Mort Todd is an artist living in the United States. He is notably a former Editor in Chief of Cracked Magazine, one of America’s own fearlessly satirical publications. You are also, no doubt, familiar with top Cracked competitor MAD Magazine. Perhaps in a show of common purpose, or perhaps with a bit of mischievous needling of his former competitor, Todd chose to make his homage in the form of anawesome satire of a MAD magazine cover.

Todd’s image is powerful for three reasons. In the first and obvious case, for the risk of depicting Mohammed, or indeed any part of Islam, in a satirical or farcical manner. In the second case, it is hilarious and pretty much dead solid perfect. 

But the third is that it is not only a depiction of Islam, but a stab at the relative cowardice of American publications that have refused to show the cartoons for which the Hebdo victims died, in some cases, even blurring out the covers when reporting on the story of the attack.

That step, that concession to the demands of madmen is the first foot backward. To respect their wishes is to concede their morality. If you choose not to offend now, after murder and destruction, then you are choosing to concede not just defeat, but our entire point of view. It is saying the terrorists are right. It is saying they have a point.

Mort Todd doesn’t think the terrorists have a point. He is not laying down his pen. One hopes others will follow his lead.

Je Suis Charlie, they say. It has to mean something. If it doesn’t, it is an insult to those who have died at the hands of a hateful, vile, despicable ideology.