French police Monday raided radical Islamist groups in the aftermath of the beheading of a history teacher who had shown his pupils satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Tens of thousands of people took part in rallies countrywide to honour teacher Samuel Paty and defend freedom of expression, including the right to show cartoons regarded by many Muslims as insulting.

The swoop on Islamist networks is reported to have been designed to send a message that "enemies of the Republic" would not enjoy "a minute's respite".

Sources said individuals targetted in the police operation were known to the police for radical preachings or hate speech on social media.

The government is also likely to tighten the noose on NGOs with links to Islamist networks, including the high-profile Anti-Islamophobia Collective.

"Islamists should not be allowed sleep soundly in our country," President Emmanuel Macron told a meeting of key ministers Sunday to discuss a response to the attack.

The attack has drawn parallels with the 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, where 12 people, including several cartoonists, were gunned down for publishing images of the prophet.

That attack -- the first in a string of assaults that have killed over 240 people in France -- brought over a million people onto the streets of Paris to denounce extremism.

Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered on his way home from the school where he taught in a suburb northwest of Paris on Friday afternoon.

A photo of the teacher and a message confessing to his murder was found on the mobile phone of his killer, an 18-year-old Chechen man Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police.

Anzorov's family from the predominantly Muslim Russian republic of Chechnya arrived in France to seek asylum when he was six.

Four members of his family are being held for questioning.

They are among 11 people being held over the attack, including a known Islamist militant and the father of one of Paty's pupils who had railed against him online and called for his dismissal.

The two men had issued a "fatwa" against Paty, using the term for an Islamic edict that was famously used to describe the 1989 death sentence handed down against writer Salman Rushdie by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini.

Paty, who was praised by pupils and parents as a dedicated teacher, had shown the Mohammed cartoons to his civics class.

Friday's attack was the second of its kind since a trial started last month over the Charlie Hebdo killings.

The magazine republished the controversial cartoons in the run-up to the trial, and last month a young Pakistani man wounded two people with a meat cleaver outside Charlie Hebdo's former office.

(with inputs)

French police Monday raided radical Islamist groups in the aftermath of the beheading of a history teacher who had shown his pupils satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

French police Monday raided radical Islamist groups in the aftermath of the beheading of a history teacher who had shown his pupils satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Tens of thousands of people took part in rallies countrywide to honour teacher Samuel Paty and defend freedom of expression, including the right to show cartoons regarded by many Muslims as insulting. The swoop on Islamist networks is reported to have been designed to send a message that "enemies of the Republic" would not enjoy "a minute's respite". Sources said individuals targetted in the police operation were known to the police for radical preachings or hate speech on social media. The government is also likely to tighten the noose on NGOs with links to Islamist networks, including the high-profile Anti-Islamophobia Collective. "Islamists should not be allowed sleep soundly in our country," President Emmanuel Macron told a meeting of key ministers Sunday to discuss a response to the attack. The attack has drawn parallels with the 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, where 12 people, including several cartoonists, were gunned down for publishing images of the prophet. That attack -- the first in a string of assaults that have killed over 240 people in France -- brought over a million people onto the streets of Paris to denounce extremism. Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered on his way home from the school where he taught in a suburb northwest of Paris on Friday afternoon. A photo of the teacher and a message confessing to his murder was found on the mobile phone of his killer, an 18-year-old Chechen man Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police. Anzorov's family from the predominantly Muslim Russian republic of Chechnya arrived in France to seek asylum when he was six. Four members of his family are being held for questioning. They are among 11 people being held over the attack, including a known Islamist militant and the father of one of Paty's pupils who had railed against him online and called for his dismissal. The two men had issued a "fatwa" against Paty, using the term for an Islamic edict that was famously used to describe the 1989 death sentence handed down against writer Salman Rushdie by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini. Paty, who was praised by pupils and parents as a dedicated teacher, had shown the Mohammed cartoons to his civics class. Friday's attack was the second of its kind since a trial started last month over the Charlie Hebdo killings. The magazine republished the controversial cartoons in the run-up to the trial, and last month a young Pakistani man wounded two people with a meat cleaver outside Charlie Hebdo's former office. (with inputs)

French police raid Islamist groups after teacher's beheading

In France, several hundred teachers gather in front of the rectorate in Rennes, Brittany, to pay tribute to the history teacher beheaded in a Paris suburb by a young Chechen Russian man.

French teacher beheaded: Students recall history teacher as being king, Teachers pay tribute

President Emmanuel Macron said the French teacher who was beheaded outside a school for showing students cartoons of Prophet Mohammad was an "Islamist terrorist attack".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/teacher-who-showed-mohammed-caricatures-in-class-decapitated-near-paris-probe-underway-335873">Also Read:&nbsp;Teacher who showed Mohammed caricatures in class decapitated near Paris</a>

Newswire AFP quoting justice sources said that suspect in the French teacher beheading was an 18-year-old of Chechen origin as reports claimed five more people have been detained in connection with the killing of the teacher.

Police said the assailant was shot by cops and later died of his injuries as French anti-terror prosecutors said they were treating the assault as "a murder linked to a terrorist organisation".

At least four people linked to the attack earlier were arrested by French police officials.

The slain teacher had reportedly shown pictures of Prophet Mohammad as part of a class discussion on freedom of expression. The incident took place on Friday afternoon in a Paris suburb Conflans Saint-Honorin, nearly 30 kilometres away from the French capital.

President Macron while visiting the scene of the crime said it was "an Islamist terrorist attack".

"Our compatriot was flagrantly attacked, was the victim of an Islamist terrorist attack," Macron said, adding, "They won't win... we will act. Firmly, and quickly. You can count on my determination."

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer in a tweet said: "This evening, it's the Republic that's under attack." Police claimed the witnesses had heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar".

The attack comes five years after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo's office when attackers killed employees of the magazine which had published cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. &nbsp;

Charlie Hebdo decided to republish the cartoons to coincide with the start of the trial of accomplices in the 2015 attack.

President Emmanuel Macron said the French teacher who was beheaded outside a school for showing students cartoons of Prophet Mohammad was an "Islamist terrorist attack".

President Emmanuel Macron said the French teacher who was beheaded outside a school for showing students cartoons of Prophet Mohammad was an "Islamist terrorist attack". Also Read: Teacher who showed Mohammed caricatures in class decapitated near Paris Newswire AFP quoting justice sources said that suspect in the French teacher beheading was an 18-year-old of Chechen origin as reports claimed five more people have been detained in connection with the killing of the teacher. Police said the assailant was shot by cops and later died of his injuries as French anti-terror prosecutors said they were treating the assault as "a murder linked to a terrorist organisation". At least four people linked to the attack earlier were arrested by French police officials. The slain teacher had reportedly shown pictures of Prophet Mohammad as part of a class discussion on freedom of expression. The incident took place on Friday afternoon in a Paris suburb Conflans Saint-Honorin, nearly 30 kilometres away from the French capital. President Macron while visiting the scene of the crime said it was "an Islamist terrorist attack". "Our compatriot was flagrantly attacked, was the victim of an Islamist terrorist attack," Macron said, adding, "They won't win... we will act. Firmly, and quickly. You can count on my determination." Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer in a tweet said: "This evening, it's the Republic that's under attack." Police claimed the witnesses had heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar". The attack comes five years after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo's office when attackers killed employees of the magazine which had published cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. Charlie Hebdo decided to republish the cartoons to coincide with the start of the trial of accomplices in the 2015 attack.

Teenager of Chechen origin suspect behind teacher beheading in France

A history teacher had been beheaded in France after discussing caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in class. The suspected attacker was shot and killed by police.

Teacher beheaded in Paris; Macron calls it Islamist terrorist attack

The 18-year-old Chechen accused of beheading a teacher near his school in a Paris suburb received asylum in France and had no links to Moscow, a Russian diplomat said.

"This crime has no relation to Russia because this person had lived in France for the past 12 years," the spokesman for the Russian embassy in Paris, Sergei Parinov, told state news agency TASS.

It has also been reported that the teacher had been the target of online threats for having shown pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class.

The father of a schoolgirl had sought 47-year-old teacher Samuel Paty's dismissal and launched an online call for "mobilisation" against him after the lesson on freedom of expression, France's anti-terror prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said in a televised news conference.

Paty was decapitated outside his school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, northwest of the capital, and the killer was fatally wounded by police.

Ricard identified the attacker as Abdullakh A., an 18-year-old Chechen with refugee status in France.

Nine people, including the schoolgirl's father, have so far been arrested.

Ricard said the school received threats after the class in early October, which featured the controversial caricatures -- one of the prophet naked -- with the girl's father accusing Paty of disseminating "pornography".&nbsp;

The girl and her father lodged a criminal complaint against the teacher, who in turn filed a complaint of defamation.

The aggrieved father named Paty and gave the school's address in a social media post just days before the beheading, which President Emmanuel Macron has labelled an Islamist terror attack.

Ricard did not say if the attacker had any links to the school, pupils or parents, or had acted independently in response to the online campaign.

Witnesses said he was spotted at the school on Friday afternoon asking pupils where he could find Paty.

The prosecutor said the attacker had been armed with a knife, an airgun and five canisters. He had fired shots at police and tried to stab them as they closed in on him. He was shot nine times.

The attacker himself was not known to the French intelligence services, said the prosecutor.

An investigation is under way into "murder linked to a terrorist organisation".

On Saturday, hundreds of pupils, teachers and parents flooded to Paty's school to weep and lay white roses.

Some carried placards stating: "I am a teacher" and "I am Samuel" -- echoing the "I am Charlie" cry that travelled around the world after the 2015 Charlie Hebdo killings.

According to parents and teachers, Paty gave Muslim children the option to leave the classroom before he showed the cartoons, saying he did not want their feelings hurt.

This was the second such attack since a trial started last month into the January 2015 massacre at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, which had published caricatures of the prophet that unleashed a wave of anger across the Islamic world.

(with inputs from AFP)

The 18-year-old Chechen accused of beheading a teacher near his school in a Paris suburb received asylum in France and had no links to Moscow, a Russian diplomat said.

The 18-year-old Chechen accused of beheading a teacher near his school in a Paris suburb received asylum in France and had no links to Moscow, a Russian diplomat said. "This crime has no relation to Russia because this person had lived in France for the past 12 years," the spokesman for the Russian embassy in Paris, Sergei Parinov, told state news agency TASS. It has also been reported that the teacher had been the target of online threats for having shown pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class. The father of a schoolgirl had sought 47-year-old teacher Samuel Paty's dismissal and launched an online call for "mobilisation" against him after the lesson on freedom of expression, France's anti-terror prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said in a televised news conference. Paty was decapitated outside his school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, northwest of the capital, and the killer was fatally wounded by police. Ricard identified the attacker as Abdullakh A., an 18-year-old Chechen with refugee status in France. Nine people, including the schoolgirl's father, have so far been arrested. Ricard said the school received threats after the class in early October, which featured the controversial caricatures -- one of the prophet naked -- with the girl's father accusing Paty of disseminating "pornography". The girl and her father lodged a criminal complaint against the teacher, who in turn filed a complaint of defamation. The aggrieved father named Paty and gave the school's address in a social media post just days before the beheading, which President Emmanuel Macron has labelled an Islamist terror attack. Ricard did not say if the attacker had any links to the school, pupils or parents, or had acted independently in response to the online campaign. Witnesses said he was spotted at the school on Friday afternoon asking pupils where he could find Paty. The prosecutor said the attacker had been armed with a knife, an airgun and five canisters. He had fired shots at police and tried to stab them as they closed in on him. He was shot nine times. The attacker himself was not known to the French intelligence services, said the prosecutor. An investigation is under way into "murder linked to a terrorist organisation". On Saturday, hundreds of pupils, teachers and parents flooded to Paty's school to weep and lay white roses. Some carried placards stating: "I am a teacher" and "I am Samuel" -- echoing the "I am Charlie" cry that travelled around the world after the 2015 Charlie Hebdo killings. According to parents and teachers, Paty gave Muslim children the option to leave the classroom before he showed the cartoons, saying he did not want their feelings hurt. This was the second such attack since a trial started last month into the January 2015 massacre at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, which had published caricatures of the prophet that unleashed a wave of anger across the Islamic world. (with inputs from AFP)

Chechen accused in France beheading no longer had links with Russia, embassy says

It is a paradox as to how a person can loathe and hate the same society which he or she desires to be part of. Europe is battling with this paradox where the first and second generation immigrants from Muslim countries have led to rise in Islamic terrorism.

It is a paradox as to how a person can loathe and hate the same society which he or she desires to be part of. Europe is battling with this paradox where the first and second generation immigrants from Muslim countries have led to rise in Islamic terrorism. Rise of radical Islam in Europe has come in many colours and shades, but France remains an exception where Islamic terror attacks continue unabated. The latest being beheading of a teacher who apparently showed caricature of Prophet Mohammad to his students. The irony is that he would ask Muslim students in his class to leave lest he hurt their religious feelings. What he practised was quintessentially French like secularism which separates the state from the church, other values also define what it means to be a French. On a lighter note, it can be sweet breakfast in the morning and on a serious side it can be French commitment towards the ideal of freedom of speech and expression which does not entertain the idea of blasphemy. French society and law will hold in contempt discriminatory views, but they do hold the right of an individual to ridicule and criticise very strongly. It is a modern French value apart from many others which emanate from manners to customs to food. Does this make Islam incompatible with modern values of liberal democracy? Does Islam want its version of liberal democracy to be implemented on modern European democracies? Are Islamic values incompatible with the ideals of the French revolution and ideas associated with it? Fundamentally, today’s Europe apart from many other differences does not entertain the idea of blasphemy. A point to be noted is that most of the Islamic terror cases in Europe do not involve the Madrasas. Those involved in radical Islam are not all necessarily poor people. They come from varied backgrounds. Two schools of thought exist in Europe over Islamic terrorism. One school is of the view that radicalisation has witnessed Islamisation and another locates protest and violence in disempowerment, poverty and dislocation. The former believes that Islamic violence is a product of modernity and has nothing to do with essential nature of Islam and what we witness today is modern civilization reinventing Islam in which participants have less to do with the book and more to do with the homogenous Muslim identity which is not located in a common culture. The other school argues that Islamic radicalism should be seen from the perspective of disempowerment in Western cities and a sense of solace and brotherhood being received from an idea of Ummah. With the same logic, racist and right-wing violence can be explained which too wants to alter the character of the state by subversion or capture. In my view, there exists a third position. Europe over the years has been able to come to terms with the idea of blasphemy. It has been able to rest its bloody history of inquisitions and witch-hunting when hundreds of women were burnt in the name of one supreme God. Europe over a period of time witnessed literary, cultural and sexual revolution which is not the case with Islamic societies. Early Christianity considered marriage only for procreation and not pleasure which was not the case with Islam which within its ambit provided for sexual appetite. This has often led to the caricature of lustful Muslim men but is a matter of another debate. In the last 80 years, Europe has witnessed intense waves of immigration because of multiple reasons. The first wave was during the post World War-II era when Europe was falling short of hands and required men to run industries. The second wave took place as expertise was required and had to be imported and third took place because of the dislocation of West Asian states. This changing demography in countries like Sweden and France, despite welcoming them in the country, cultural assimilation did not take place. Immigrants can be modern by dress but not through values and tastes as incompatibility remains. Whether a woman being beaten in France for wearing a short skirt to violence in Norway over disrespect to one's own religion are all new. They will continue to exist till values of the adopted countries are not inculcated properly. Islamisation of Europe may be a far-fetched reality but the clash between the native values and self-imbibed imagination of Islam in danger and religion being affronted remains the biggest challenge to a liberal Europe. In the 1970s, hijab, purdah and head scarves were seen as a symbol of patriarchy and gender discrimination. Women fought against it the world over and won the battle. Today in places like the Americas and Europe, head scarves and purdah are back as a symbol of cultural relativism and diversity. Let’s not fool ourselves. There are things which need to be kept at bay and first being the idea of blasphemy and punishment for it. Hinduism has been able to deal with this problem by building laws on prevalent caste practices. Christianity has been able to deal in parts by cultural shift in popular imagination, but Islam has not been able to inject this change. Till the idea to entertain and respect the idea of blasphemy remains, violence will remain justified and would continue to express in multiple forms in the name of Jihad. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Beheading in France and the rise of radical Islam in Europe

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