Officials in France are investigating a shooting that killed 12 at a satirical magazine. Three Duke University experts are available to discuss this.David SchanzerQuotes: "In contrast to the recent incidents in Sydney and Ottawa, which appear to have been perpetrated by disturbed individuals lashing out violently, this incident has hallmarks of a much more planned and targeted terrorist attack," says David Schanzer, an associate professor of public policy at Duke University and co-director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security."To my mind, this is much less about religiosity than it is an assault on modern values of free speech and dissent, which fundamentalist ideologues reject, whether they reside in the Middle East or the West." Bio:Schanzer is a professor of the practice at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, and co-director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, a collaborative effort between Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and RTI International. He is an expert on counterterrorism and homeland security. From 2003-2005, he was a Democratic staff director for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security.http://sanford.duke.edu/people/faculty/schanzer-david-hArchive video interviews (different subject): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-5LZuoZpIEhttp://live.huffingtonpost.co... more comment, contact David Schanzer at:schanzer@duke.edu---Bruce LawrenceQuotes:"I have written before on this subject of ugly -- and often deadly -- responses to satire of the Prophet Muhammad, or seeming attacks on the sanctity of the Quran," says Bruce Lawrence, a professor emeritus of Islamic Studies at Duke. "This attack is not about religion but about an ideology that claims religion in order to inhibit free speech, and assault or assassinate those who uphold it as a right in the democratic public square of urban communities, especially capital cities of Western Europe and North America." Bio:Lawrence is professor emeritus of Islamic Studies at Duke. His research ranges from institutional Islam to Indo-Persian Sufism and also encompasses the comparative study of religious movements. He was founding director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center. His recent books include "On Violence – A Reader" (with Aisha Karim), and "Messages to the World, The Statements of Osama Bin Laden," and a forthcoming book, "Who is Allah?" (UNC Press, 2015). For more comment, contact Bruce Lawrence at:bruce.bbl@gmail.com--- Omid SafiQuotes: "The shooters in Paris are reported to have stated that they were 'avenging the prophet.' Those who claim to defend the honor of the prophet would do well to actually study the life and teachings of the prophet, which put compassion and forgiveness of one’s enemies first," says Omid Safi, a professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center. "Yes, this is partially about an ideological appropriation of religion and the issues of free speech, but it is free speech as applied disproportionately against a community that is racially, religiously and socioeconomically on the margins of French -- and many other European -- society. As such, to purely treat this as a freedom of speech issue without also dealing with the broader issues of xenophobia is missing the mark.""The response to the Paris shooting should consist of not merely a full-throated defense of freedom of speech, but also a renewed commitment to a robust and pluralistic democracy, one which encompasses marginalized communities."Bio:Safi is a professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and director of the Duke Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in classical Islam and contemporary Islamic thought. His research topics include American Muslims, Prophet Muhammad and the Quran, debates in contemporary Islam; and Sufism and Persian literature.http://islamicstudies.duke.edu/people?Gurl=%2Faas%2Fdisc&Uil=omid.safi&s...For additional comment, contact Omid Safi at:so92@duke.edu---
