Commentary: No recurrence of tragedy demands reflection, not prejudiced accusation

Radio France Internationale (RFI) made wrongful accusations against Chinese media in its programs for discussing limits to freedom of speech after the terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in a show of unjustifiable pride and prejudice.

China, also a victim of terrorism, is always with the rest of the world, including France, in condemnation of and fight against indiscriminate terrorist attacks on innocent people, and the Chinese media by no means condoned the killing of Charlie Hebdo's staff members.

In his message of condolences to French President Francois Hollande, Chinese President Xi Jinping said terrorism is a common enemy of all mankind and a common threat to the entire international community, including both China and France.

China is firmly opposed to all forms of terrorism, and stands ready to work with France and other countries to boost security and counter-terrorism cooperation so as to safeguard world peace and protect the people of all countries in the world, said Xi.

Meanwhile, as a responsible player, the Chinese media did not stop at condemnation. They pointed out a deep-rooted cause of terrorism -- in this case, misunderstanding and a lack of mutual respect between different cultures, ideologies and religions.

What's more, instead of satisfying itself with just figuring out problems, the Chinese intellectual is exploring ways to actually solve problems.

Such reflections are of great significance given the reality that the world is haunted by grave threats of terrorism and that the already precarious climate in Europe could worsen, with the possibility of more violence.

The Chinese are not alone in the reflections.

Upon unveiling its new cover on Jan. 13 -- a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad -- the Charlie Hebdo reignited a debate pitting freedom of speech against religious sensitivities.

Pope Francis said en route to the Philippines that there are limits to freedom of speech, especially when it insults or ridicules someone's faith.

"It's normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others," the Pope said.

Elsa Ray, the spokeswoman of the Paris-based Collective Against Islamophobia in France, said lampooned Prophet Muhammad breached the limits of decency and insulted Muslims.

She was quoted by the New York Times as arguing that the failure of French courts to clamp down on cartoons satirizing Prophet Muhammad was a double standard, given the robustness of action taken when Jews were insulted by cartoonists or artists, including Dieudonne M'bala M'bala, a comedian, who in 2013 came under the scrutiny of courts, which banned a series of his shows.

Columnist Sally Kohn wrote in a commentary carried by the CNN that "I ... believed in choosing to exercise that right (freedom of speech) responsibly and respectfully."

"That's why I would not have published cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed, insulting 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide in the process (and no, I would not have published many of Charlie Hebdo's cartoons insulting Judaism and Christianity, either)," Sally wrote.

U.S. papers, including the New York Times, did not reproduce the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that mocked Islam. "We do not normally publish images or other material deliberately intended to offend religious sensibilities." the paper said.

Yet, the RFI, among the remarks and reports, singled China out for criticizing. The acts only exposed its old and deep-seated pride and prejudice toward a country of a different culture and ideology.

It may have just made a same mistake as Charlie Hebdo. Endi