Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and veteran Congress leader Eduardo Faleiro hit out at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and western powers for what he said was wanting to continue with imperial practices. Addressing mediapersons on the issue of conversions in India, Faleiro said that it was only the Muslims who were today fighting Western Imperialism.
“As it is, now it is fashionable to be against Muslims… Because Muslims are the only ones who are fighting against this imperialism (Western Imperialism). They (Western powers) want to continue doing the same thing which they were doing in the 16th century. They (Muslims) are fighting against it,” Faleiro, a senior Congressmen in Goa said.
Faleiro also rhymed the magazine’s title Hebdo with the Konkani word bebdo, which means drunkard. Faleiro also said that it was wrong on part of Charlie Hebdo to publish content mocking any religion. “Because it is very wrong. Why should they publish those things against any religionIJ” Faleiro said. Faleiro’s comments come on the back of another senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar who justified the massacre of 12 magazine employees and security personnel by alleged Islamic terrorists by calling the attack a backlash by “powerless people” and that America's war against terror had killed many innocent Muslims.
On January 7, two suspected terrorists of French Algerian nationality stormed the offices of the French magazine in Paris and shot 12 persons, including editorial staffers and security personnel and injured several persons. The magazine has been known to resort to satire to take a crack at the world’s political and religious figures.