What does the French teacher’s head cry out?

Is the murder of the school teacher in France accidental? Photo: UOJ

On October 16, in a suburb of Paris, a Chechen émigré beheaded a teacher for showing students cartoons of the founder of Islam. The severed head is a symbol, as if from above we are given an indication so clear that it can only be followed by a catastrophe, the fulfillment of the biblical words: “We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens” (Jer. 51: 9).

On October 5, 2020, in Conflans-Saint-Honorine near Paris, 47-year-old teacher Samuel Pati showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from Charlie Hebdo magazine during a free speech class for 12-14 year olds. Before that, he asked Muslim students, who might be offended by the pictures, to leave the class. On October 11, a video appeared on YouTube, in which one of the students spoke about how this happened, reportedly that Samuel Pati addressed the Muslims present and asked them to raise their hand. After that, he said, "I will show a picture that may shock, so if you want, you can leave." The student refused to leave the class and saw "a photograph of the naked Prophet Muhammad".

Let's take a closer look at this situation. In fact, the students who studied at this school and who, judging by the news footage, were a lot, were told the following: please stand in the hallway while we are mockimg your prophet. But will offensive images stop being offensive if Muslims leave the classroom? And doesn't the very proposal to wait outside humiliate those who are invited to do it? Most importantly, can the concept of freedom of speech be demonstrated by cartoons that offend religious feelings? Is freedom of speech the same as freedom of sacrilege?

In this case, there was a situation where the teacher and students acted in fundamentally different worldview planes. The teacher did not want to offend anyone at all; he very tolerantly asked those who could be offended by the lesson material to get out of the classroom. The purpose of the cartoons was to show what freedom of speech and expression is, not to attack religion. Some media outlets report that Samuel Pati generally spoke positively about Islam. From the point of view of the liberal worldview, he did everything not to hurt anyone's feelings.

Under the aforementioned video, which was quickly deleted, the following comment was left in defense of the teacher: “The teacher simply showed the cartoons from Charlie Hebdo as part of a history lesson on freedom of expression. Out of respect, he invited the Muslim students to leave the classroom if they wanted ... He was a good teacher and tried to encourage critical thinking, treated his students with respect. This evening I am sad not only because he was a teacher of my daughter, but also because I am worried about all French teachers. Can they continue to teach children without fear of being killed?"

Can the concept of freedom of speech be illustrated by cartoons that offend religious feelings? Is freedom of speech the same as freedom of blasphemy?

Is it a crime or freedom of speech to mock religious feelings?

The French simply do not understand what the teacher did to get him so cruelly dealt with. The French Department of Education does not understand this either, because it turns out that the demonstration of cartoons was not a personal initiative of Samuel Pati but a part of the school curriculum. Thus, schoolchildren were taught the values of a secular society. And they tried to integrate children from Muslim families into such a society and teach them to respect such manifestations of “freedom of speech”.

However, the students of the Muslim faith have a completely different worldview – religious. And according to this worldview, the demonstration of cartoons of what believers consider to be sacred is blasphemy, a crime that deserves the most severe punishment or even death penalty if it comes to Islam. It occurred once that the execution for these cartoons was committed. On January 7, 2015, shortly after the edition with the cartoons was published, armed Islamic militants broke into the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo and shot the newspaper's employees. 12 people were killed and 11 wounded then.

However, the cartoonists of this publication mocked not only Muslims. A year before the publication of the issue with caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, Charlie Hebdo printed caricatures of that ilk about Christmas and the image of the Trinity so heinous that it is simply hard to believe that such a thing is possible in a healthy civilized society. Anyway, cartoons are a small part of the overall picture.

For example, Martin Scorsese's blasphemous film "The Last Temptation of Christ" was released in 1988, and the book on which it was filmed was printed in 1955. By the way, it was written by Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer, a Nobel Prize nominee and at one time – Director General of the Ministry of Social Affairs of Greece.

The demonstration of cartoons was not a personal initiative of Samuel Pati but a part of the school curriculum.

European civilization in general and France in particular are rejecting Christianity, pushing it out of the consciousness of society and individuals. They no longer understand what a shrine is and how to treat it.

The French edition Les Observateurs reports that the destruction threatens about 10,000 churches and bell towers in France, and many French politicians openly express contempt for their country's religious heritage.

But we all know the proverb "a holy place is never empty." Let's ask ourselves a question – can we picture in our mind that in a French, German or Dutch school, it is the LGBT that are ridiculed, rather than the Prophet Mohammed or Christians? No, now this situation is impossible.

In France, as in most European countries, the feelings and rights of sexual minorities, transgender people and other LGBT people are subject to rather sensitive protection. Administrative or even criminal penalties are provided for criticism of LGBT people and gender ideology in many countries. It is believed that the feelings of gays and lesbians should in no case be hurt.

Can we picture in our mind that in a French, German or Dutch school, it is the LGBT that are ridiculed, rather than the Prophet Mohammed or Christians?

It turns out to be a very strange situation when some kind of replacement is taking place in the minds of Europeans. What was sacred and inviolable for their ancestors for centuries and millennia is now sacrilegiously ridiculed. And vice versa, what has always been considered a shameful sin is now shielded from any criticism.

But if the French do not have respect for their religion, then how can they demand such respect from Muslim migrants? There is no such respect, actually. According to the Gatestone Institute in France, an average of two churches is desecrated every day. And this number is increasing. If in 2017 878 attacks on churches or Christian symbols were registered, then in 2018 it reached 1063. Growth – 17% per year. The Muslim identity of the perpetrators of these attacks is easily identified by the inscriptions: "Allah Akbar".

Murder story

But migrants disregard not only Christian shrines that the secularized French refuse to defend. They also disregard the so-called secular values of French society. Because it is these values that allow them to parasitize on the social assistance system and avoid punishment for many crimes. The story of the killer of Samuel Pati, 18-year-old Abdulakh Anzorov, is very significant in this respect.

In 2008, his family ended up in France and applied for refugee status. Again, let us think: what kind of Chechen refugees from Russia could be in 2008? The war was over for eight years then and Chechnya was actively rebuilding itself, compensation was paid to victims of hostilities, enterprises and working places were created. Some sane officials in France thought like that and denied his family refugee status. However, the French court rescinded this decision, and upon reaching the age of 18, Abdulakh Anzorov automatically received a residence permit. France has thrown its doors wide open not only to the Chechens. Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians, Syrians, Arabs and other people from the Middle East and North Africa found housing in France, free food, low-cost health insurance and generous social benefits. They came to the country, claimed their rights, got a free ride on the back of the French taxpayers, and achieved the required benefits if not through administrative bodies, then through the courts.

While the birth rate among native French women is 1.8 children per woman of fertile age, then in the Muslim Diaspora in France this coefficient is 8.1!

It was initially known that migrants would not integrate into French society, would not live by its rules and would not profess the values of this society. But the French, like the Germans, Swedes and other Europeans, did nothing to prevent the Muslim invasion of their countries. And now, while the birth rate among native French women is 1.8 children per woman of fertile age, then in the Muslim Diaspora in France this coefficient is 8.1! As a result, sociologists argue: which country will become Muslim faster: France or Germany?

Why such killings will continue

But let's return to the actual tragedy on the outskirts of Paris. After that ill-fated lesson, complaints to the school administration rained down on Samuel Pati alongside threats. Figaro reports that he even went to the police. But he was not given protection. And on October 16, Abdulakh Anzorov hunted down Samuel Pati near the school, beheaded and posted a message about it on Twitter along with a photo. “Macron, ruler of the infidels, I executed one of your dogs, who dared to humiliate Muhammad,” the killer wrote.

The form of the appeal to French President E. Macron is very telling in this message. He is called "the ruler of the infidels". The fact is that in Islam those who do not believe in one God are called infidels or kafirs: atheists, pagans, etc. They must be converted to Islam or destroyed. In turn, Christians are called “the people of the Book (Holy Scripture)”, Ahl al-Kitab, they retain the right to life, the right to practice their religion and some other rights. But since the Europeans themselves renounced Christianity, then in the eyes of Muslims they transferred themselves to the category of infidels, kafirs, with all the ensuing consequences.

The crime committed by Abdulah Anzorov is certainly condemnable. It cannot be justified – it can only be explained. Both political and religious leaders condemned the murder and called it a terrorist attack. But these judgments and assessments cannot sort out the problem at hand. In 2015, after the execution of people in the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo, exactly the same condemnation and calls were heard to prevent any recurrence of this tragedy. However, there have been more than 30 such attacks since then in France, in which nearly 300 people died.

On Sunday, thousands of rallies dedicated to the tragedy were held in many cities of France. The French President made harsh statements and promised a decent response. How did France decide to respond to the brutal murder of Samuel Pati? According to Agence France-Presse, the leaders of 13 French regions offered to publish not just the Charlie Hebdo magazine, but a whole book of political and religious cartoons. They plan to make the book available to students of all lyceums. Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanker has already approved this proposal.

France intends to extinguish the fire with gasoline, outrage at religion even more, and further fan the flames of hatred among people with a religious outlook.

In other words, France intends to extinguish the fire with gasoline. Instead of returning to its own Christian religion. Instead of learning to honor its own shrines and getting others to respect them. Instead of recognizing blasphemy as blasphemy, rather than freedom of speech. In other words, instead of turning from worshiping the idols of tolerance, liberalism and secularization to God, France is going to outrage religion even more, to further fan the flames of hatred among people with a religious outlook. Ultimately, this cannot lead to anything other than an even greater surge of religious intolerance and further terrorist attacks.

France is doing the exact opposite of what needs to be done to solve the problem. And in this sense, France decapitates itself in the language of symbols; it testifies that it is no longer guided by raison d’être, correct assessment of the situation, that nothing will help it.

***

As for us, residents of Ukraine, the above is a lesson and no less formidable warning. If we turn a blind eye to Holy Orthodoxy, if we hold gay parades instead of religious processions, if we open the doors to migrants instead of strengthening the family and traditional values, giving birth to our own children and preserving our nation, then we will end up in the same scenario.

Let us bear in mind the Gospel words: “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13: 1-3).

This is what the head of the teacher cries out – about turning to God, about admonition and repentance.

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