[lit-ideas] Re: Cartoon Rage vs Freedom of Speech

From: "Teemu Pyyluoma" <teme17@xxxxxxxxx>


> Something that gets lost in press coverage is that by
> no means are all Muslims mad. Quite a few here are, at
> the press for only interviewing Muslims that are
> foreing, preferably African, not intergrated into
> society, and hard line.

Yes.  Also Jordan has published the cartoons -- is that correct? -- and is
asking others ti calm down.


JE> > I forgot to say that free speech is one thing,
> > whingeing about its (non-Governmental) consequences,
> > another.
> >
> Fine except that I am not at all sure that it is
> non-governmental. It is the ambassadors of various
> Arab countries that kept pushing the issue with Danish
> government, that diplomacy isn´t a strong suite of
> Danish PM Rasmunsen further complicated things.

My point wasn't about this specific incident alone -- I failed to link my 2
posts.
Also by non-governmental I meant "action/reaction of and by citizens as
opposed to action by a government against one or more of its citizens"
(First Amendment again).  I.e. I wanted to make the point that free speech
protected by law may nonetheless have social costs and we should not
necessarily whinge about that.  (I am not a Christian. I don't insult my
Roman Catholic neighbours' religion. That isn't because of a
cost-calculation but if I did insult it I would not complain about any -- 
reasonable! -- costs I incurred.)


And, of course, you cannot ban the mosque
> in an Islamic country... Rulers like Anwar Sadat and
> Jordan's King Hussein often used Islamic groups to
> discredit the secular opposition." (Caught by
> Surprise. Again.
> http://fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/020606.html)
>
> Now maybe I am just paranoid, but it is just bit damn
> too convenient for your average Arab despot to have
> the crowds hating the foreigners for a while, and as a
> bonus they can yell "Blashphemy!" at any demands for
> free press.

Maybe, but I doubt they arranged for these cartoons to be published.


Judy Evans, Cardiff

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