Godless Mom wrote a lovely open letter to the mothers of the now-dead shooters in Garland, Texas who were driven to kill others for drawing cartoons of Muhammad.

If that sounds like a strange setup for an open letter, just read it:

I’m sorry your sons died over cartoons. Cartoons are supposed to be sources of humour and smiles and laughter. They are supposed to trigger thought, not violence. They are entertainment, commentary and art… not a reason to die. I’m sorry that in the wake of Charlie Hebdo, the media did not stand up for free speech and publish as many Muhammad cartoons as possible, making it normal. I’m sure, had the media not been so gutless, and Muhammad cartoons became frequent and normal, that the ones in Garland would not have had the impact on your sons that they did. I’m sorry your sons’ education failed to produce critical thinkers and instead, likely left them feeling bullied, alone and terrified for their future, like most other kids. I’m sorry their education failed to fill their lives with richness and awe and wonder, and instead, left them empty, looking for something to fill a void.

It just gets more powerful from there.

Maybe if people stopped blaming the cartoonists as if they brought these sort of attacks upon themselves, and maybe if more people were willing to draw these images as a protest against faith-based censorship, the images would lose their power and these shootings would become increasingly rare.

(Image via Caro Wallis on Flickr)



