One victim killed in Charlie Hebdo attacks was Muslim police officer Ahmed Merabet

[Turborama]

Source: The Independent (UK)

Police have named the a police officer who was killed during an attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo yesterday as Ahmed Merabet, 42, who happened to be patrolling the area at the time and is believed to be Muslim.

Mr Merabet is seen in footage released by Reuters begging the gunmen to spare his life in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, where the offices of the publication are situated, before he was shot more than once. The man is survived by his wife.

After being shot the first time, the gunmen wearing balaclavas and holding Kalashnikov rifles are seen running past the police officer – who had his hands up in surrender – and shot in his direction again at point-blank range as he was lying on the pavement outside the offices.

The masked gunmen is heard asking the police officer “Do you want to kill me?” before he allegedly replied “No, it is OK chief” before one of them shot him a second time round amid an attack described as the worst in France in 50 years.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-first-man-killed-in-charlie-hebdo-attacks-was-muslim-police-officer-ahmed-merabet-9964283.html?cmpid=facebook-post

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Warning. The photo at the link is a still from the video footage that was paused just before he was shot in the head.

[polly7]

1. Horrible.

An innocent man just doing his job, like all of the others killed. Strength and condolences to all who knew and loved them.

[Fred Sanders]

2. Madmen acting on madness do not discriminate. Easier to smear Islam than try to understand madness.

[mountain grammy]

3. Like Howard Dean said..these terrorists are no more Muslim than he is..

I didn't see that, but a fellow DUer told me he said that and it sounds like just the kind of reasonable response I expect from Dean. Now, will the French president be reasonable? Or will he behave like W/Dick and invade, torture, and steal to revenge, oops, defend France's "values?"

[nichomachus]

4. Most of the people slaughtered by ISIS have been Muslims n/t

[Aerows]

13. "Some men just want

to see the world burn." - Batman

[musicblind]

15. Alfred* n/t

[hollowdweller]

5. Should the west pass blasphemy laws?

Most of these shootings and acts of violence have to do with blasphemy laws under Islam.

Polling shows a sig amount of Islamic people favor killing somebody for insulting Muhammed. So as long as you allow satire and free speech in the west a certain segment of those people would be willing to break our laws and kill people they see as blasphemers.

We have insulted Christianity in the US for a long time, think Hustler/Falwell and Mapplethorpe and his photos, but without real violence, but certainly offensive. Yet we have more and more Muslims living here, most peaceful but who do support killing blasphemers.

So to avoid violence since killing for blasphemy which is so widely accepted by Islamic people should we pass laws for blasphemy so that people who say insult Muhammed and the Pope would be fined?

That might prevent further violent attacks.

[The Green Manalishi]

6. Blasphmey is a good thing

Those who are offended by it *ARE* the problem and should be removed from society by any means necessary.

People who can be offended, should be.

[Quantess]

8. Maybe countries in the middle east

ought to make their laws more palatable for westerners?

[Dr. Strange]

12. Better yet, make their laws more palatable for Middle Easterners.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/08/375943542/saudi-blogger-to-be-publicly-flogged-for-insulting-islam

[nichomachus]

16. We have defacto laws

And they're worse than anti-blasphemy laws. If you don't fawn over religion in the US, you will never hold public office.

[brooklynite]

7. A new hashtag has emerged: #JesuisAhmed

Dyab Abou Jahjah @Aboujahjah
I am not Charlie, I am Ahmed the dead cop. Charlie ridiculed my faith and culture and I died defending his right to do so. #JesuisAhmed

[Bigmack]

10. link to the above

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/08/jesuisahmed-twitter-hashtag_n_6438132.html

[riderinthestorm]

9. .

[freshwest]

11. Thanks, Turborama. I hope this puts to rest feelings that incite hatred.

Tears for this man doing his job and his family who lost him in such a brutal way.

[Abouttime]

14. These are right wing terrorists

No different than Timothy McVeigh. Cold blooded killers inspired by right wing ideals.