201d Charlie cartoonist Bernard Holtrop commented. Dozens of arrests of those felt to be condoning terrorism have also prompted questions about the limits<\/a> of French authorities\u2019 commitment to freedom of expression<\/a>, which Jonathan Turley wrote at The Washington Post pose a more serious threat than terrorism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many French would concur with Global Times\u2019 statement that some of the country\u2019s Muslims feel \u201cneither trusted not respected.\u201d Film director Luc Besson, for example, expressed sympathy and support in an open letter<\/strong><\/a> posted in English at The Guardian:<\/p>\n

[\u2026] Let\u2019s start at the beginning. What is the society we\u2019re offering you today?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s based on money, profit, segregation and racism. In some suburbs, unemployment for people under 25 is 50%. You are marginalised because of your colour or your first name. You\u2019re questioned 10 times a day, you\u2019re crowded into apartment blocks and no one represents you. Who could live and thrive under such conditions? [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Similar views came from French voices in The Guardian\u2019s account of the attackers\u2019 histories<\/a>. At Mediapart, Olivier Tonneau attributed the susceptibility to radicalization of some young French Muslims primarily to \u201cthe complete failure of the Republic to deliver on its promises of Libert\u00e9, Egalit\u00e9, Fraternit\u00e9<\/a>.\u201d A Friday New York Times article on this marginalization described many young Muslims who \u201ctotally feel cut off from France\u201d<\/a> as a result.<\/p>\n

The Economist reported this week on a broadly similar predicament among China\u2019s Uyghurs and Tibetans<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

China is urbanising at a rapid pace. In 2000 nearly two-thirds of its residents lived in the countryside. Today fewer than half do. But two ethnic groups, whose members often chafe at Chinese rule, are bucking this trend. Uighurs and Tibetans are staying on the farm, often because discrimination against them makes it difficult to find work in cities. As ethnic discontent grows, so too does the discrimination, creating a vicious circle.<\/p>\n

[\u2026] Reza Hasmath of Oxford University found that minority candidates in Beijing, for example, were better educated on average than their Han counterparts, but got worse-paying jobs. A separate study found that CVs of Uighurs and Tibetans, whose ethnicities are clearly identifiable from their names (most Uighurs also look physically very different from Han Chinese), generated far fewer calls for interviews. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

More on that: This 2012 paper found job applicants with Uighur & Tibetan names got far fewer calls for interviews http:\/\/t.co\/ilAdsM2d2D<\/a><\/p>\n

— Gady Epstein (@gadyepstein) January 16, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n