Thursday, February 02, 2006
The right to freedom of expression
So how free are the free press? As a reaction to Jyllands-Posten's cartoons page depicting the Prophet Mohammed, Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador in Copenhagen, Libya closed its embassy altogether and the newspapers offices were evacuated due to a bomb threat. Boycotts and death threats are also flooding in.
What on paper seemed like quite an amusing competition where the newspaper asked Danish cartoonists to draw Muhammad as they imagined him has backfired in spectacular fashion.
Its wrong to see these latest spurts of unrest as a world wide Muslim phenomenon. Further it is wrong to see the reactions all within the extremist responses that newspapers have seized upon. Bravely and honourably the Jordanian al-Shihan newspaper reprinted three of the cartoons. It called for "Muslims of the world be reasonable,". Further it made the constructive and thought provoking statement that:
"What brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?" (BBC news)
I think what is going on at the moment is farcical. However I can understand why people would be offended by such cartoons one of which shows Muhammad's turban as a bomb with a lit fuse. Another depicts Muhammad turning away suicide bombers from heaven because "We have run out of virgins". The problem is that its one thing to voice ones criticisms over the cartoons, but its another to turn to violence and death threats.
If anyone is interested you can see the pictures at:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_drawings.jpg
However please do not look if you are likely to be offended.
Onto the question of the day! Should newspapers have exercised self-censorship or is there a defining right to freedom of expression?
# posted by Rob @ 3:55 pm 
