PUKHTUNKHWA TIMES

M WAQAR..... "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary.Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death." --Albert Einstein !!! NEWS,ARTICLES,EDITORIALS,MUSIC... Ze chi pe mayeen yum da agha pukhtunistan de.....(Liberal,Progressive,Secular World.)''Secularism is not against religion; it is the message of humanity.'' تل ده وی پثتونستآن

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Youngest of three suspects in Paris attack surrenders to police

Hamyd Mourad, 18, in custody; manhunt continues for Said and Cherif Kouachi; 12 victims of deadly shooting at Charlie Hebdo offices identified

The youngest of the three suspects in the deadly Paris attack Wednesday on the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo has surrendered to police in Charleville-Meziere, a city some 230 km northeast of Paris, sources said.

“Hamyd Mourad handed himself in to police… on Wednesday at 11:00 pm (2200 GMT) after seeing his name circulating on social media,” the source told AFP. “He has been arrested and taken into custody,” another source confirmed.

Late Wednesday night, authorities said an anti-terror raid was under way in the northeastern city of Reims. According to ITele, a family member of Mourad was arrested in the operation.

Mourad along with two others were suspected of methodically killing 12 people Wednesday, including the editor of Charlie Hebdo, before escaping in a car, in France’s deadliest postwar terrorist attack.

Mourad is said to have been the getaway driver.

Said Kouachi, 34, Cherif Kouachi, 32 — brothers and Paris-born French nationals of Algerian descent — were still at large.

French police issued an appeal for witnesses of the attack early Thursday morning and released photos of the brothers. They were described as “armed and dangerous.”

The younger Kouachi had been active between the years 2003 and 2005 in rallies urging French Muslims to join jihadists in Iraq in battle against the US army, Metronews reported. In 2008, he was convicted of terrorism charges and sentenced to three years and 18 months suspended sentence.

The suspects’ ID cards were found in an abandoned vehicle near the scene of the attack, according to Ynet.

Eight journalists, a guest and two police officers were killed, said Paris prosecutor Francois Molins.

The two policemen were named as Ahmed Merabet, 42, and Franck Brinsolaro, 49. Brinsolaro was reportedly the police bodyguard of the paper’s editor Stephane Charbonnier, widely known by his pen name Charb, who was killed along with four other cartoonists in the attack; Jean Cabut, the lead cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo with the pen name Cabu, Bernard Velhac, pen name Tignous and Jewish cartoonist Georges Wolinski, pen name Wolinski, Philippe Honoré, pen name Honoré.

Among the dead were also Bernard Maris, an economist who is a contributor to the newspaper and was heard regularly on French radio, Mustapha Ourrad, a copy editor at the paper, Frédéric Boisseau, a maintenance worker, Elsa Cayat, an analyst and columnist and Michel Renaud, a guest and friend of Cabut.

Eleven people were injured in the attack, four of them critically.

Late Wednesday, vigils for the victims were held in cities across the world.

Shouting “Allahu akbar!” as they fired, the men also spoke flawless, unaccented French in the military-style noon-time attack on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, located near Paris’ Bastille monument. The publication’s depictions of Islam have drawn condemnation and threats before — it was firebombed in 2011 — although it also satirized other religions and political figures.

President Francois Hollande called the slayings “a terrorist attack without a doubt,” and said several other attacks have been thwarted in France in recent weeks. Fears have been running high in France and elsewhere in Europe that jihadis returning from conflicts in Syria and Iraq will stage attacks at home.

France raised its security alert to the highest level and reinforced protective measures at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation. Schools closed across Paris, although thousands of people jammed Republique Square near the site of the shooting to honor the victims, holding aloft pens and papers reading “Je suis Charlie” — “I am Charlie.”

Top government officials held an emergency meeting and Hollande planned a nationally televised address later Wednesday evening.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which also left four people critically wounded, and was condemned by world leaders as an attack on freedom of expression, but praised by supporters of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Clad all in black with hoods and carrying assault rifles, the attackers forced one of the cartoonists arriving at the office building with her young daughter to open the door with a security code.

The staff was in an editorial meeting and the gunmen headed straight for Charbonnier, killing him and his police bodyguard first, said Christophe Crepin, a police union spokesman. Minutes later, two men strolled out to a black car waiting below, calmly firing on a police officer, with one gunman shooting him in the head as he writhed on the ground, according to video and a man who watched in fear from his home across the street.

The witness, who refused to allow his name to be used because he feared for his safety, said the attackers were so methodical he first mistook them for France’s elite anti-terrorism forces. Then they fired on the officer.

“They knew exactly what they had to do and exactly where to shoot. While one kept watch and checked that the traffic was good for them, the other one delivered the final coup de grace,” he said. “They ran back to the car. The moment they got in, the car drove off almost casually.”

The witness added: “I think they were extremely well-trained, and they knew exactly down to the centimeter and even to the second what they had to do.”

“Hey! We avenged the Prophet Muhammad! We killed Charlie Hebdo,” one of the men shouted in French, according to a video shot from a nearby building and broadcast on French TV. Another video showed two gunmen in black at a crossroads who appeared to fire down one of the streets. A cry of “Allahu akbar!” — Arabic for “God is great”— could be heard among the gunshots.

The video showed the killers moving deliberately and calmly. One even bent over to toss a fallen shoe back into the small black car before it sped off. The car was later found abandoned in northern Paris, the prosecutor said, and they hijacked a Renault Clio. There were conflicting accounts initially of whether the manhunt was for two or three attackers.

Corinne Rey, the cartoonist who said she was forced to let the gunmen in, said the men spoke fluent French and claimed to be from al-Qaida. In an interview with the newspaper l’Humanite, she said the entire shooting lasted perhaps five minutes, and she hid under a desk.

The security analyst group Stratfor said the gunmen appeared to be well-trained “from the way they handled their weapons, moved and shot. These attackers conducted a successful attack, using what they knew, instead of attempting to conduct an attack beyond their capability, failing as a result.”

Both al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have repeatedly threatened to attack France. Just minutes before the attack, Charlie Hebdo had tweeted a satirical cartoon of the Islamic State’s leader giving New Year’s wishes.

Charlie Hebdo has been repeatedly threatened for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and other sketches. Its offices were firebombed in 2011 after an issue featured a caricature of the prophet on its cover. Nearly a year later, the publication again published Muhammad caricatures, drawing denunciations from the Muslim world because Islam prohibits the publication of drawings of its founder.

Another cartoon, released in this week’s issue and entitled “Still No Attacks in France,” had a caricature of a jihadi fighter saying “Just wait — we have until the end of January to present our New Year’s wishes.” Charb was the artist.

“This is the darkest day of the history of the French press,” said Christophe DeLoire of Reporters Without Borders.

In the winter 2014 edition of the al-Qaida magazine Inspire, a so-called chief describing where to use a new bomb said: “Of course the first priority and the main focus should be on America, then the United Kingdom, then France and so on.”

In 2013, the magazine specifically threatened Charb and included an article titled “France the Imbecile Invader.”

An al-Qaida tweeter who communicated Wednesday with AP said the group is not claiming responsibility, but called the attack “inspiring.”

President Barack Obama offered US help in pursuing the gunmen, saying they had attacked freedom of expression. He offered prayers and support for France, which he called “America’s oldest ally.”

British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country stood united with France.

“We stand squarely for free speech and democracy. These people will never be able to take us off those values,” Cameron said in the House of Commons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the attack as a “cynical crime,” and pledged cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Salman Rushdie, who spent years in hiding after his novel, “The Satanic Verses,” drew a death edict from Iran’s religious authorities, said all must stand with Charlie Hebdo “to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity.”

Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the Union of French mosques, condemned the “hateful act,” and urged Muslims and Christians “to intensify their actions to give more strength to this dialogue, to make a united front against extremism.”

On social media, supporters of militant Islamic groups praised the move. One self-described Tunisian loyalist of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group tweeted that the attack was well-deserved revenge against France.

The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie was trending as people expressed support for the weekly and for journalistic freedom. The weekly’s website collapsed earlier Wednesday but was later restored.

Charlie Hebdo has stirred controversy often over the years due to its biting depictions of Muslims and the prophet Muhammad.

Notably, in one of its September 2012 issues, the magazine’s cover depicted an elderly ultra-Orthodox Jew pushing a crippled Muslim man in a wheelchair with the caption “Intouchables 2,” an allusion to a French film.

In the inner pages of the magazine, caricatures featured Muhammad in a series of “daring positions,” according to a description in the French daily Le Figaro.

According to Reuters, the cartoons included “nude caricatures” of the prophet.

Charlie Hebdo’s offices have been attacked in the wake of past controversies stirred by its publications.

In 2011, Charlie Hebdo published an edition that featured the prophet Muhammad as a “guest editor.” The issue sparked widespread demonstrations, and the offices of the magazine were firebombed in what was widely assumed to be a revenge attack.

Read more: Youngest of three suspects in Paris attack surrenders to police | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/youngest-of-three-suspects-in-paris-attack-surrenders-to-police/#ixzz3OC84otgz Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

Video - Charlie Hebdo, a 'symbol of free speech'

Video Report - President Obama Speaks on the Resurgence of the American Auto Industry

Analysis: A Parisian tragedy

European streets in general and French ones in particular are turning into a battlefield of radical, extremist Islamist zealotry.

A vigil to pay tribute to the victims of a shooting at Charlie Hebdo in Paris. (photo credit:REUTERS)

The writing was on the wall. European streets in general and French ones in particular are turning into a battlefield of radical, extremist Islamist zealotry.

The battle is an extension of the Middle East front lines.

Not that anyone should have been surprised. The first wave was carried for several years after 9/11 in 2001 by al-Qaida sympathizers and supporters, who pursued their ideology of global jihad in impressive terrorist attacks in Madrid, London and Istanbul.

After a relative calm that created the illusion that Europe was relatively safe came the second, current wave. It reflects the rise of Islamic State and the weakening of al-Qaida.

There are numerous bloody indications that Islamic State and al-Qaida are back in action on European soil. A soldier was stabbed to death in London; gunman stormed a synagogue in Toulouse.

Another gunman killed two Israeli tourists in the Jewish Museum in Brussels.

Two characteristics are commonly found in most of these terrorist incidents. One is that some attacks have been carried by young, local Muslims who were inspired by Islamic State or al-Qaida. The second is that some terrorist incidents are perpetrated by young European nationals who volunteered to fight in Syria and Iraq and came home after acquiring battlefield experience and being thoroughly brainwashed.

There are thousands of European nationals fighting in Syria and Iraq who have become a major headache to the various European security services. This phenomenon is particularly widespread in France, which houses the largest and potentially the most violent Muslim community.

French Intelligence estimates that between 700 and 1,000 French volunteers are fighting alongside Islamic State and al-Qaida.

Because of that, the shootout Wednesday in central Paris in broad daylight is a clear indication of the failure of the French police and security services. Charlie Hebdo’s offices were guarded by the police, because everyone knew it was a target on numerous occasions in the past and may well be so in the present and future because of its satirical mockery in writing and cartoons of Islam in general and the Prophet Muhammad in particular.

And yet the three gunmen managed to kill the police guards and nearly a dozen of the magazine’s writers and cartoonists and to flee unhurt.

It was a sad irony that, minutes before the attack, Charlie Hebdo’s Twitter published a cartoon wishing a Happy New Year “and particularly good health” to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State .

The attack carried the pattern of targeted killing. The terrorists had a clear plan, knew what they wanted to achieve, and acted calmly – as the graphic footage of the cold-blooded execution of one of the wounded and helpless police guards shows.

No doubt they were professional killers.

On Wednesday night, al-Qaida Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. But regardless of who was behind it – al-Qaida, Islamic State foreigners or a local Muslim cell, it is a direct challenge to French and Western democracy and to the fundamental values of liberty and freedom of expression.

The West is slowly realizing that this is a clash of civilizations.

It is a war declared by Muslim fanatics against what France and Europe treasure and stand for. The answer has to be accordingly – better cooperation between Western security services, better intelligence on the terrorist groups, and new laws that would limit the ability of the enemy to exploit and take advantage of democratic values.

The Paris massacre is France’s 9/11 – and à la guerre comme à la guerre.

Radical face of Saudi Wahhabism

S. IRFAN HABIB

The agenda of the Islamic State today is merely an extension of the devious plan laid down by Abdul Wahhab almost two hundred years ago

It is ironical indeed that the Turkish regime today is implicated in propping up a terrorist group called the Islamic State (IS), which has vowed to spread Wahhabi Islam all over the world. The present Wahhabism, legitimated and empowered by the Saudi regime, has violent, almost criminal, origins in the 19th century. If we care to look into its beginnings, we won’t be surprised at its utter contempt for human life and everything else which doesn’t conform to its own narrow/sectarian agenda. Let me explain the irony first.

It was the Ottoman regime which bore the brunt of Wahhabi Islam soon after it became a force in the Central Arab region. The toxic combine of 18th century Islamic scholar Abdul Wahhab and the first monarch of Saudi Arabia Ibn Saud posed a challenge to the Ottoman rule. They also questioned the prevalent Islamic beliefs and practices. The Turks not only defended their power but also assiduously fought for the mystic Islam they had professed and supported all these years. The Ottomans fought and exiled the Wahhabis to the Arab deserts where they remained for almost a century. This Wahhabi bigotry was condemned by the Turks as criminal and unIslamic. The sad irony is that the current Turkish regime has joined the Wahhabi bandwagon, forgetting all about the Bektashis, Qadiris and other dervishes they had cherished all these centuries. The IS agenda today is merely an extension of the devious plan laid down by Abdul Wahhab almost 200 years ago. Let us look at this so-called puritan Islam proposed by the Wahhabis, its violent ‘othering’ of Muslims they disliked and the parallels with the present day IS terrorists.

Hate-filled agenda

Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, and his radical, exclusionist puritanism became deadlier when Ibn Saud decided to add its religious fervour to his banditry. (The latter was then no more than a minor leader amongst many of continually fighting and raiding Bedouin tribes in the desperately poor deserts of the Nejd.) Thus Abdul Wahhab, in collaboration with Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, laid down its sectarian and hate-filled agenda. He denounced his opponents and all Muslims unwilling to accept his views as idolaters and apostates, and abused the prophets, scholars, saints and other pious figures of the past. All those who did not adhere to his proposed version of Islam were to be killed; their wives and daughters violated. Shias, Sufis, and other Muslims whom he judged unorthodox were to be exterminated, and all other faiths to be humiliated or destroyed. With this awful doctrine, the foundation was laid for Islamic fundamentalism, leading ultimately to terrorism, vitiating the lives of not only Muslims but everyone else in the world.

Most of the so-called Islamic terrorist groups today are inspired by this devious political ideology. Saudi money and power has succeeded in mainstreaming this hate-filled conning of Islam as the true, puritan Islam, where any deviation is dubbed as unIslamic. Unfortunately, most Western writers on Islam took Wahhabi claims to represent reform against the alleged decadence of traditional Islam at face value. American journalist Stephen Schwartz says that the Wahhabi rejection of ostentatious spirituality is much the same as the Protestants detesting the veneration of saints in the Roman Church. Western observers have seen the movement as analogous with Christian Reformation. Sadly, they have failed to make a distinction between reform and bigotry.

IS and other terrorist groups today have taken the original Wahhabi perversion to even greater heights where they don’t even refer to their roots. The Saudi regime itself feels threatened by the monster their ideology helped create. They have publicly distanced themselves from IS terrorism and even used the chief cleric of Mecca to declare IS terrorism a heinous crime under sharia law. This is one consistent duplicity which the Saudis have pursued whenever they found themselves stuck in a tight spot.

However, the stark parallels between IS and its ilk and the Saudi-Wahhabi travesty are telling. If IS is detonating shrines, it is following the precedent set in the 1920s by the House of Saud with the Wahhabi-inspired demolition of 1,400-year-old tombs in the Jannat ul Baqi cemetery in Medina. Again, the hatred for the Shia Muslims is one of the core beliefs of the Wahhabis. The earliest destructions and killings they carried out were in Karbala in the early 19th century, which was followed by the looting and wrecking of the tomb of Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet. Whatever be the face, bile against the Shias has remained a constant throughout Wahhabi-Saudi history, which is being carried forward by its latest flag bearers, the IS and Al Qaeda.

Wahhabism’s reinvention

Why did hydra-headed Wahhabism become so menacingly active during the past few decades? One factor may be the Iranian Revolution of the 1970s, which was perceived as a threat by Wahhabism that had begun to look dated by then. It, therefore, had to reinvent itself to remain relevant. This reinvention had deadly manifestations such as the Boko Haram, the Al Shabab, the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and now the IS, and many others all over the world. Even Shia Islam changed radically in the post Ayatollah Khomeini era; it is no more as relaxed as it used to be.

The Saudi and Qatari regimes seem to have realised that they have created a monster in ISIS, which is now a threat to their own peaceful existence. Though IS remains deeply Wahhabist, it is ultra radical and “could be seen essentially as a corrective movement to contemporary Wahhabism.” Today, a collective military action seems to be the only way to check the IS menace, but a lasting peace in the Islamic world is possible only if a battle is waged within Islam to change the mindset. Besides we need to look beyond the usual Islamophobic and Islamophilic perspectives.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article6612018.ece

Salman Rushdie condemns Charlie Hebdo attack as a sign of the 'deadly mutation in the heart of Islam'

Author Salman Rushdie, whose book 'The Satanic Verses' prompted Iranian clergy to issue a death fatwa on him, has condemned the attack on the Paris offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Speaking in support of the publication, which had its old offices burned down after printing cartoons that mocked the Prophet Muhammad, Mr Rushdie said 'religion deserves our fearless disrespect'. He added that the strike by suspected Al Qaeda militants, which left 12 dead, was a sign of the 'deadly mutation in the heart of Islam.' Mr Rushdie was named alongside Staphane Charbonnier, the newspaper's editor, on Al Qaeda's 'most wanted' list last year. This morning 12 people - including four of France's most revered cartoonists - were executed by masked attackers brandishing Kalashnikovs, who burst into the Charlie Hebdo headquarters. The militants opened fire on staff after seeking out journalists by name. Witnesses said the suspected Al Qaeda gunmen were heard to shout 'the Prophet has been avenged' and 'Allahu akbar!' – Arabic for 'God is great' – as they stalked the building. They headed straight for the paper's editor and cartoonist, Stephane Charbonnier, killing him and his police bodyguard. The security had been recruited to protect him after extremists firebombed the offices in 2011 over a satirical cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed. A year later, Mr Charbonnier famously dismissed threats against his life, declaring: 'I would rather die standing than live kneeling.' The militants also killed three other renowned cartoonists – men who had regularly satirised Islam – and the newspaper's deputy chief editor. They shot two policemen as they left the building. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2900976/Salman-Rushdie-condemns-Charlie-Hebdo-attack-sign-deadly-mutation-heart-Islam.html#ixzz3OBZ5tHrj Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Video - Solidarity & grief: Thousands gather across France to commemorate Charlie Hebdo victims

France - 'Je suis Charlie': Paris gathers after terror a...

The Charlie Hebdo Massacre in Paris

The brutal terrorist attack on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday has badly shaken France. But the French have reacted with a fierce determination to defend their freedoms. President François Hollande, speaking from outside the magazine’s office a couple of hours after the murders, was crystal clear: This was an assault, he said, on “the expression of freedom” that is the “spirit of the republic.”

Two heavily armed attackers, who apparently knew the magazine’s staff would be gathered around a table late on Wednesday morning for a weekly editorial meeting, forced themselves into Charlie Hebdo’s office and shot 10 people dead. Two policemen were also killed. At least 11 other victims were wounded. The gunmen then fled with a third accomplice in a waiting car, and remain at large.

The editors, journalists and cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo reveled in controversy and relished hitting nerves. The magazine’s editorial director, Stéphane Charbonnier, who was killed in the attack, had scoffed at any suggestion the magazine should tone down its trademark satire to appease anyone. For him, free expression was nothing without the right to offend. And Charlie Hebdo has been an equal-opportunity offender: Muslims, Jews and Christians — not to mention politicians of all stripes — have been targets of buffoonish, vulgar caricatures and cartoons that push every hot button with glee.

In 2006, Charlie Hebdo reprinted controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper. In 2011, the magazine’s offices were firebombed the day after it published a special ”Sharia Hebdo” issue guest-edited, it said, by Muhammad. The cover of Wednesday’s issue poked fun at the French novelist Michel Houellebecq, whose newest book imagines France as an Islamic state in the year 2022.

There are some who will say that Charlie Hebdo tempted the ire of Islamists one too many times, as if coldblooded murder is the price to pay for putting out a magazine. The massacre was motivated by hate. It is absurd to suggest that the way to avoid terrorist attacks is to let the terrorists dictate standards in a democracy.

This is also no time for peddlers of xenophobia to try to smear all Muslims with a terrorist brush. It is a shame that Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front party, which has made political gains stoking anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim fears, immediately sought political advantage with talk of “denial and hypocrisy” about “Islamic fundamentalism.”

President Hollande has wisely appealed for national unity. His sentiments were echoed by the former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who asked the French to avoid the temptation to “lump together” terrorists with Muslims, and urged them to present a united front against terrorism. Dalil Boubakeur, the rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris, expressed his community’s anguish over Wednesday’s shocking attack. He did not mince words: “This is a deafening declaration of war,” he said.

Just days after the 9/11 attacks, an editorial in the newspaper Le Monde declared: “We are all Americans.” In France, “Je suis Charlie” — “I am Charlie” — has gone viral as the words to show solidarity with the victims at Charlie Hebdo. This attack was an assault on freedom everywhere. On Wednesday, the American Embassy in Paris put that message on its social media accounts.

Gunmen in Charlie Hebdo Attack Called Out Victims' Names as They Were Shot

More ABC News Videos | ABC World News The gunmen who killed 12 and injured 11 others today in Paris called out the names of their victims at the Charlie Hebdo offices and shot them one by one in the head, execution style, Paris Deputy Mayor Patrick Klugman told ABC News. There were two shooters and a third man on the street, Klugman said, noting that authorities believe they may have identified the shooters and that they are French nationals. Their identities have not yet been confirmed, he said, but of the three suspects, two are brothers, 34 and 32, and an 18-year-old from the suburbs of Paris. The gunmen opened fire after interrputing an editorial meeting at the office of the Paris-based satirical newspaper in an attack that France's president called a "terrorist operation." The shooting at the office of Charlie Hebdo was a "cowardly attack," said President Francois Hollande when he was at the scene this morning.

Japan should recognize its war crimes

Japanese Emperor Akihito offered New Year's greetings during an event at the ImperialPalace in central Tokyo on Jan. 2, 2015. "At the start of the year, I pray for peace andhappiness for the people of Japan and the people of the world," said the emperor.

A day earlier the emperor had released his "New Year Thoughts", emphasizing that thecountry should learn from history in the year of 2015 which marks the 70 anniversary ofthe end of the World War II. He said in a statement: "It is most important for us to takethis opportunity to study and learn from the history of this war ... as we consider the futuredirection of our country."

He emphasized that many lives had been lost on the battlefield, in the explosion of theatomic bombs, and during the air raids. He indicated that he planned to visit Palau tocommemorate the souls of the Japanese soldiers who died there. In fact, this is not thefirst time that the Japanese Emperor has spoken about the war. In 2013, at his 80thbirthday, he said that he had deep feelings about the war and grieved for the lives lost. In2005, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Emperor and Empress visitedSaipan Island to pay tribute to dead Japanese soldiers.

It is clear that many Japanese people, including the Emperor, cannot forget the pain ofwar. However, expressions of condolence are not enough to compensate for the lost lives,or prevent Japan from repeating the history.

Japan should recognize its war crimes. It is very clear that Japan was one of the initiatorsof World War II, and militarism was the chief culprit. However, after the war, theJapanese government failed signally to reflect on the root of its aggressive policies, and inaddition tried very hard to blur the nature of the aggressive war. Japan began to release itswar criminals soon after the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco. Meanwhile, theinvaders were beautified as "war dead" and even "national heroes". Retired soldiers andfamilies of the "war dead" were awarded subsidies and even medals of honor. In this way,the government began to distort their people's understanding of Japan's war of aggression,and weakened their sense of responsibility.

In recent years, conservative forces in Japan have continued to grow and a deviationtowards the political right has become more and more obvious. Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe has further intensified this trend by encouraging what he describes as"normalization".

From studying history, Japan should understand the importance of good neighborlyrelationships. After World War II, Japan made every effort to shrug off its responsibility -this is conduct which has seriously injured its relationships with China, South Korea andother countries.

Japan should not only reflect on history, but also recognize its war crimes.

Hollande: Tomorrow will be national day of mourning

http://www.itv.com/

French President Francois Hollande says France will have a day of national mourning tomorrow in respect for the victims of this morning's "cowardly" Charlie Hebdo attack.

He said flags across the country will also fly at half-mast for three days as he called the victims of the massacre "heroes" who had "died for their idea of France".
"Our best weapon is our unity. Nothing should oppose us, divide us, to separate us," Hollande said.

"Freedom is always stronger than barbarism," he added.

Charlie Hebdo attack: Thousands join vigils in Paris, London and around the world

LIZZIE DEARDEN

Journalists held up their press cards as members of the public silently raised pens in the air in a poignant symbol against what is being seen as an attack on freedom of speech.

The phrase “je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) has become a rallying call for people expressing solidarity with the victims around the world, with many Paris protesters wearing the slogan on stickers and painting it on giant placards.

The mood was said to be sombre but defiant, with groups of friends quietly talking and comforting each other, trying to come to terms with the day's horrifying events.

A vigil has also started in London’s Trafalgar Square.

People take part in a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, following the deadly terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in ParisOrganisers urged people to bring signs and flowers to commemorate the attack on Charlie Hebdo, as well as pens “to celebrate freedom of expression”.

A statement added: “This is about peace. Haters, stay at home!"

The Independent's Andrew Griffin described the atmosphere as "very quiet".

"The bells from the church next to the square seem louder somehow. There are hundreds of people here and everyone is facing towards a tricolour in the middle of the square," he added.

People stand stand in Marseille, southern France, next to a portrait of French cartoonist Georges Wolinksi, killed during an attack by unknown gunmen on the offices of the satirical weekly, 'Charlie Hebdo'According to a map compiled by French newspaper Le Monde,Charlie Hebdo vigils are being held tonight in Dublin, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Moscow, Tunis, Lima, Rio de Janeiro and in cities across France.

A single black ribbon also appeared on the French version of Google on Tuesday evening in a token of mourning.

Gunmen burst into the magazine’s offices at around 11.30am this morning and opened fire on journalists and cartoonists gathered for an editorial meeting.

Witnesses said they shouted “Allahu akbar” and claimed to be “avenging the Prophet Mohamed” in an apparent reference to the magazine’s publication of controversial cartoons that led to previous threats and a firebombing attack in 2011.

At least 12 were killed, including police officers, and 11 more were more injured. Four are in a critical condition in hospital.

A huge manhunt is underway for the three suspects, who police said fled in a stolen car.

Will the Charlie Hebdo attack bring France out of its corner in the war on Islamic terror?

By Seth Lipsky

And how will the free press feel, after it supported Edward Snowden or Julian Assange, if it discovers that closer state surveillance could have foreseen today's massacre?

The big question in the wake of the massacre at Charlie Hebdo is whether the slaughter will bring France out of its corner in the war on Islamic terror. France has seen some appalling crimes – including attacks against Jews – that could be linked, broadly, to the global war against Islamist terror. But the attack on the satirical weekly takes, by dint of its body count, things to a new level. It’s hard to see how France, or any country, will be able to revert to the status quo ante.

In France, there has been a kind of quasi war measured by what is known as the Plan Vigipirate. The plan was started in the 1970s by President Giscard d’Estaing and established a national alert system. Things were stepped up under the Plan Vigipirate in 1995, after a Jewish school was bombed and attacks began on the Paris Metro. The latter, which killed eight persons and injured scores, were the work of the Armed Islamic Group, which aimed to set up an Islamist state at Algeria.

It’s too soon to know the details of the attack on Charlie Hebdo, but French Francois President Hollande has declared it terrorism. The alert under Plan Vigipirate has been raised, at least in the Ile de France, to its highest level, after the assault on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters in the Rue Serpollet, which is among a labyrinth of narrow streets in the 20th arrondissement. The target can, in Charlie Hebdo, be seen as a kind of marker of the ideology of secular France.

The magazine has been particularly unbridled in its mocking Islamists from a left-of-center perspective. It stood, courageously in the view of many, for the right of satire in the wake of the publication of the Danish cartoons. In 2011, Charlie Hebdo was fire-bombed after it issued one of its most famous covers, which “renamed” the magazine Charia Hebdo. The paper, while stridently secular, had also – particularly under its previous editor, Philippe Val – tilted toward Israel.

I was reminded of that by an ex-colleague, Michel Gurfinkiel, a Paris-based pro-Israel journalist who characterized Val, a comedian, as having gone in the opposite direction of, say, Sine, another writer for Charlie Hebdo, and the comedian Dieudonné M'bala M'bala, who mocks Jews, uses a parody of the Hitler salute, and is banned from performing in France. Val left Charlie Hebdo several years ago. While at the paper, he took what Gurfinkiel calls a hard line that it was inappropriate to demonize the Jewish state.

If it is confirmed that the attack was by Islamist terrorists – the audio of one film that was uploaded to the Internet appears to capture gunmen shouting "Allahu Akbar"("God is greatest" in Arabic) – all eyes will be on France to see what happens next. It’s not that France has been entirely out of the fight on Islamic terror. A few hours before the attack on Charlie Hebdo, Agence France Press reported that the Charles de Gaulle, the aircraft carrier that is the flagship of the French fleet, would be deployed to the Gulf to take part in operations against the Islamist State.

France, though, has always seemed to hang back a bit. Gurfinkiel calls this a “tradition,” with the French authorities “hoping to know more” by leaving hostile elements at large in France while keeping an eye on them. That starts to look like a risky strategy in an era of so-called “lone wolf” terrorist attacks. France is still more than two years away from its next presidential election, but already its former president, the relatively hardline Nicholas Sarkozy is trying to position himself for a comeback.

The impact of the attack on Charlie Hebdo could also be felt far from France, particularly because it targeted the press. The press has sought largely to stay neutral in the global war on terrorism or has tilted against the hawkish camp. But what position will the newspapers take after having expressed support for Julian Assange or Edward Snowden, if it turns out that this attack could have been foreseen by more aggressive collection and mining of the metadata?

Charlie Hebdo attack: World leaders condemn 'barbaric' killings

NIGEL MORRIS

The Prime Minister received a full intelligence briefing about the attack and any possible implications for Britain.

One issue being considered is whether to raise the current security threat level from severe, meaning an attack is considered highly likely, to critical, meaning an attack is expected imminently.

Mr Cameron told MPs: “This House and this country stand united with the French people in our opposition to all forms of terrorism, and we stand squarely for free speech and democracy. These people will never be able to take us off those values.”

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, expressed his “horror and outrage” over the killings. He added: “We stand in solidarity with the people of France against this evil terrorist attack by people intent on attacking our democratic way of life and freedom of speech.”

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said: “Acts of terror like this will never ever shake our commitment to freedom of speech and civil liberties. It will never stop us from being a tolerant and liberal society. We will stick together and defy any attempts by radical extremists to gag or intimidate us.”

Later the Prime Minister and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was visiting Downing Street for a meeting, spoke to François Hollande.

During Mrs Merkel’s visit, she and Mr Cameron received a joint briefing in Downing Street from the heads of MI5 and MI6 who had just spoken to their French counterparts.

Mr Cameron said: “We told him our thoughts are with the French people and offered any help that is needed.”

Mrs Merkel said: “In this very desperate hour, we stand by the French people. We stand up for the freedom of the press in such a resolute way as for the other basic freedoms that we hold dear in all of our countries.”

President Obama speaks to the media at the White House (AP)
President Barack Obama promised the United States would provide any help necessary to track down the killers.

“Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended,” the President said.

“France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers.”

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, said he was “profoundly shocked by the brutal and inhumane attack”. He said: "It is an intolerable act, a barbaric act that concerns us all, as humans, and as Europeans.”

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said: “The European Union stands side by side with France after this terrible act. It is a brutal attack against our fundamental values, against freedom of expression which is a pillar of our democracy. The fight against terrorism in all its forms must continue unabated.”

The Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “The murder of journalists and writers at their place of work is a direct attack on the basic values of freedom of speech and of tolerance. That this should have happened in a city and a country which for centuries have been leaders in the international struggle for human rights is a particular outrage.”

#ParisAttack - #JeSuisCharlie: Social media unites

Video - Obama: 'We will stand with the people of France'

Kerry: 'Pen represents an instrument of freedom'

Video - Video of Paris attack shows gunmen shooting wounded officer dead

Obama condemns 'horrific' attack on French newspaper

US President Barack Obama condemned the "horrific" assault on a French satirical newspaper that left 12 dead Wednesday, calling it a terrorist attack on America's "oldest ally" and pledging assistance.

"We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice," Obama said.

Speaking in French, US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is a frequent visitor to Paris on his diplomatic travels, said he wanted to address all French people directly about the "murderous attack" to say "All Americans stand by your side."

The "pen is an instrument of freedom, not fear," Kerry said.

"Free expression and a free press are core values... principles that can be attacked but never eradicated."

Gunmen shouting Islamist slogans stormed the offices of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle and a grenade launcher.

The weekly's editor Stephane Charbonnier, and three renowned cartoonists were among those killed, officials said.

Charlie Hebdo had attracted controversy by publishing satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

"I strongly condemn the horrific shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that has reportedly killed 12 people," Obama said.

The US president praised France as a partner "in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time," he said.

"Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended.

"France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers."

Obama and Kerry were to meet on Wednesday, the White House said. Vice President Joe Biden was also to attend.

Obama's White House has not always been so supportive of Charlie Hebdo, however, and in September 2012 criticized its decision to go ahead and publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

"We don't question the right of something like this to be published. We just question the judgment behind the decision to publish it," then White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Carney was speaking at a time of heightened tension when US embassies in the Muslim world had come under attack by locals angered by the portrayal of their religion in Western media.

Still, on Wednesday, US officials were unanimous in their condemnation of the attack and in their solidarity with France.

The US embassy in Paris symbolically changed its Twitter profile picture to a newly popular slogan inspired by the attack: "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie).

Kerry also vowed that "the murderers dare proclaim Charlie Hebdo is dead, but make no mistake -- they are wrong."

"Today, tomorrow, in Paris, in France, the freedom of expression that this magazine ... represented is not able to be killed by this kind of act of terror."

Senator Dick Durbin, speaking in the Senate, also slipped into French after recalling France's support for the United States in the wake of the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attack on US cities.