The beheading of Hervey Gourdel sent waves of shock within the Muslim community in France. In an article published in the press, Muslim leaders speak out: "We, French Muslims, wish to express our strong solidarity with all victims of this horde of barbarians, lost soldiers of an alleged Islamic state and condemn in the strongest terms, all acts of violence committed on behalf of a murderous ideology that claims it belongs to the Islamic religion by confiscating its vocabulary. »
Of course that Muslims in France were right to denounce the barbarity committed in the name of Islam. This is no act of repentance, those who offended; mention other conflicts are wrong, it is mandatory in the face of trauma and constant threats, including concerns over the return of jihadists, to express solidarity with the victims and to make clear, the rejection of the ideology of hatred and death that is expressed in the name of Islam.
In France, and since a long time ago, intellectuals and Republicans from immigrant descent have not stopped denouncing the takfirist and fascist ideologies of Islamist groups; it has not always been the case with our religious leaders. Not long ago and after the release of videos showing the beheadings of American and English hostages by ISIS, some "Muslims" questioned the veracity of the videos in the same old 'conspiracy theory' setting because Americans are guilty and are preparing their intervention in this conflict zone, thus ignoring the atrocities and crimes committed by ISIS for months.
Beyond this tragic news, are we able to ask ourselves once and for all the real substantial questions?
At a time when societies invest in education, technological and industrial achievements, cultural and artistic creation, promotion of human rights, women and children - with a few exceptions, some Arab societies- in the name of a totalitarian deadly ideology- sink into chaos?
What is this evil that gnaws to the point of giving birth to monsters filled with hatred, practicing the language of terror in the name of a totalitarian ideology that stresses the negation of others? These are repeated acts, spread over time, from the Mashreq to the Maghreb and elsewhere to varying degrees, including in some Muslim families that have settled in Europe, including children, often very young, who leave for Jihad and therefore contribute to the slaughter. Even young people, living in peaceful societies away from areas of conflict, with means to prosper and achieve something in their lives.
The nightmare of the 'Arab Spring' has only been an opportunity to show us the immense moral and intellectual crisis of the Arab-Muslim societies, previously contained by authoritarian powers, to enroll in the 21st century in profound human misery despite having natural resources such as gas and oil. Where they are rampant, the Salafists and other fanatical groups offer us a scene of desolation, a collective hara-kiri with an archaic religious foundation, that uses the sword and blood; where progress is criminalized, a shipwreck ideology where speech is banned; except for permissive fatwas that allow rape and beheadings of innocent people, only the absolute truth that stems from a criminal interpretation of Islam is set up as a dogma in a collective schizophrenia.
