(CSM) Both the Kremlin and the Russian public condemn the attacks last week on Charlie Hebdo. But they say that the magazine's mockery of Islam was just as unacceptable, and should have been censored by authorities.
In condemning the murderous extremism behind the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris last week, Russians from the Kremlin down appear to be on the same page as their Western counterparts.
But when it comes to identifying with the #JeSuisCharlie hashtag, indicating support for unrestricted free speech? Not so much, it seems.
"Murder is a crime, no doubt about that. But there are some sacred things that should never be mocked, and that includes religion," says Natalia Mamontova, a Moscow-area customs broker and a devout Orthodox Christian. […]
"On one hand, most Russians have zero sympathy for Islamists, or terrorism in any form," says Nikolai Petrov, a political science professor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. "On the other, they do not share European values when it comes to unrestricted freedom of expression. Most believe speech should be mediated by official filters, such as government and church. Many think that the conflict between traditional values and what they perceive as an anything-goes culture in the West is the source of social disorder."
See the full article ("Je Suis Charlie? Many Russians say 'nyet.'") © The Christian Science Monitor
