Cash and angry. Sophia Aram doesn't mince words. In his column of October 9, already, the humorist of France Inter had vilified part of the extreme left, which refused to qualify Hamas as a "terrorist organization", following the attacks against Israel. The columnist, who is currently performing her show "Le Monde d'après" at the Champs-Elysées studio, shares with us her indignation at the reluctance of cultural actors to speak out.
How do you feel about the silence of artists after the Hamas attack on Israel?
SOPHIA ARAM. I find this silence distressing. Let's be clear, no one is obliged to react to everything and give their opinion on everything. There is no obligation to be compassionate. But when you count the number of artists willing to be outraged at anything and everything, to embrace any stupid cause and jump on any indignation, this silence after the pogrom organized and implemented last Saturday by Hamas in Israel is vomiting. This silence, as we know, is the same as at the time of the death of Samuel Paty, Ozar Hatorah (attack on the Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012) or the attempted assassination of Salman Rushdie. It is a silence that is necessary when political Islam and radical Islam are at stake.
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In your opinion, why is there such a reluctance to react on the part of actors in the world of culture?
There are two hypotheses. Either they're scared, or they're sparing some of their audience. I think we have to keep both hypotheses in mind. They are petty shopkeepers and cowards. They only engage on easy causes and without any danger or risk. What honor is there in shouting one's "rebellion" against "power" and denouncing an imaginary "dictatorship" when one is not able to name a terrorist organization?
Does this silence shock you? Do you understand that?
There is nothing to understand or excuse. It was this silence that killed the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo and Samuel Paty. And when no one takes responsibility, those who open it often find themselves alone, singled out and targeted by those who buy a good conscience at little cost. It is time to clearly identify those who must be fought and to understand that political Islam and radical Islam will not be stopped by silence and avoidance.