A year ago, we may not have heard or known of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo or its editor Stephane Charbonnier, but by now we all do.
Although the editor had previously been on Al Qaida’s most-wanted list for mocking Prophet Mohammed [PBUH], the same year Charb made a statement that he “will not hide”. Indeed, his crew and him did not hide that day when they heard the sound of what they thought were firecrackers. We all know now what that sound was, the sound that grabbed the world’s attention. We know that Charb and seven of his colleagues are not with us anymore. Neither are hundreds of reporters who have been killed in the past year because of their profession. Poets call themselves messengers of truth. So we must ask, is the truth that ugly that they have to kill the messenger? Freedom of expression is there, but so is the price for it. Can we still call it freedom if the price is a human life? No, we can’t and that is the truth.
Our victims were part of media, which ironically is very selective depending on the victims in question. Not all victims make it to the headlines even though they should. Is not all terror equally terrifying?
Before sympathising, why is it necessary to check the importance, political and religious beliefs or nationality of the victim? Is it because whatever is far from the eye is far from the heart?
If we are Charlie, should we not also be the victim whose name we do not read about, that one person who is just not important enough to deserve our attention? Sadly, there are people whose deaths do not make the news and their pain is ignored.
— The reader is a Bosnian who works in a restaurant and is based in Dubai.