April 4, 2016

By Harriet Sherwood

The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has sparked anger and condemnation after publishing an editorial that suggests ordinary Muslims contributed to a climate in which the Brussels bombings took place.

The magazine – which itself was the target of a terrorist attack last year – published the editorial, How Did We End Up Here?, eight days after bombs at Brussels’ airport and metro system killed more than 30 people. It said a fear of being seen as Islamophobic had inhibited the public from questioning or objecting to facets of Islam.

Among the responses it triggered was a comparison with the demonisation of Jews in the 1930s. “Such categorisation of an entire community as an insidious poison is a move we have seen before,” wrote the author Teju Cole.

The editorial began by listing several mooted explanations for the Brussels attacks, including police incompetence, youth unemployment, immigration and growing Islamism.

http://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/apr/04/charlie-hebdo-criticised-linking-all-muslims-brussels-bombings