Charlie Hebdo Attacks: Article Analysis

The western world has a growing problem of assuming Islam, and Muslims in their entirety, are violent. Over the past 13 years, Islam, Muslims, and terrorism have been synonymous in the western mind. Simon Cottee, senior lecturer of Criminology at Kent University, wrote “It Doesn’t Matter That Islam Inspired the ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Attacks” for Vice Magazine to illustrate the polar views on Islam in regards to terrorism and religious tolerance. At the end of the article, Cottee asks the audience to learn from the tragedy and consider the fact that everyone perceives religion differently, proposing that the assailants are morally wrong and not wrong “according to an imagined pristine Islam” (Cottee 1). Cottee’s article is a good ice breaker for a …show more content…
Cottee likely wrote this way on purpose; he wanted to draw new readers in with more than one example before he gets to his point; perception is everything. His title also serves as his thesis and bait, perhaps wanting to snatch readers who have already formed their opinion and argument on the issue at hand. The tone of the article is very relaxed and feels similar to a discussion young adults would have in their own peer group, effectively relaying the message to readers who have trouble or no interest in keeping updated on current events. The particular writing style Cottee has may bait the reader into continuing on with a subject that may be boring or irrelevant; this opens up the opportunity for further conversations and education on the subject of Islam and …show more content…
He also has experience teaching students at Kent University in the United Kingdom, where he is a senior lecturer in Criminology, suggesting that he has experience appealing to youth on topics of religion in relation to crime. Cottee also serves on the editorial board of Studies in Conflict and Terrorism at Kent University. The article is written tactfully with multiple audiences in mind, despite it being written for a magazine that caters to adult youth. He is reasonable, non-threatening and writes plainly enough for all levels of education to understand. This particularly relaxed style helps Cottee reach out to people of different political viewpoints and religious backgrounds. His opinion is most likely contested but he chooses to write it anyways. However, his attitude toward people who choose to believe that Islam is bad and all Muslims are terrorists bleeds into his article slightly; that perhaps they should be held in contempt as well. To a reader of the opposite viewpoint, this may be perceived as threatening and cause them to stop reading or to not consider his viewpoint at