This week , the magazine Charlie Hebdo will publish a defiant response to the terrorists who assassinated 8 members of its staff and four shoppers  in a Jewish supermarket. This response will involve publishing an image of the Prophet Muhammad.

Is this an appropriate response? Is this the way in which we should demonstrate our defiance to such an appalling act?

Having the right to do something does not necessarily make it the right thing to do. We have (and must defend) the right to publish an image of the Prophet Muhammad, but with this right (as with all rights) comes the responsibility of deciding whether to exercise it. And in making this decision, we have to think about consequences. Indeed having rights creates the responsibility to think about consequences – something it is often convenient to forget or ignore. Continue reading →