The attack targeting the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in the heart of Paris can be described with a single concept – the end of humanity. This terrible and cruel incident, which makes all of us feel ashamed of humanity, is not a surprise, as the world has been on alert for a while due to al-Qaida's sanguinary acts, footage showing Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham's (ISIS) beheading of captives and Boko Haram's mass killings. The West should ask itself what is going on without taking the easy way out to marginalize Muslims.
The Charlie Hebdo cartoonists and journalists who were killed during the attack had said that they represented the generation of '68, and this was the case. They were destructive people who deemed nothing sacred and who claimed that the sole holy thing was the freedom of expression, considering everything from the standpoint of the freedom of expression. Of course, they rose as opponents of the system in France, where they later became the system itself. However, when they describe their principles as, "We do not have taboos, we do not have holiness, the freedom of expression to the core," the Muslim youth living in the outskirts of Paris perceive this as insolence and offensive to their beliefs, which is the only thing that cannot be assimilated. I consider this "parallel perception" the key issue in the crisis we are currently facing. Unfortunately, this duality and ever-widening gap has grown like a tumor and led to the emergence of a black hole by using Islam. This is also the reason why al-Qaida, ISIS and Boko Haram have appeared. Poor Muslims who immigrated to the West to earn a living were not considered equal individuals by the West and they were regarded as beings that could be addressed only if they changed – a perception that in turn fuelled feelings of inferiority. This crisis evolved into a vicious circle when the West remained indifferent to the shelling of Palestine and later became fatal with the West appreciating former Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's tanks that indiscriminately killed women and children in Egypt.
The crux of the matter concerns the fact that a lost generation is captured by dark forces. To handle this problem, the West must truly confront the reasons that gave rise to this lost generation. While doing this, the West should not attempt to assimilate and discipline them as has always been, but it should see that the emergence of this gangrene and lost generation is associated with its own vanity.
The Islamic world should also learn a lesson from this. In my opinion, first of all, it should get rid of feelings of inferiority and the apologetic attitude. Due to the carnage experienced in Paris, Boko Haram's mass killings and ISIS's beheadings, Muslims adopt an apologetic attitude – a situation that is sorely desired by those who want to correlate this violence with Islam.
Instead, the Islamic world should initiate internal questioning as to why it experiences so many troubles. It should start with its relations with the West and get to the bottom of the reasons why it does not or cannot become a subject. It should not always seek responsibility in others.
