Who Defends Our Right to Free Speech?

[Dale00]

Should we, must we, live in fear of offending the radicals who are attacking our diplomats?

A poor quality, distasteful video was made and few if any are defending the right to express our ideas. Those who made the film are now living in fear of retribution. Salmon Rushdie, an author in Great Britain, wrote a book considered by some to be insulting to Islam but he was protected by the government there. Today in this country we instead have attempted to intimidate the filmmaker by bringing him in for police questioning. I find our lack of defense of free speech to be reprehensible.

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." – Voltaire

My intent here is not to inflame but to provoke thought. Please keep it civil and respectful of others with different religions or beliefs. If you want to discuss the "War with Islam" angle please start another thread - this is about our right to freedom of speech.

 

[Dale00]

Excerpt from an essay by Ed Husain, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies, US Council on Foreign Relations, and author of The Islamist.

I am a Muslim. I am a Westerner. I see no contradictions in being both.

We reached this stage of our history by ending the control of the Catholic Church on what could and could not be said or written in public. So-called heretics were killed at the stake to help secure freedom of religion, thought, and expression. These freedoms are sacrosanct to me.

It is this history of Christian Protestant bravery that led to the creation of pluralist and secular societies in the West, allowing for the first time in history for Muslims and Jews to settle there in large numbers - we were free to practise our religions freely. The barbarity of pogroms, witch-hunting, and burning heretics ended.

My fellow Muslims must understand this background. We cannot trample on the very freedoms that allow us to thrive as Muslims. Yes, it hurts when the Prophet is insulted. From Shakespeare to Thomas Paine, Western literature is full of negative references to Muslims as Moors, Turks, and followers of Mahomet.

Similarly, classical Arabic and Persian writings are replete with anti-Semitism and denial of Christ's divinity as the son of God. Yet, it is a remarkable feat that we in the West have accommodated all faiths and no faith.

This achievement cannot be reversed. Self-censorship is to reverse the gains made by our intellectual forefathers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19632673

 

[caojyn]

I agree with free speech 100%, unless the intent of the speech is to incite violence or other criminal activity. I haven't seen the video and really don't intend to, but i don't believe that they had this intent. I'm also of the opinion that having free speech as a right carries the burdon of accepting responsibility for the results of your speech. Kind of a "choose your word carefully"
I keep picturing a small child that yells something obscene and then runs cackling to hide behind his mother.

 

[Hobbes]

Today in this country we instead have attempted to intimidate the filmmaker by bringing him in for police questioning.

The guy was questioned because it's believed he violated the terms of his probation(he's been convicted among other crimes of manufacturing meth and numerous financial frauds).
You are the one that ascribes the motive of intimidation to that though you have no supporting evidence other than your intuition.

What do you have against enforcing probation guidelines for parolees?

 

[Have Blue]

As best as I can recall about the only group that ever stands up for people's free speech rights is the American Civil Liberties Union.

 

[reddog1]

People should just not be allowed to talk.

Punishable by hangin'

 

[Werewolf]

The guy was questioned because it's believed he violated the terms of his probation(he's been convicted among other crimes of manufacturing meth and numerous financial frauds).
You are the one that ascribes the motive of intimidation to that though you have no supporting evidence other than your intuition.

What do you have against enforcing probation guidelines for parolees?

And it's just a coincidence that the police did this AFTER the film which has been on youtube since May or so created (and I for one am not sure it did) all the hate and discontent in the mid-east?

Yeah - that's it. Just a coincidence. Must be.

 

[Lurker66]

If you scream "fire" in a theatre and theres no "fire", yet in the ensueing panic people are killed or injured. Who is responcible? The screamer is.

If a person make a movie with the intent to piss off a culture and Citizens are killed and injured, who is responcible?

We have the Right to bear arms, but we must be responcible. We cant inflame a situation, use our 2A Right, then hide behind our right to bear arms. If we do then we're held responcible.

 

[cjjtulsa]

People should just not be allowed to talk.

Punishable by hangin'

Silence!

I keel you!

 

[caojyn]

If you scream "fire" in a theatre and theres no "fire", yet in the ensueing panic people are killed or injured. Who is responcible? The screamer is.

If a person make a movie with the intent to piss off a culture and Citizens are killed and injured, who is responcible?

We have the Right to bear arms, but we must be responcible. We cant inflame a situation, use our 2A Right, then hide behind our right to bear arms. If we do then we're held responcible.

This^