You have a right to express your opinion.
I have a right to ignore you.
"Thou shalt not criticize" may be an extremist's commandment, but in a free society people not only have a right to criticize, but an obligation to do so, especially of government.
There are, of course, consequences to some forms of speech, but these are properly limited to libel and slander, and in a law-abiding society, these consequences are settled in a court of law, not by gunfire on a street.
In Paris today, a dozen people were assassinated because of what some few extremists deemed disrespectful drawings of a religious leader.
Do Christians kill to avenge negative comments about Jesus? Do Jews kill to avenge criticism of Moses? Do Mormons kill to avenge snide remarks about Joseph Smith?
All three religions are derived from a Middle Eastern desert spiritual tradition, as is Islam. To excuse murder because of some perceived insult goes against the principles of that tradition, as well as civil laws of modern society.
Using violence at any level, whether a punch in the nose in reaction to a joke or mass shootings in retaliation for a printed cartoon, is unacceptable in a free society.
At the same time, gratuitous and vicious insult may bring consequences, but these should not include violence and murder. Sometimes a better response is no response at all.
To retaliate with violence does not make a hero or a martyr. Rather, it brings widespread condemnation of the killers and rejection of their cause.
"Thou shalt not kill" is another commandment recognized by all four Middle Eastern desert religious traditions, as well as many others.
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