I wonder if France had put restrictions on Charlie Hebdo it would've stopped that attack and the series of attacks after. I know it goes against the grain of French society but do you think preventing the right to insult rather than the right to freedom of speech was worth risking kick-starting these attacks and risking lives?

I know the attacks now are driven by frustration and hatred from lack of opportunities for young Muslims and that extremists want to divide European and Muslim communities with attacks, but the threat levels have heightened since the Hebdo attacks.

P.S - I am in no way a sympathiser and I struggle to understand how people were/are insulted by pictures of a prophet Muhammed, but some are, and with such religious fervour, why not just respect their belief and leave it? It COULD save some of the problems.

(I remember people comparing prophets to invented characters like Spiderman and I saw their point of view. But if something is so sacred and with so much religious fervour, I would think respecting it would be a wiser option.)

Edited by Rudi Hedman (15 Jul 2016 11.38am)

COYP

An interpretation of Islam and manipulation of some.

If you knew any Muslims before 9/11 etc who weren't adopting the Western way of life you'll know the caring nature of their faith.

Unfortunately there have been dictators and tyrannical leaders in the Middle East which is somehow acceptable. Certainly we'd be better off with one dictator still in power in Iraq but that box of fireworks has already been set off.

COYP

I have no problem in having Sharia Courts exist to informally resolve certain restricted issues with the full and free consent of both parties. Why not? The Beth Din has provided such a service for Jews for countless years with the full blessing of the state. Why would it be any different to any other form of alternative dispute resolution, such as specialist commercial arbitration?

Oh and ISIS. I do agree that Islam can be corrupted in any way; the Bible has had its fair share of selective interpretation to justify just about any heinous act you can name. However, the one point that many overlook with that particular brand of nasty, is that it was borne out of the Iraqi Republican Guard that the US coalition defeated, then disbanded leaving thousands of highly trained and well-armed haters of the West, the incumbent Western-backed government and Shi'ite Islam with nothing to do but loaf about looking for a cause to latch on to. Their relative success has provided an appeal across the region and inspired lads from afar to flock to the "Jihad".

After WWII the Allies prosecuted virtually no-one but left the bulk of the National Socialist Government in situ. This continuity allowed the German Government - with US funding - to perform the German "Economic Miracle". While I am loath to admit it given the crimes committed by the Ba'athist government, had the US applied a similar policy in Iraq, it may be that we would not have had decades of internecine genocide and the atrocities of ISIS.

Oh and I agree your last point. I too have no idea how to address the problem we have been left with.

Not everyone is so calm and rational.

COYP

The point is that I'm more concerned about my own people.

And for me, my own people means my family and friends.

Everything else is secondary.

We will be in France in a few weeks so it's not just about Britain.
We are at war with fanatics and they have sympathisers spread all over Europe. They need to be removed by all means necessary.