Leaders from Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, and Iran are calling for restrictions to free speech when it comes to religion or religious symbols:
“The international community must not become silent observers and should criminalize such acts that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression,” he said. The United Nations should take up the issue immediately, he added.
Past United Nations attempts to address the issue, summarized in a general Human Rights Council agreement, have been deemed insufficient.
Nabil Elaraby, the secretary general of the 21-member Arab League, added his voice to the issue, saying that spiritual harm should be treated as a crime, even as he condemned the recent riots. “If the international community has criminalized bodily harm, it must just as well criminalize psychological and spiritual harm,” Mr. Elaraby told a special session about Syria of the Security Council, saying it was a serious enough problem to warrant Council attention.
It is very interesting to see the difference in our culture and that of the Muslim world in regard to free speech and, indeed, individual liberties in general. It seems that Muslims in this country have been able to achieve some balance between their religious obligations and respecting the rights of others to express themselves. I would be very interested to see how they feel about respecting the Jewish religion and Israel in particular.
ReplyDeleteStormy,
DeleteIt is interesting as a foreigner to watch an American get onto the stump to defend his "rights".
Your Constitution gives you those rights as an American, within American laws and society. The Constitution does not specifically give these rights elsewhere. It follows therefore that other countries will not permit unfettered use of those "rights" insofar as their use denigrates and besmirches the character and religion of the peoples of that country.
Along with the freedoms and rights given to you also come responsibilities. If you will not moderate the use of those rights you so loudly proclaim, at least try to exercise your responsibilities as you try to understand and follow the lessons contained in the 1st amendment.
Cheers mate from Aussie
Kingston,
DeleteBut on our soil, we DO have certain rights, including to say and act like a fool, within the bounds of any local ordinances. As far as I know, when Americans are in other countries, their laws apply, with the usual diplomatic interventions that have sometimes occurred.
Regarding regulation of free speech, where would one draw the line, once one offensive aspect is made criminal?
I rather think this stupid film was merely a ruse to foment discord. People need to be able to disdainfully ignore such trash.
I'm curious. Do the Aussies have any explicit restrictions? Not asking to be argumentative, just curious.
Jean
Jean.
DeleteAs always you write that which demands attention, for that I hope we are all grateful here.
Your first point and which we have all been dancing around like a fox with a porcupine is the movie. I would trust everyone deplores the thing as being in bad taste and insulting to Moslems. If so, this exercise of his "freedom" has given the film maker the opportunity to cause untold harm to American interests, goodwill and personal safety abroad. But yet I see posters here on the stump defending his right to free speech.
Did the founding fathers foresee this situation when drafting the constitution I wonder?
Of course I agree that people should be able to disdainfully ignore such trash. Problem Jean, I fear there are too many who prefer to guard their precious freedoms.
Now your question re Australian conditions. We have the normal laws of libel and slander and there is censorship on film and books coming from overseas. In general we are pretty forgiving but I hope I am correct in saying we do rely on a good deal of good manners, courtesy and common sense. I finish by saying most sincerely that the first two attributes I have always found in abundance in the Americans I meet here.
Cheers from Aussie
"Along with the freedoms and rights given to you also come responsibilities. If you will not moderate the use of those rights you so loudly proclaim, at least try to exercise your responsibilities as you try to understand and follow the lessons contained in the 1st amendment."
DeleteThis, Aussie, in the eyes of an American conservative, is basically a socialist view. At this point in time, we have reached a truly ridiculous extreme in views on what it means to have freedom.
"I would be very interested to see how they feel about respecting the Jewish religion and Israel in particular."
ReplyDeleteIn this country, some asshole used his free speech to make an inflammatory film, while some other assholes lynch empty chairs. Clearly, we are in a position to judge others hatred eh?
So exercising free speech is as deplorable as wanting to behead all infidels?
DeleteMax,
DeleteSorry, I don't get it. What does allowing people in this country to express themselves have to do with predominantly Muslim countries and their views of the Hebrew faith and Israel?
Jean
Spiritual Harm ..Emotional harm...criminalized??,..LOL!!..I am suing every governemnt on the planet as well as every religion..and even the Athesists...they are harming me spiritually and I demand relief....a couple of billion should suffice to heal my tender wounds...
DeleteJean, why is it our business to bring the Muslim world into harmony with Israel? If not for oil, we would not give a damn about what happens in the middle east. In this country, there are plenty who remain militant in their views against Judaism and to your point gotta, there are plenty of American hate groups who speak as violently against Obama as whack jobs wanting to behead infidels.
DeleteTo me, the ultimate solution should be to put Muslim countries on a path toward freedom wherein the people there decide for themselves what they want. The young people of Iran, IMO, do not want to continue iron fisted ruled by hard liners. But, best as I can tell, the policy that most on the right want to see put in place is one where the Muslim world bows to us in obedience or we slaughter them wholesale until they get the message. Imadinnerjacket is a ruthless hard liner who says incredibly offensive shit. Yet, he has not openly attacked Israel. That is what matters.
Because Obama is a Democrat, nothing he does will be satisfactory to the zealots, just as nothing Bush did was satisfactory to the far left. The Arab spring was something brewing for a long time. Our choice right now is to stand on the sidelines and whine about the stupidest shit the whack jobs say, or to put groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in a position of accountability where they are judged for improving their culture or moving it backwards. I get it, most on the right don't want to bother with the latter.
I just read in this morning's paper that a group of female pilgrims seeking to fly to Mecca were denied boarding passes because they weren't travelling with male companions as required by Saudi law. If that's their law then that's their law, not our business. Same for the free speech thing. Getting your knickers in a knot about nothing.
ReplyDeleteThis, Mick, highlights a piece of the endless hypocrisy we spew about and in the middle east. When it's Iran, there is no end to the denouncing of what they do. When it's Saudi Arabia, a country where 18 of the 9/11 hijackers came from, we say nothing.
Delete