Charlie Hebdo editor: We attack religion when it becomes political
'If God becomes entangled in politics, then democracy is in danger,' Gerard Biard says
The editor of Charlie Hebdo is defending the French satirical newspaper's skewering of religion, saying it targets faith only when it becomes "entangled" in politics.
"We do not attack religion, but we do when it gets involved in politics," Gerard Biard said in an interview with Chuck Todd broadcast on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "We have a problem when faith and religion become political, then we become worried and we attack.
"If God becomes entangled in politics, then democracy is in danger," he said through a translator.
Last week while addressing reporters about the attacks, Pope Francis said, "One cannot insult other people's faith. One cannot make fun of faith."
Biard's response: "Every time that we draw a cartoon of Mohammed, every time that we draw a cartoon of a prophet, every time that we draw a cartoon of God, we defend the freedom of [conscience]. We declare that God must not be a political or public figure. He must be a private one. We defend the freedom of [conscience], yes it’s also freedom of speech, but is the freedom of [conscience]. Religion should not be a political argument."
Biard, who was in London at the time of the attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices, says it is "very difficult to process because one obviously feels an enormous relief mixed with a sense of guilt."
Twelve people, including the newspaper's lead cartoonist, were killed in the Jan. 7 massacre by gunmen who said the attack was in retribution for Charlie Hebdo's depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.
Biard was asked about the many news outlets that opted not to show Charlie Hebdo's controversial cartoons in their coverage of the killings and aftermath.
Those that blur the Muhammad cover, he said, "blur out democracy, secularism [and] freedom of religion."
"Secularism protects us against this, secularism guarantees democracy and assures peace," Biard said. "Secularism allows all believers and not-believers to live in peace, and that is what we defend.”
