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Islamist Terror in Paris

(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - The deadliest terror attack on French soil in more than a decade is a fresh reminder that the war on Islamist terror is far from won, and that jihadists are bent on eradicating the heritage of Western freedom. Wednesday's massacre, following a long string of plots foiled by police in the UK, France and elsewhere, is a reminder that jihadism isn't a distant Middle Eastern phenomenon. There will be many more such attempts at mass murder. Men willing to execute cartoonists in Paris and 132 children at point-blank range in Peshawar in the name of religion won't shrink from using more destructive means to impose mass casualties. The attack also demonstrates again that violent Islam isn't a reaction to poverty or Western policies in the Middle East. It is an ideological challenge to Western civilization and principles, including a free press and religious pluralism. The murder of Charlie Hebdo cartoonists is merely the latest evil expression of a modern arc of Islamist violence against Western free speech. Charlie Hebdo Editor Stephane Charbonnier, who was murdered on Wednesday, understood the ideals he represented. Responding to threats and pressure over the newspaper's decisions to publish provocative cartoons, he once said: "I prefer to die standing than live on my knees." It is now the epitaph of a principled and courageous man.
2015-01-08 00:00:00
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