This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Lancaster chapter.
Do you remember how our Instagram accounts were colonized by the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie? The world was impersonating Charlie Hebdo, the French satyrical magazine, that, although under attack, had not been silenced. A symbol of freedom of speech, not only attributed to Charlie Hebdo, but to France too. These arguments made the magazine a target and victim of savagery. It is French lifestyle, the freedom of speech, of bodies, of taste that led to a modern blitzkrieg of concert halls and cafes last Friday night, generating terror not only among French people, but among the world.
ISIS. It is hard to pronounce, think or write this name, without a shiver running across our spines. This jihadist, extremist militant group has caught our attention not only through its fast geographical expansion, but also as a consequence of its propaganda. ISIS, as an organization, is made up of marketing, digital-savvy acumens, carrying out recruitment processes in Europe from Syria, by means of social media and indoctrination of people who are, or were, considered normal by everyone. Why is it so? People who fall pray of ISIS’ publicity are often (but not always) vulnerable individuals, often marginated from society because of their muslim religion, resulting from actions of discrimination and non-acceptance performed by many of our fellow citizens. As many stated during this weekend, #TerrorismIsNotAReligion. Religion in ISIS’ case is just a pretext to follow a stronger leader, with unambiguous, well-defined goals who dispose of a troop of loyal followers. This increasing number of al-Baghdadi worshippers is not an easy-to-identify figure — his devotees are scattered around the world and eagerly ready to give up their lives to pursue their goal: to annihilate the enemy, or better, the non-muslims, to create a world-Islamic State. As great marketers and psychologists, they know how to frighten the world and they have not been doing so solely on Friday, but it has been an ongoing process of beheadings, videos and social mediamenaces.
Encouraging have been the reactions worldwide, united in demonstrating how we are not scared and how, following Charlie Hebdo’s footsteps, our words will not be mutilated. Inconveniently, our world is not an easy one to unite and people who are afraid of difference will not cease to exist. They will keep on disrupting the achieved unity by pushing innocent people under trains, just because of a veil, a nationality or a religion. I am hoping this global social media movement will not only be a profile picture change, France’s national colours on Facebook, or a change in hashtags, from #JeSuisCharlie to #PrayForParis. I hope the world will stay united, showing how our values and our goals, as people and politicians of different
countries, can evolve into stronger and more consistent ones than ISIS’.