Attacks on journalists from any corner of the world must be condemned unequivocally and unambiguously without any discrimination.

The recent attacks at the Paris office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in an apparent militant Islamist attack on the media have raised serious questions about journalists becoming soft targets for terrorists.

However, linking the brutal attack to Islam by Western media is merely the latest example of another blatant double standard employed by the West.

What’s worrying is that these so-called jihadists—who have endorsed the brutality in name of Islam—are directly carrying out their terror activities in countries like France who play an instrumental role in peace and justice around the world. Islam does not allow terrorism at any cost. Islam condemns all violence and terrorism plaguing the world today.

The brutal attack at Charlie Hebdo has prompted an immediate outpouring of fear about the future of Western press freedom. The motive behind the latest incident of violence in France is so far unclear as a thorough investigation by authorities is underway.

But many media outlets in West believe the attack was carried out in response to a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

In the case of free, fair and ethical journalism, the atmosphere for journalists remains dangerous all around the world not only in France. The government including terrorist groups in different parts of the world continue to create an environment that threatens the livelihood of journalists. Journalists throughout the world are either targeted or are in jail, but the common theme throughout each case is that the journalists, bloggers and activists all remain vulnerable to the whims of a system and are insecure from different pressure groups including the governments.

Since the American war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, there has been an increase in violent attacks on workers employed by media organizations critical of the Muslim world.

Thus freedom of the press and speech throughout the world, especially in the Muslim world, is increasingly under pressure, particularly after the American war on terror. Attacks on journalists are happening more frequently and with increasing force. These are not individual cases. It appears there is a plan to censor the media all over the world.

Attacks on any journalists from any corner of the world must be condemned without any discrimination and every media outlet around the world must observe the principles and standards of journalism without throwing mud on one’s religion or sect.

Kiyya Qadir Baloch is a freelance Baloch journalist associated with the Daily Times based in Islamabad. He reports on foreign affairs, Baloch insurgency, militancy and sectarian violence in Balochistan. Read other articles by Kiyya.