je suis Charlie, Charlie Hebdo

The staff at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper did not wait long to strike back at the radical extremists, just days after the massacre at the newspaper offices over Mohammed cartoons the publication has given an advance peek at the latest edition which will be published Wednesday. The latest cover will depict the prophet Mohammed holding a sign which says Je Suis Charlie, under text which says all is forgiven. This latest move is a show of defiance, to let the radical extremists know that they have not won and that the paper will continue to be defiant and push the limits regardless of what terrorists threaten. Editor Stephane Charbonnier, who was murdered during the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices, was defiant right to the end and the publication plans to continue this tradition.

It is fair to say that extremists around the world will be angered by the je suis Charlie cartoon that will be published in the next edition by Charlie Hebdo, and that may be the point. Terrorism works by terrorizing people to stop certain behaviors and speech, and giving in only gives the radicals what they want. By staying strong and continuing to be critical of everything the staff at the newspaper is showing that the Kouachi brothers and their ideology may have killed staffers but they can not break the spirit of those still left behind to carry on.