Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Freedom of speech vs Religion

This is a very interesting world wide wave of emotions going on now with this issue of the cartoons that offended most of the followers of Islam.

As stated in my previous posts, I am not religious and I think the world would be a better place with no religion at all. But this is a very unlikely outcome.

My short answer to my headline is that Freedom of speech will always have precedent any time any place by my values.

This uproar & pressure by the followers of Islam is nothing more then bullying a nation, Denmark, to submitting to their values. This is wrong, very wrong.

The Followers have a right to disagree with the cartoon and have the right to voice their opinion is a sensible way. This mass hysteria with burning the Danish flag is despicable and shows a lack of holding a civil conversation. Can’t the Followers of Islam participate in ‘normal’ disagreement?

I would like to point out that it was not just the Prophet Mohammed in this cartoon, it also included other religious figures. I doubt very much that the Followers of the other religions included in this cartoon are less passionate about their religion then the Muslims but I have yet to see them go out and burn the Danish flag.

One point that I feel is completely missed by all those upset people out there; It is a C A R T O O N – nothing more.

This controversy has just lead to more people want to read the cartoon. I know I want to. If you know where I can find it, please email me: akalizze @ gmail.com (no spaces)

I could understand the protests if this would have been an editorial of derogative narrative of Islam but it isn’t. The issue is that Allah and/or Prophet Mohammed can not be pictured according to Islam. This is, I assume, followed in the states where Islam is the main and/or ruling religion. Jyllands-Posten (the daily paper that printed the cartoon) is not following the rules set in Middle East and do not have to, they are printing their paper for the 5 million Danes.

Denmark is an open and tolerant country and is allowing people of many faiths to live in their small nation. Let face it, the Middle East certainly not as tolerant to other faith as the Western world is.

I truly think that France-Soir paper did the absolute the right thing with re-printing the cartoons – in solidarity with a small paper in a small country. Bullying is never ever right.

Google News consolidation of news stories is great. I could easily access stories on both sides. One interesting article from Asia Times talks about the impressive speed the collective response by the Arab and Muslim world and ask the question why this energy is not being used to more important issues? But I have to say that the first paragraphs are rubbish with his conclusions.

The German paper Der Speigel on the other hand thinks the apology for the Muhammad-critical cartoons is unfortunate and that democratic values lost out to totalitarian ideology.

It just got worse, the owner of France Soir has fired his Editor in Cheif - see this blog. Not good at all.

Moderation
is the key and the future of our world.

2 Comments:

Blogger Mohamed said...

"Freedom of speech vs Religion"

No they haven't ever been opposit.

Islam itself encouraged freedom of expression and if you were Non-Muslim under real Islamic State and want to critic government you're free.
But I have a point of view about freedom of expression:
You should respect others feeling when you write about them or their beliefs,or else under name of'Freedom of expression'every one will swear,insult and irony others with no restricts.
Am I wrong?

And what about burning Danish flag;it's refused the same thing as cartoons,or we can call it-burning flags-'Freedom of expression'as they didn't harm any body(physically)but incorporeal yes-again-the same thing with cartoons.

2/05/2006 06:00:00 pm  
Blogger lizze said...

It is good to know that Islam is encouraging Freedom of expression. You mention that under a real Islamic State, criticising the government is allowed. Can one also criticise Islam and what is done in its name?

Like what we have talk about before that certain things (terrorists, corruptions, burning flags etc) are done underneath Islam’s veil but as you have said that in a true Islamic State this would not have been allowed.

I think that you are wrong if you claim that you want restriction of what people can or can’t say. Regarding Freedom of Speech – either you have it or you don’t.
Especially for irony since that is normally used to somebody doing something that is not good.
Swearing, it is part of the language and I personally don’t get offended by it. If somebody chose to swear, sometimes I do, well that probably don’t look good but that is the way that person chose to express themselves and they will get judge by it.
Insult, in an ideal world insults would not happened but it does. My main thesis with this whole debate is HOW one reacts to insults.

Burning flags is an expression and I do get insulted by seeing the Danish flag being burned BUT I don’t return it by going out in front of TV cameras and burn the Syrian or Iraqi or Indonesian or Lebanon’s flag – not to mention burning down Embassies. Nor have you seen the Danish people retaliate in the same manor. I am sure that is not an offence in the above countries to burn flags (actually, I don’t think it is illegal here to burn flags).

2/06/2006 09:03:00 pm  

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