THE ISSUE: Should any of our city newsagents be selling copies of Charlie Hebdo?

NO

Dr Hojjat Ramzy, director of the Islam Information Centre in Oxford

I WOULD like to begin by condemning the publication of the offensive cartoons by Charlie Hebdo, in the same way as I condemn the barbaric attacks on the Kosher supermarket and the Charlie Hebdo magazine staff in Paris.

In regards to the issue of selling the magazine, I believe it is wrong to distribute material that attempts to insult 1.2 billion Muslims around the world, not to mention the billions of other faith members whose faiths and religious leaders have been ridiculed by the same publication.

Charlie Hebdo goes to extremes to insult the people of faith. In the UK we are blessed with freedom of speech, protected by law, and this includes freedom of the press.

However, while it is lawful to sell such material in the according to UK law, these cartoons are hurtful and offensive to the many Muslims living in the country. In this situation There is a choice between what is popular and lucrative, and what is sensible and sensitive.

I believe newsagents have taken the former route and ignored the fact that stocking the magazine is insulting, provocative and unhelpful at a time when we need to move forward together peacefully as communities of all faiths and none.

I am particularly disappointed by some newsagents run by Muslims whose customers are also Muslim. I would have thought they would have been more perceptive of the offence that this publication can and has caused. Other main retailers such as WH Smith have chosen not to stock the magazine and I thank them for their respect in making this decision.

I am grateful that we live in an area and a country that is tolerant and respectful of its faith communities and I pray that, despite the efforts of some to cause insult and divide, that we will remain neighbours and friends. We all want to live in a community of cohesion and harmony. Freedom of speech is an integral part of this, but so is respect.

Mockery and insult of the type promoted by this Charlie Hebdo undermines respect by making targets of faith and minority communities.

I would encourage people to reject the mocking and insulting of any other groups so that we might build bridges and not burn them. I hope that the newsagents will think hard about their decision and realise that stocking the magazine is counter-productive and undermines the hard work of many in the community to build a society of respect and tolerance.

Yes

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon

FIRSTLY it is important to point out that there is no excuse for what happened in Paris.

The people who carried out these attacks were lunatics, extremists and not representative of the Muslim community.

I lived in Jordan for a time and am half-Palestinian. Even though I am not a Muslim myself I am very sensitive to Islamic culture and I understand why Dr Hojjat Ramzy has concerns. He has every right to be offended.

But in some ways that is the whole point – that we are allowed to insult and offend each other, and that we be allowed to say that we have been offended.

I stand by the right of people to demonstrate against Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons in Broad Street in exactly the same way I stand by the right of people to sell that magazine if they wish. Tolerance for the beliefs of others even if we disagree with them is part of what it means to be British.

The attack on Charlie Hebdo’s offices was carried out to stop that magazine being published – if newsagents are prohibited in any way from selling it following the murder of its cartoonists then we are giving in to them. This, we cannot allow.

We must, and do, draw the line at inciting hatred, and while the magazine is distasteful, it does not cross that important line. We should be allowed to read it and make up our own minds. Buying it does not necessarily mean you condone it, and I understand the curiosity to do so.

Moreover, this is an academic city, renowned worldwide for its progressive views and challenging the status quo. To restrict a document which is already part of our modern history flies in the face of what we stand for.

Freedom of speech must be protected.

If not we will end up with absurd cases like the one in Oxford in 2005 when a student asked a police officer if his horse was gay and was arrested for making homophobic remarks. Yes that was offensive, but it shouldn’t be illegal.

I believe that freedom of speech and freedom of expression is the cornerstone of our democracy. We should fight to protect it, especially when it is being challenged through violence. Now, more than ever.

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