The tag #JeSuisCharlie flooded social media websites after a group of Islamic extremists shot at the offices of the French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, leaving twelve people dead in downtown Paris on Jan. 7, 2015.

Meaning “I am Charlie” in French, celebrities, artists, writers and politicians have since used this hashtag to lend their support to the shell-shocked Parisians. Vigils organized on social media using this hashtag were held on the night of Jan. 8 throughout all of France, and in many other areas of the world as well.

Nevertheless, criticism against #JeSuisCharlie has surged. On the outside, the attack on Charlie Hebdo attack seems like a horrendous act of terrorism and a blatant violation of free speech. However, a more introspective look will reveal the true controversial nature of this issue, and will make us ask ourselves: do we really know what it means to be Charlie?

First we must examine the reason Islamic extremists targeted the Charlie Hebdo offices; and this would be the magazine’s ‘satirical’ depictions of the prophet Muhammad.  For those who do not know, in the Muslim religion, pictures and portraits of the prophet Muhammad are prohibited– not even Muslims can attempt to portray Muhammad. The extremists felt the cartoons were an attack on their religion that called for violent retaliation.

The cartoons were published on the cover of the magazine over time.  The prophet Muhammad is portrayed as a victim of ISIS about to be decapitated in one, as a handicap man in a wheelchair being pushed by a Jew in another and sharing a sloppy kiss with a man wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt.

More controversial drawings, that aren’t found on the cover, portray the prophet completely naked with his genitals and anus pointed towards the reader, and another of him lying completely naked on a bed while a cameraman records him saying, “And my butt? You like my butt?” The caption for the latter is “the film that embraces the Muslim world.”

Other topics the French magazine has vulgarly satirized include the Catholic religion, Judaism, Catholic priests and Jewish rabbis, the Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, Muslim women, and African Americans.

In the words of Tom Spurgeon, an author of The Comics Reporter, Charlie Hebdo cartoons constitute of “a much more savage, unforgiving, doing-it-for-the-sake-of-doing-it” spirit that is alien to most American satires.

In my opinion, the cartoons are distasteful and downright heinous. Most of them do not even express any political viewpoint or message as political cartoons are meant to− they are just making fun of what other people consider important or holy.

Throughout history, art has often been controversial and maybe even vulgar at times, and that is fine, but I think the line needs to be drawn when the beliefs of billions of people are trivialized, and tragedies such as the kidnapping of Nigerian school girls are made fun of.

Charlie Hebdo had been confronted in 2011 when its offices were firebombed for the same reason. Despite this event (and continuous threats and pleas from Muslims throughout France and areas as far away as Yemen), Charlie Hebdo continued its weekly publications.

The magazine certainly did not have to apologize to the attackers for their cartoons, but they should have at least realized that their artwork was offending millions of Muslims.

Despite their offensive nature, there is no question when it comes to the fact that Charlie Hebdo cartoons were not worth killing other people. Nor is there a valid excuse for the attackers, but in reality, the cartoons were a bit provocative.

After all, it is this kind of hostile environment that makes people defensive and encourages them to join extremist groups.

As for freedom of expression, Charlie Hebdo was merely exercising its right to free press when they published their cartoons. That much is true, however practicing a religion is also a form of expression, so it could be argued that the Charlie Hebdo cartoons are an attack on the freedom of expression of Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Truthfully, I do not support Charlie Hebdo. I think that the warm, worldwide support that the artists and Parisians have been given is admirable, and terrorism is definitely an evil we should fight globally, but nevertheless I will not be using #JeSuisCharlie anytime soon.

Although I respect their free speech and press, I very strongly disagree with the content of the Charlie Hebdo magazine. The movement behind #JeSuisCharlie aims to support a world with free press, but it completely ignores the fact that these kinds of institutions promote a hateful and intolerable society.

Charlie Hebdo is not a white-hearted victim, and the gratuitous ridicule of other human beings in the name of ‘free speech’ will only lead to more conflicts in the future.