In the midst of a debate on monitoring content, a Delhi court has restrained social-networking sites including Facebook, Google and Youtube from webcasting any “anti-religious” or “anti-social” content promoting hatred or communal disharmony.
Delhi court on Friday issued summons to them for facing trial for allegedly webcasting objectionable contents.
The Magiastrate noted that in the website material submitted by the complainant, Vinay Rai, a journalist, contained obscene picture and derogatory articles pertaining to Prophet Mohammad(s.a.s.), Jesus Christ(a.s.) and various Hindu Prophets(a.s.).
So, what are the reasonable boundaries of free speech? That is the age old question!
The matter is currently under the jurisdiction of court, so wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on the proceedings of judiciary. If my personal opinion is concerned, then i may say that a free speech is healthy in every society. However, right from the time it is translated into hate speech and polarizing communities against each other. It should be checked. It must be remembered that India is a diverse nation, tranquility and co-existance are a necessity for us. social networking websites at times form the medium of being tools for hate mongerors.
Just like Musleh Maud(r.t.) did as per blueprint for religious harmony suggested in “paigham-e-sulah” by Masih Maud(a.s.), by advising government of his time that press and publication media should be filtered of bigotry material. In the same lines, social networks should too be. Some of the websites like Orkut have very strong internal mechanisms in place to stop this. For example any user reporting abuse a content is taken care of. I rarely see such thing in facebook.
Hate speech in the sense calling for violence against any community. In India one of the main reason of spread of atheism amongst youth is not because religion is rational/irrational. But because its used as a tool for committing genocide and creating issues out of nothing. May Allah(swt) enable judges to take decision in the greater good of humanity. aameen