Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gestures during his keynote address at the Facebook f8 Developers Conference in San Francisco, California September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
IN PHOTO: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gestures during his keynote address at the Facebook f8 Developers Conference in San Francisco, California September 22, 2011. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg shared his own experience with an extremist. He also shared why Facebook is with the people of France and people all over the world who believes in the freedom of speech and expression.

Two days after the massacre at Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people died, including four cartoonists, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg uses his own Facebook account and emphasises the importance of free speech and expression. The founder shared that his encounter with an extremist in Pakistan as well as the Paris shooting have cemented his belief that nobody should be silenced when they want to say something or express their ideas. According to Zuckerberg, an extremist in Pakistan wanted him dead because the social network he founded would not ban content regarding Mohammed. The content is said to have offended that extremist.

Zuckerberg explained why he refused to ban the content. "We stood up for this because different voices -- even if they're sometimes offensive -- can make the world a better and more interesting place," Zuckerberg wrote. The CEO claimed that Facebook has always been a place where people all over the world can share their views and ideas. So, even though the company makes sure it does not violate the laws of any country, Facebook does not let one country's rules and norms dictate what people from other countries shoud use their Facebook accounts for, either.

Because of the shooting, Zuckerberg shared that he is now more firm on his views that freedom of expression should be upheld and protected. "Yet as I reflect on yesterday's attack and my own experience with extremism, this is what we all need to reject -- a group of extremists trying to silence the voices and opinions of everyone else around the world," he wrote. He ended his post saying that he would not let what happened with Charlie Hebdo happen on Facebook-not the shooting per se, but the curtailing of free speech and expression by extremists. He said Facebook is committed to providing a service where people can speak freely, without fearing that they would be attacked. He added his thoughts are with the victims of the shooting and their families as well as with the people in France and all over the world who believe in free speech even when speaking and sharing take courage. He also wrote "Je suis Charlie," the rallying cry borne from the gruesome Charlie Hebdo Paris massacre.

a.dee@ibtimes.com.au