Additional Reading
The Muslim Times Leading the Discussion on Free Speech and Its Limitations
Categories: Europe and Australia, Free speach, Free Speech, Freedom, Video
Additional Reading
The Muslim Times Leading the Discussion on Free Speech and Its Limitations
Categories: Europe and Australia, Free speach, Free Speech, Freedom, Video
Actions are judged by the motives. This is how we differentiate between man slaughter and murder.
Criticizing Islam where people find it misguided is fair game like I expose the vulnerability of Christianity and its dogma all the time, but I never malign Christians, as individuals or as a group.
Maligning Muslims as a group is terrible, just like anti-semitism, as it creates a stage for their exploitation, where they are in minority and vulnerable. As long as the champions of free speech are not maligning and slandering all Muslims and not trying to judge them by their worst examples, they are welcome to examine limitations and strengths of Islamic teachings.
Q: “Does freedom of speech give the right to offend?”
A: Of course it does! It’s really as simple as that.
I agree with you there is a right to offend, otherwise majority religion will never let minority religion speak.
However, we need to keep in mind a famous quote, attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., paraphrased in so many different ways, “Your right to swing your arms ends just where the other man’s nose begins.”
I think you can offend and criticize a people, but, your speech should not lead to stigmatization, exploitation, humiliation, marginalization and discrimination against a people or followers of a religion, otherwise, it becomes racism with all its evil paraphernalia and repercussions.
That sounds like a conflation of religion with race – they’re two different things. And in any event, why is religion so special anyway? What about atheists, or women, or homosexuals? We all know how organised religion has led to the marginalisation and discrimination of gay people, for example. What about their rights?
There are already limits to freedom of expression, which are there to prevent hate speech, and incitement to violence. Simply saying “I find what you’ve said to be humiliating or marginalising” does not mean that it is.
Oh, and in response to Oliver Wendell’s quote (which goes entirely against free speech btw), I prefer Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.
Dear Al until we understand what are the reasons and needs for preventing anti-semitism and extend that courtesy to all people, we will not have a genuine and complete pluralism in the West.
What the West will create others will follow. I believe that is not only a secular reality, but, is actually predicted and prophesied in the Islamic tradition, the way I understand the prophecies about the Latter Days.
“…until we understand what are the reasons and needs for preventing anti-semitism and extend that courtesy to all people, we will not have a genuine and complete pluralism in the West.”
I’m not sure what has to do with any of my comments to be honest. It’s really as simple as this:
Does freedom of expression include the right to offend? – The answer is “yes”. Religion doesn’t get special privilege.
Are there limits to freedom of expression? – Of course. These are already laid down in law – those freedoms don’t extend to inciting violence and hatred, for example. This already applies to all groups, not only Jews.
Unfortunately, freedom of speech DOES come with the right to offend, however, generally speaking, I see no reason to do so.
If the point is to criticize, then deliberately offending accomplishes nothing to get a point across (and usually has the opposite effect)
But with the right to free speech, comes the responsibility to use it wisely and kindly. We no longer use terms like kike, n***er, Mick, wop. Most men no longer hang “girlie” posters in their workplaces, because it offends their female co-workers. Women are always asking that men not “catcall” us, and most men don’t. Other claim it’s their right to free speech. Who is right? Who is wrong? Both, really.
I find it disturbing that we cannot engage in civilized discourse, without the deliberate use of offense.
There are much better ways, if we only took a moment to use our brains, and our empathy to the other person’s feelings.
This is always one of my favourite articles on the subject of free speech and offence – well, not the article itself, which is a bit of a nonsense in my vie – but the comments beneath:
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2013/10/religion/islam/do-atheists-have-the-right-to-offend-muslims
Ik Zamana tha kay mera nam اک زمانہ تھا کہ میرا نام بھی مستور تھا
Urdu Poem by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, The Promised Messiah & Imam Mahdi (alaihi salam)
http://www.alislam.org/v/258.html
Al-Wasiyyat, Khilafat and Al-JannahThe ultimate in Al-Jannah on earth was the coming of The Holy Prophetsa. The advent of The Holy Prophetsa is described metaphorically as the appearance of God Almighty. He had attained the stage of Ruh ul Amin — The Spirit of Security, a state beyond the imagination of man; a state of getting together with God. A state of Perfect Unity – Dana Fa Ta Dalla (53:10). The Holy Prophet (saw) became the mirror reflecting Divine Attributes. He was Al Abd. The Holy Quran calls him Abdullah (72:20) — The Servant of Allah; the Exemplar par excellence.
For the latter days God in His Mercy sent us the servant of The Servant — Ghulam Ahmad. It was revealed to the Promised Messiahas Inni Anzaltu Ma aka Al-Jannah : I have caused Paradise to descend with thee.
Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, Naib Amir, USA
http://www.alislam.org/library/articles/new/Al-Wasiyyat-Khilafat-Al-Jannah.html
The Pathway to Peace and World Crisis
http://www.alislam.org/library/books/World-Crisis-and-Pathway-to-Peace.pdf
The Life of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V (at)
A documentary video about Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (1950-), Khalifatul Masih V (2003-). This video documentary covers events up to December 2007.
http://www.alislam.org/v/21.html