Jihadists worldwide cheered the massacre of ten cartoonists and journalists and two police officers in Paris on Wednesday, crowing their victory over France and “those who insult our Prophet.”
MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor collected the online responses of Islamists to the attack on the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper notorious for running a series of cartoons mocking the Islamic prophet Mohammed.
On an Arab pro-ISIS Internet forum, supporters of the Islamist terror group saw the attack as a first strike against the French nation. “France was [once] part of the land of Islam and will return to the land of Islam, in spite of the worshippers of the Cross,” one wrote. Another offered his “congratulations to France and to its people for reaping what their hands sowed. Did these evil cartoonists think that we were a nation that would remain silent in face of those who insult our Prophet? . . . No, by Allah, from now on the youths of Islam will no longer remain silent, especially since we have a state [ISIS] to mobilize armies if anybody insults the nation of Islam.”
Arab jihadists took to Twitter to exult in the slaughter, with many using the Arabic hashtag “Paris is Burning.” “Oh Allah slaughter them, Allah attack them,” one tweeted. “This newspaper insulted the Messenger of Allah and Islam.” An ISIS supporter tweeted a video of the attack, adding that “France turned the lands of Muslims into battlefields, and now the Muslims have turned France into a battlefield. Allahu akbar.”
Some French Muslims applauded the attackers — two of whom authorities now believe are French citizens:
“That dog Charb [Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief and cartoonist Stéphane Charbonnier, killed in the attack] was supposed to publish this drawing on the first page this week,” the French ISIS supporter tweeted. The caption of the included cartoon reads, “Still no terror attacks in France,” with the caricatured jihadist responding, “Wait! We have until the end of January to give you our New Year’s greetings.”
One French ISIS fighter tweeted that he wished the attackers had mounted GoPro cameras on their rifles as they attacked the newspaper. “Die in your rage,” another French-speaking ISIS supporter tweeted. “Haha, the next one is the president, Inshallah.”
English-speaking Islamists also praised the bloodshed, with an Australian ISIS fighter tweeting his support:
And the Dutch Twitter page “Fighting Journalist,” which serves as an online ISIS mouthpiece, tweeted the following:
“Takbir,” an Arabic saying with a similar meaning to “God is great,” is also frequently shouted during Islamist attacks.