6th Commentary - Freedom of Speech?
The question posed to us is, “How far should an individual be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech?”
My overall view in this is that freedom of speech would allow many things, but within a responsible limit. Things that could cause hatred between people should not be allowed, even under the freedom of speech.
First, I shall make reference to the recent controversy over the publications of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
To me, I feel that it is the right of newspapers to express freedom of speech, and print whatever they may wish to, but they also need to remember that they need to be responsible for whatever they publish, and any of the problems that may arise. As with the case of the controversial cartoons, the newspaper had the right to publish what they wanted. They however, did not seem to realize the furore that such publications could cause. What they did could also have affected the arguments for religious freedom.
As it is widely known that the Muslims frown upon any depictions of the Prophet, the newspaper already committed a grave oversight. However, that was not the only problem – Several of the cartoons actually showed the Prophet as a terrorist. This would of course offend the Muslims very greatly. Protests would definitely be expected. But as we know, word of the cartoons was spread around the globe by a group of Danish imams, causing widespread chaos and even violent protests in certain countries. Other European newspapers then republished the cartoons to show solidarity behind the original paper, and to support the freedom of speech. This would be an even grater mistake. Relations between the West and the Muslim world have become very tense because of these events, and they show how the mere printing of a set of cartoons can cause global unrest and tensions between groups of people.
Next, on a more local context, there have recently been the cases of racist bloggers being jailed.
Similarly to the issue of the controversial cartoons, the remarks are offending to others. These postings cannot be tolerated, as they could harm the peaceful coexistence of the races in Singapore. In some contexts, the remarks could be seen as inciting hatred. Thus, the bloggers had to be taught to respect the other races.
From these two cases, one can see that freedom of speech does not really allow a person to say of publish anything he or she wants. The limit to the freedom speech is the responsibility of the individual.
My overall view in this is that freedom of speech would allow many things, but within a responsible limit. Things that could cause hatred between people should not be allowed, even under the freedom of speech.
First, I shall make reference to the recent controversy over the publications of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
To me, I feel that it is the right of newspapers to express freedom of speech, and print whatever they may wish to, but they also need to remember that they need to be responsible for whatever they publish, and any of the problems that may arise. As with the case of the controversial cartoons, the newspaper had the right to publish what they wanted. They however, did not seem to realize the furore that such publications could cause. What they did could also have affected the arguments for religious freedom.
As it is widely known that the Muslims frown upon any depictions of the Prophet, the newspaper already committed a grave oversight. However, that was not the only problem – Several of the cartoons actually showed the Prophet as a terrorist. This would of course offend the Muslims very greatly. Protests would definitely be expected. But as we know, word of the cartoons was spread around the globe by a group of Danish imams, causing widespread chaos and even violent protests in certain countries. Other European newspapers then republished the cartoons to show solidarity behind the original paper, and to support the freedom of speech. This would be an even grater mistake. Relations between the West and the Muslim world have become very tense because of these events, and they show how the mere printing of a set of cartoons can cause global unrest and tensions between groups of people.
Next, on a more local context, there have recently been the cases of racist bloggers being jailed.
Similarly to the issue of the controversial cartoons, the remarks are offending to others. These postings cannot be tolerated, as they could harm the peaceful coexistence of the races in Singapore. In some contexts, the remarks could be seen as inciting hatred. Thus, the bloggers had to be taught to respect the other races.
From these two cases, one can see that freedom of speech does not really allow a person to say of publish anything he or she wants. The limit to the freedom speech is the responsibility of the individual.
posted by Raylen at 9:31 PM
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