Six Minors on Trial in Paris over Murder of History Teacher Samuel Paty | DW News | November 27, 2023

Nov 27, 2023 | A juvenile court in France is begining the trial of six minors today, for their alleged connections to the murder of a French teacher three years ago. Samuel Paty taught history and geography at a school in a Parisian suburb. He'd used the controversial cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammed that apperaed in the Charlie Hebdo magazine to discuss free-speech laws in France. He was killed and then beheaded by a radical Islamist outside his school in October 2020, causing an outpouring of grief in France. The perpetrator, an 18 year-old man of Chechen origin, was shot dead by police. The Paris court is now examining the role of six others.

With tragic stories like this appearing in the news with alarming frequency, is there really any wonder that many people fear Islam and its growth in the West?

Many organizations chide people for being Islamophobic. But we should remember that a phobia is an irrational fear or aversion to something. But what is irrational about fearing, or having an aversion to, a religion whose adherents are sometimes, through fanatical beliefs, given to beheading innocent people? Indeed, it would be irrational NOT to fear such a religion.

If ‘Islamophobia’ is to be successfully combatted, it is up to Muslims living in the West to ensure that their co-religionists refrain from such barbaric behaviour. When Muslims stop beheading innocent people and start behaving in a civilized manner, people will have no reason to be Islamophobic. In short, the solution to this problem lies with Muslims themselves. Furthermore, if Muslims dislike our Western ways and our Western modes of living, it might be better if they returned to their countries of origin. Preferably voluntarily. – © Mark Alexander

A Year Later, a Schoolteacher’s Beheading Still Haunts France

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The killing of Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee intensified debate over security and immigration, and prompted intense scrutiny of the French secular model.

Students at a high school in Paris on Friday participating in a minute of silence to honor Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded last year by an Islamist fanatic. | Ian Langsdon/EPA, via Shutterstock
PARIS — Most schools throughout France observed a minute of silence on Friday in remembrance of Samuel Paty, a teacher whose attempt to illustrate free speech to his students led to his beheading a year ago by an Islamist fanatic.

As a history teacher, Mr. Paty was responsible for teaching civics. To illustrate the right to blasphemy, free speech and freedom of conscience, he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, setting in motion a swirl of lies and rumor that ended in his beheading.

The police investigation, it emerged in March, revealed that the girl who told her father, Brahim Chnina, a false version of what had taken place in the class and prompted the online frenzy that led to the killing had not been in the class at all.

The girl told the police that Mr. Paty had questioned all students on their religious allegiance, let Muslims know that they could leave because “they would be shocked” and then ordered her out of the class for causing a ruckus while images of a naked Prophet were shown. But the story was made-up; she was never there. » | Roger Cohen | Friday, October 15, 2021

French President Macron Vows Defiance after 'Islamist' Attack in Nice | DW News

Police in France have arrested a second suspect in connection with the knife attack at the basilica in Nice that left three people dead. It was the third Islamist attack in France in two months. President Emmanuel Macron is holding an emergency cabinet meeting today and the terror alert level is now at its maximum.

Deadly Knife Attack in Nice Is Terrorism, French Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The assault at a church in the south of France left at least three people dead. Local officials said it bore similarities to the killing of a schoolteacher that has shaken the country.

PARIS — Less than two weeks after the beheading of a French schoolteacher, an assailant carrying a knife entered the towering neo-Gothic basilica in the southern city of Nice early Thursday and killed three people, further inflaming tensions in a country already on edge and leading the authorities to increase the terrorism threat level.

Officials in Nice described the attack as Islamist terrorism, and it was quickly followed by two similar events — including a knife-wielding assailant outside a French Consulate in Saudi Arabia — though it was not immediately clear whether the events were coordinated.

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, told reporters on Thursday that a suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested after being shot and wounded by the police. The suspect “kept repeating Allahu akbar in front of us even though he was sedated,” Mr. Estrosi said, adding this left “no doubt” about the motivation behind the attack. » | Constant Méheut and Aurelien Breeden | Thursday, October 29, 2020

France on Urgent Alert Following Nice 'Terror' Attack

A man wielding a knife on Thursday killed three people in an attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice in southern France. A suspect has been arrested in the attack, which Nice’s mayor has described as an act of terrorism.

Muslim Countries Denounce French Response to Killing of Teacher, Urge Boycott

THE NEW YORK TIMES: While the government’s moves against extremism have public support, they have opened France to criticism that its relationship with its Muslim citizens has taken an ugly turn.

BRUSSELS — Since a young Muslim beheaded a French schoolteacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a class, France has conducted dozens of raids against suspected Islamic extremists, closed a major mosque and shut down some Muslim aid groups.

In France, a nation still traumatized by some 36 Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks in the last eight years, including two that together killed more than 200 people, those broad measures have found widespread support. President Emmanuel Macron, a fierce defender of French secularism and the right to free speech, went as far as to suggest that Islam was in need of an Enlightenment, and his interior minister spoke of a “civil war.”

In the Muslim world, these actions, and the tone coming from top French officials, have opened France to criticism that the nation’s complicated, post-colonial relationship with its six million Muslim citizens has taken an ugly turn. Leading the condemnation has been President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who called Mr. Macron mentally damaged in a speech over the weekend. “Macron needs mental treatment,” he said. “What is the problem of this person Macron with Muslims and Islam?” » | Steven Erlanger | Published Oct. 27, 2020; Updated Oct. 28, 2020

France Urges Arab Nations to Prevent Boycotts over Macron's Cartoons Defence

BBC: France has urged Middle Eastern countries to prevent any boycott of its goods in protest at President Emmanuel Macron's defence of the right to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The French foreign ministry said the "baseless" calls for a boycott were being "pushed by a radical minority".

French products have been removed from some shops in Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar.

Meanwhile, protests have been seen in Libya, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

The backlash stems from comments made by Mr Macron after the gruesome murder of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in class.

The president said the teacher, Samuel Paty, "was killed because Islamists want our future", but France would "not give up our cartoons". » | Sunday, October 25, 2020

We French Love Our History Teachers – Samuel Paty Made Us Remember Why

THE GUARDIAN: Religion struck another blow against freedom of thought with the vicious murder of a man whose mission was to civilise

Since that fateful morning of 7 January 2015, and the Charlie Hebdo massacre, it sometimes feels as if we French are living our lives between terrorist assaults, each as vile as the previous but each more poignant in its viciousness and symbolism. When we think this can’t get any worse, a new attack proves us wrong.

In the past five years, Islamists in France have targeted and murdered journalists, cartoonists, policemen and women, soldiers, Jews, young people at a concert, football fans, families at a Bastille Day fireworks show, an 86-year-old priest celebrating mass in his little Normandy church, tourists at a Christmas market... the list goes on.

Last week, a history teacher was beheaded while walking back home from his school, in the quiet town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, halfway between Paris and Giverny. The speed with which we learned the facts sharpened the blow, deepened our emotions and focused our minds. » | Agnès Poirier * | Sunday, October 25, 2020

• Agnès Poirier is a Paris-based political commentator, writer and critic

France Recalls Ambassador from Turkey after 'Unacceptable' Erdogan Comments

France on Saturday said it was recalling its envoy to Turkey for consultations after comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggesting French counterpart Emmanuel Macron needed a mental health check-up that Paris condemned as unacceptable.

France recalls ambassador to Turkey after Erdoğan questions Macron's mental state »

Samuel Paty Posthumously Awarded French Légion d’Honneur

THE GUARDIAN: Two pupils among seven people facing terror charges over teacher’s killing

The French teacher decapitated while returning home last week has been posthumously awarded the Légion d’honneur, hours after France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor said the killer had paid two pupils from the school to identify his victim.

At a private ceremony in the main amphitheatre of the Sorbonne university on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron bestowed the country’s highest honour on the family of Samuel Paty, 47, who was killed on Friday after showing his class two cartoons of the prophet Muhammad as part of a discussion on free speech.

An audience of about 400 people, including children, friends, relatives and former presidents, then paid tribute to the history and geography teacher in the university’s main courtyard, during an emotional public service broadcast live on television.

Paty was “a quiet hero”, a visibly moved Macron said in a 15-minute speech. “He was the victim of stupidity, of lies, of confusion, of a hatred of what, in our deepest essence, we are … On Friday, he became the face of the Republic.” » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Teacher Beheaded Near Paris after Showing Class Images of Mohammed | ABC News

Terror has returned to the streets of France for the second time in three weeks. A history teacher was attacked and killed outside the school he taught at after showing his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. The 18-year-old suspect was later shot dead by police. WARNING: This report from Europe correspondent Samantha Hawley contains details that may distress some viewers.

Thousands in France Pay Tribute to Beheaded Teacher | DW News

Demonstrations were held across France in a show of solidarity after the beheading of a teacher on his way home from school. Thousands gathered in central Paris to pay their respects to Samuel Paty, who was killed after showing cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed in a class on freedom of expression. People held aloft posters declaring "no totalitarianism of thought." Police have detained 11 people in connection with the killing. The suspect was shot dead by police soon after the attack.

Gay Asylum Seeker Raped and Beheaded in Turkey’s Capital

‪Turkish Soldier Beheaded by Pro-government Mob on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge‬

A Turkish soldier has reportedly been beheaded on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge by a pro-government mob.

Family of Teenage Saudi Protester Sentenced to Death Appeal for His Life

Abdullah al-Zaher was tortured and forced to make a
confession, his family say.

THE GUARDIAN: Abdullah al-Zaher, who was arrested when he was 15, faces beheading and crucifixion for participating in protest rally

The family of a teenage protester who faces beheading in Saudi Arabia have come forward in public for the first time to plead for his life.

The father of Abdullah al-Zaher, 19, called on the world to help before it is too late and his son is executed in the kingdom along with a reported 51 other people.

“Please help me save my son from the imminent threat of death. He doesn’t deserve to die just because he participated in a protest rally,” Hassan al-Zaher told the Guardian.

Arrested in March 2012, just shy of his 16th birthday, after participating in protests in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Shia-dominated province, Zaher was charged with “harbouring” protesters, participating in demonstrations and chanting slogans, setting fire to a car and throwing Molotov cocktails.

His family and the death penalty campaign group Reprieve allege that Zaher was tortured, saying that after his arrest Saudi security forces beat him with wire iron rods, forced a confession from him and did not allow him to speak to his family or a lawyer. » | Shiv Malik | Thursday, December 17, 2015

Isil Claim to Have Beheaded Croatian Hostage in Egypt

THE TELEGRAPH: Tomislav Salopek, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 22 as his car left Cairo

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) loyalists appear to have murdered their first western hostage in Egypt.

Tomislav Salopek, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 22 as his car left Cairo. He reappeared last week in a video released by the extremist group.

On Wednesday, a photograph showing what appeared to be Mr Salopek’s body was circulating on the social media accounts of Isil loyalists. The image could not immediately be verified.

The Isil-affiliated group, known as Sinai Province, had set a 48-hour deadline last Wednesday for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to release female Muslim prisoners, warning that they would kill Mr Salopek if their demands were not met.

Isil sympathisers shared the macabre countdown on social media as the deadline expired. Several accounts carried images of knives alongside the message: “Croatia participated in the war with the Islamic State”. » | Louisa Loveluck | Wednesday, August 12, 2015

French Beheading Suspect Acted on Islamic State Orders, Says Prosecutor

THE TELEGRAPH: Yassin Salhi is believed to have killed his boss but says his motive was personal not terrorist-related

The French man who beheaded his boss and tried to blow up a chemical plant had a "terrorist motive" and links to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Syria, despite his claim that he carried out his grisly act for purely personal reasons, a prosecutor said.

"This corresponds very precisely to the orders of Daesh [Isil] which calls regularly for acts of terrorism on French soil and in particular to cut the throats of unbelievers,” said Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins.

"The decapitation recalls the habitual modus operandi of this terrorist organisation," he told reporters. » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Tuesday, June 30, 2015

France Attack: Man Decapitated at Factory Near Lyon

BBC AMERICA: A man has been found decapitated at a gas factory near Lyon in France after an attack that police suspect was carried out by one of his employees.

The body was found after a car rammed into the factory causing an explosion that put France on its highest alert amid fears of a terror attack.

Within hours a man was arrested who officials said had been investigated over possible ties to radical Islam.

His boss, the owner of a delivery firm, was the man found beheaded, police say.

The delivery company had made regular trips to the factory, which is owned by the US-based company Air Products, Dauphine Libere newspaper reports.

Few details of the killing have been released, but the businessman's head was reportedly found on a post at the factory, in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, some 40km (25 miles) from Lyon.

Mr Hollande said the decapitated body had "inscriptions" on it. The French interior minister said: "A flag with Arabic writing on it was found at the scene." » | Friday, June 26, 2015

Japan Outraged at IS 'Beheading' of Hostage Kenji Goto

Kenji Goto, pictured in October 2014, is a well-known freelance
journalist and filmmaker

BBC AMERICA: Japan has reacted with anger and defiance to a video purporting to show the beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto by an Islamic State militant.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan "would not give in to terrorism" and that he would expand his support to countries fighting IS.

IS has cited Japanese aid as a reason for the hostage taking. The video comes less than a week after the apparent beheading of another Japanese man, Haruna Yukawa.

Mr Goto, 47, a respected journalist known for his work covering the suffering of civilians in war zones, went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to secure Mr Yukawa's release.

The video, which has all the hallmarks of previous IS propaganda videos, has not been authenticated, but Japanese officials believe it is genuine. » | Sunday, February 01, 2015

Florida Man Decapitates Mother on New Year's Eve

BBC: US police say they have charged a man with first-degree murder after he decapitated his mother on New Year's Eve.

Florida officials said that 23-year-old Christian Gomez killed his mother with an axe on Wednesday.

Officers found the body of Maria Suarez-Cassagne outside the family home in Oldsmar, Pinellas County. » | Friday, January 02, 2015