Why tolerance of free speech is only demanded from Muslims?This is in response news reports “17 newspapers reprint cartoon of Prophet”
Where were these knights of free speeches when Professor Irving was jailed on the account of “refusal of Holocaust”.? I don’t know of any western newspaper that dared to protest against Irving’s arrest. There is a hidden a fear of being labeled “anti Semitic” in the western media, political circle and campus.
The Danish court does not yet convict the guys who are arrested in Denmark. Why should the Danish media be intolerant? It is nothing but adding more fuel to the fire.
Last year when a shop in Navi Mumbai was named after Hitler the whole Jewish world protested. Finally when the shop was renamed, instead of protesting for freedom of naming a business the world media celebrated the Jewish victory.
Nobody wants a healthy discussion on Holocaust
Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi’s observation in Washington Post’s Religious blog on Jews being the biggest players in a ” culture of violence” made him a victim of Pro Israeli’s lobby. No section of media dared to reprint the article.
Norman Frankenstein’s arguments against Jews cost him a denial for tenure in De Paul University. It just went away as passing news.
Jimmy Carter too is labeled as Jew hater because he took side of Palestinians iin his book.
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt authors of “the Israel Lobby and Us policy” himself comments that ” You cannot make these arguments in US without incurring the wrath of Israel lobby”
Targets for firing the cannon of free speech is chosen on the basis of benefits in TRPs and politics and in many cases the weakness of the target, in this case Muslims.
When your stand is based upon your partial choice it is a hypocritical stand, rightly termed as freedom of foul speech.
Nisaar Yusuf is a renowned speaker on socio-religious issues in Mumbai India. He has been invited to speak at various Seminars by Institutions and Universities in India. He can be contacted at : nisaar_yusuf@yahoo.com
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2 users commented in " Freedom of Foul Speech "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackOf course, you are exactly right. One can’t call for free speech in the cartoons and applaud the jailing of a Holocaust denier for the same. Of course, Europe is a lot less free on those matters than the U.S.
Freedom of speech means almost all speech (short of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater), including DISAGREEABLE speech. You have to take the good with the
bad.
I deplore the rioting over the cartoons; I deplored the jailing of someone voicing Holocaust denial–no matter how ridiculous. Regulating what people write is the first step towards regulating what they say and think.
It’s all government control. Screw all attempts at that.
And DBKP covered Gandhi’s article–also ridiculous in my opinion–but the action taken was by a private entity, the Washington Post.
Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. You have the freedom to say whatever; other people have the right to disagree and exert pressure.
That being said, I saw no Jews anywhere rioting in the street or calling for the murder of Gandhi. Finkelstein’s denial of tenure is a long way from having a price on his head.
And you and others are free to write and publish your viewpoints without fear that someone will put a price on your head. It does not mean you are free to write and publish without fear of criticism. So to imply that the Danish cartoons and your examples are cut from the same cloth is moral relevancy.
But, of course, you knew that before you wrote it.
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