Are there any limitations of freedom of expression in imaging sacred symbols or discussing religious concepts ?
Answer
Salaam aleikum, and thank you for inviting me to this site. I will try to answer the questions as well as I can.
This is a very big question, and forgive me for being long-winded. It can be viewed in two ways.
LEGALLY, when it comes to Denmark -- and many other countries in Europe -- there are almost no limitations. The principle of freedom of speech means that yes, one can discuss religious concepts, Christian or Muslim or any other, almost without limits.
If you specifically condemn PEOPLE -- for example portraying all Muslims as terrorists or Jews as pigs -- this would constitute racism. But portraying a religious image, as in this case, is not the same as saying that all believers are terrorists. That is the distinction the Danish courts are making.
ETHICALLY, these freedoms also demand a lot of self-justice. Being allowed to picture the Prophet (PBUH), for example, does not mean that one should. My own newspaper has condemned Jyllands-Posten for doing what they did. They COULD do it, but they SHOULDN'T have done it.
I hope this answers your question.
Name
Anna-Marie Shitter
- Malawi
Profession
Pathologist
Question
Muslims are notorious for having no sense of humor. This is but another example of a sorry religion that permits no personal joy and individualism. We must pity them; but not allow them to influence our freedom of press. Even Malawi affords us the right to read comic books about Muslims.
Answer
I don't agree. I have lived in many cities throughout the world and travelled extensively on four continents. And Cairo, where I live now, probably has the funniest and most joyful people I have ever had the joy to live between. No lack of humor here.
Think of the thing that would hurt you more than anything. Maybe it's something personal, something about your country, or something about your values and beliefs. Then imagine someone making fun of them in a newspaper. Would you like it?
If Muslims today are bit too sensitive about insults, it is in great part because they feel very threatened by the events of the last years in America, in Europe, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Palestine. This is very understandable.
Name
Poindexter
- Faroe Island
Profession
Question
Now that the civilized world is finally awake to see the ugly truth about Islamic fascism, do you believe that an economic boycott of Syria and Iran would get their attention or do not these people care?
Answer
When I was last on the Faroe Islands ten years ago, I marveled at how almost every young male would get completely pissed on Friday nights and go driving the mountain roads at top speed to impress each other and the girls, frequently getting into accidents. Is this what qualifies you to judge yourself better than the "uncivilized" Muslims?
Islamic fascism exists. So does Christian fascism. I believe both are to be avoided. And this does not happen by simply grouping all people of one country or faith together.
Name
Bilal
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
Is the Danish Media entity a diverse or an monolithic one?
Answer
It is quite diverse. Apart from the two main television stations and the main radio outlet, all media are privately owned. Even the state media are not under direct control of the state, and they don't work closely together.
Regarding newspapers, there are two major concerns that own, between them, about half of all the newspapers in Denmark, measured in circulation. But even within these two concerns, most of the individual papers have complete editorial freedom.
So yes, the total output is extremely diverse. We criticize each other almost as much as we criticize the government..
Name
Esther
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Do you think Danish Muslims acted wisely in taking the issue of the cartoons abroad? And now that other European publications have republished the images in solidarity and the debate has become increasingly antagonistic, what should be our way forward in order to best serve inter-community relations ?
Answer
It is hard for me to judge the Danish Muslims who did. By going on a trip abroad and discussing the issue, they acted completely in line with the democratic principles of my country. After all, if it were impossible to discuss something that offends you, democracy would very quickly break down. True democracy depends on debate.
That said, I know that some members of the delegations willingly spread malicious rumors -- like the one about Denmark wanting to issue an "edited Quran". That was so ridiculous an idea that anyone with the last knowledge of Denmark knew that it was an outright lie.
I fear that some members of the delegation willingly exaggerated the plight of Muslims in Denmark to further their own agenda. This saddens me. But as for discussing the issue abroad, I can see nothing wrong with that.
The way forward? We have never been in a situation like this before. And really, it is not about Denmark or those cartoons -- that's just the catalyst. It is about years of growing mistrust between two parts of the world.
I believe the only way out is dialogue, tolerance, and to STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AS "US" AND "THEM". I hate the ideas of Osama bin Laden, but I like almost all the Muslims I know. I hate the doctrines of extremists like Jean-Marie Le Pen of France, but I like almost all the Christians I know.
Don't generalize. The world is too big for that
Name
Samida
-
Profession
Question
Mr. Hannestad,
Do you not agree with me that there is a great deal of ambiguity regarding the use of terms such as freedom of expression and what constitutes a violation of it?
To clarify my question, for example, in your answer to an earlier question you said that it would be illegal for a newspaper to label all Jews as pigs or Muslims as terrorists, and that addressing one religious symbol is not enough to make a case. There are two points I would like to point to:
1. In many clear instances, an attack on a single Jewish, and in many cases Israeli, person is usually enough for charges of anti-Semitism.
2. The incident of the cartoons was not an act of criticism or expression of opinion, it was pure vilification and direct insult. That does not count as a demonstration of the right to free speech, and if it did, then it is merely an irresponsible act, carried out by people who do not deserve the freedom many have fought years with serious endeavor to earn.
Answer
1. Certainly, this is true. But that does not mean that it is illegal. I, myself, have been heavily criticized by the Zionist lobby in Denmark for some of my articles. They have not been retracted for that reason.
There are many attacks on Jews or on the policies of the state of Israel in Denmark. They are just not reported in the Arab world. Therefore, many Arabs erroneously conclude that only Muslims are under attack.
2. I think it is time that I explain the background of the cartoons, because I believe that many readers here do not know it.
A Danish author wanted to write a textbook about Muhammed (PBUH) for use in the Danish schools. Not a bad idea, I think -- assuming the book is fair. To my knowledge, he had no bad intentions with the book. He decided that it would be incomplete without a picture. However, several cartoonists refused -- out of fear of extremists.
The newspaper Jyllands-Posten heard about this and decided it was odd than in the whole universe of human history, one person is above being portrayed. They decided to ask some cartoonists to draw him, simply to make a point that noone -- including the Muslim prophet -- can be above discussion or portrayal.
Many said no, but 12 cartoonists responded. Incidentally, a few of them were making fun at Jyllands-Posten's request; one of them, for example, drew a schoolboy in Denmark, who happened to be called Muhammed -- not the Prophet (PBUH) himself. Others were very respectful. A few were satirical. Not out of malice, but that is how cartoons of all people -- politicians, businesspeople, cultural or religious personalities, including Jesus -- are drawn in Denmark.
I truly believe that neither the newspaper or the cartoonists had thought the issue through. None of them had any idea how insulted Muslims would be.
I was very angry with the newspaper when I heard about the drawings in October. I thought the whole exercise stupid and provocative. And yes, as you write, irresponsible. But it was not necessarily deliberate vilification. This is important to remember. The editors of Jylland-Posten are not an incarnation of Iblis. They are humans like the rest of us, and humans sometimes make mistakes. In this case a big one.
Name
H. Toadstool
- New Zealand (Aotearoa)
Profession
Lecturer in Female Anatomy
Question
How should a person of my background respond to enquiries from my Muslim students when they ask why freedom of the press and freedom of expression are so important in a society that values personal liberties and freedoms?
Answer
You should, I think, respond that the two cannot be separated. The freedom to discuss anything openly is exactly what guarantees personal liberties. A society which does not have free discussion is almost always totalitarian in nature, and if it isn't it will quickly degenerate into it.
The freedom to discuss anything, to question anything, is exactly what ensures that a society and its individuals will remain free.
Name
BIG MAMA
- Jamaica
Profession
POET
Question
MY LATEST POEM -- Greetings from the sandy beaches of the sunny Caribbean . . . where we are shocked, and shocked again . . . but we are not surprised by this or that howitzer . . . no sir . . . no sir . . . neither wind nor hurricane nor darkness of night do prevent us from saying point blank . . . no Arabs will tell us what to think.
Answer
Good for you. Don't let any Europeans tell you what to think, either. Make up your own mind.
Name
Kamal
- Nigeria
Profession
Question
Is the Danish media a value – free zone?
Answer
Absolutely not. But the values are not necessarily the same as in Nigeria.
I have refrained from writing several articles because I knew that writing them, I could hurt people or bring them into danger. I have changed identities when reporting from Saddam Hussein's Iraq because I knew they could face imprisonment if their identity was known. I have shied away from issues of personal honor and group honor in both Denmark and other places. And my editors have supported me.
Danish media are not immoral -- even though it might look like that right now, seen from the Muslim world. And I believe that Jyllands-Posten was genuinely surprised to see how hurt Muslims were over the cartoons.
But the values in Denmark are, as I said, different. Satire is common. Politicians, business people, cultural people are used to being held responsible and criticized. I cannot even begin to mention the number of times Jesus has been ridiculed in the Danish media, in jokes, in theatre plays, et cetera. This does not automatically make Danish society better or worse -- just different.
Name
Sarah
-
Profession
Question
Do you think common ground between those who defend an absolute form of 'freedom of speech', including the right to insult, and those who wish to maintain a certain level of respect for the sacred can ever be achieved, or is the current debate a cul-de-sac that can only be resolved when one of the parties abandons its principles?
Answer
An excellent question -- which means I don't know what the answer is.
The conflict between the absolute right to say what you think, and the right of others to be respected, is eternal, I think.
What I do hope is that every time a conflict occurs, we all get a little bit wiser. Which means that the offender realizes that he was offensive and learns some more humility -- and the offended part accepts that maybe it was not meant in malice and evil, and questions whether the offense was really so bad.
Name
Azim
- United Kingdom
Profession
Customer Services
Question
Asalamolkum
What is exactly Freedom Of Speech/Expression according to Islam and also Secular West?
Answer
Sorry, the first part is too hard for me. I have read the Quran and large parts of the Sunna, but I could not begin to define Islamic freedom-of-expression values.
In the West, I would say: The right to express any fact and any opinion within certain legal limits, such as avoiding racism or slander.
Since there is little or no censure in the West, we have the courts to decide where the limits go. And that can be pretty hard at times.
Name
Falcon
-
Profession
Question
Could the redistribution of anti-Prophet cartoon material by other European newspapers be, because it is directed against Islam? In other words, would the newspapers reproduce the material if it was anti-Jewish? If no, why not? If yes, can you please provide some examples?
Thanks,
Answer
There are no examples in recent history of anything quite like this, I think.
I don't know why the other editors reprinted the cartoons. But my guess, knowing a lot of other journalists and editors all over Europe, would be that they DID see it as an issue of freedom of expression -- not Islam-bashing.
A hypothetical example: If a Danish newspaper had written a story about the Echelon intelligence system made by the US, and it had been censored by the government, I am completely sure that other European media would have jumped in, trying to reprint the story to show support for their Danish colleagues. Simply because newspapers consider themselves loyal when other newspapers are in trouble on fundamental press freedom issues.
Would it have happened if it was anti-Jewish? History tells us that this is possible. The story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the horrible false book invented by the Russian secret police around 1900, was circulated widely in Western media in the next 20 years despite many attempts from Jewish interest groups to block it.
Remember that the pictures were not reprinted until four months after publication. At this time, the campaign against Denmark was massive, there were attacks on employees of a Danish firm in Saudi Arabia, and the Danish newspaper received bomb threats. If the other papers ONLY wanted to defame Islam, don't you think they could have done it earlier? No, my guess is that they actually were motivated by the principle of freedom of speech.
Name
Evan
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I live here in London. We recently have had a protest with young Muslim men and women holding placards and chanting slogans that in effect, incite murder and hatred which as far as I know is illegal. Isn't it double standards that if I was to march through the streets holding placards and chanting slogans saying 'Islam is evil' or 'bomb the shit out of Muslim countries' I would be called racist and fascist and so on. I think its about time that Muslim people all over the world woke up to the fact that the west has its own laws and religions and ways of life and that you cant come here and dictate to us how we should live. You are originally not from here and therefore guests in these countries, we welcome you to live here and assimilate, but if this is your attitude then you are not welcome and should made to feel so.
Answer
Those posters were horrible. They were about violence and hatred -- all that true Islam is not. But according to the BBC report I saw, they were the expression of a minority, and I particularly liked the young Muslim man who said the same as you: It is about time that the majority of Muslims, who are moderate, woke up and tried to retake the headlines from the extremists. This is a Muslim responsibility.
Name
Muslim
- Lybia
Profession
Question
Salam Sir,
Arabs are Semites so the Anti-Semitism Law Law should be applied in this case.....What do you think? maybe people need to re think what semitic really means...
Answer
It is a good linguistic point, but it is purely semantic. As far I know, the word "anti-Semitic" was invented about 130 years ago by a German preacher and it has always been intended specifically as meaning anti-Jewish. So it doesn't mean anti-Arab, even though it is easy to think so.
Name
Danishcitizen
- Denmark
Profession
Question
Hi,
I was looking at Jyllands posten logo and there is a david star on top...have you noticed this?
Answer
It is not a Star of David, as far as I know. I always thought it looked more like the drawing of an atom, electrons buzzing around the core.
Don't read too much into symbols. For many years, there was a rumor that the founder of New York Times chose the newspaper's name because "Times" is "Semite" backwards -- e.g. it was pro-Jewish.
It is always tempting to find hidden meanings that were never there.
Name
Rachel
-
Profession
Question
Thank you for your comments. Hw do you feel the Danish public have understood the reaction of the Muslim world to the cartoons? Do you think it will lead to further misunderstandings and polarization?
Answer
I am afraid so. The Danes have reacted pretty much like most other people would -- on TV, they have seen armed people screaming at them, seen Danish flags burned, and the embassy in Damascus torched. Just now, the Danish consulate in Beirut was set on fire.
So now they are scared, and many of them are now making the same mistake that many Muslims did: They think that ALL Muslims are out to get them. I have been on Danish radio, saying: No, this is not so, many Muslims are angry over the cartoons but they are sensible and don't punish all Danes for something done by a few.
Punishing the many over the faults of a few is a sure way to escalate things and to frighten and alienate those who wanted be your friends.
Name
Eve
- Indonesia
Profession
Question
What should Muslims do in protesting against the insulting cartoons?
Answer
Anything peaceful, really. Violence only makes things worse. And I cannot find any justification for it except in the most extreme interpretation of Islam.
A couple of fatwas renouncing violence and urging calm from respected scholars would be nice.
Name
Den
-
Profession
Question
We have two statements here from some guys full of insults and slander, yet no Muslim is insulting them. Is this what you Zionists call freedom of speech?.
You can't insult a people and expect not to be insulted back and attacked. Throughout history you worms have done the same thing, you attack first than you claim to be the victim.
you own your "civilization" to Islam, Arabs and Muslims, if you knew a little about history. I wonder how much they pay scrums to infiltrate forums like this. Btw I am European White, by race. ( Please don't edit my post )
Question to the guest:
Who do you think is behind this, it is known although not everyone wants to talk about it, that only a handful of people control this media outlasts throughout the world. They so happen to be Zionists Jews in most cases and in others people who are sympathetic to them. I had a Rabbi ( from the Naturai karta movement )
showing to me how much they control from the media. Is it a case where they are trying to push a global war against Arab nations, they have done it in the past and is no secret they can do it again. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Answer
*sigh*
The story of how the evil Jews control the whole world's media is so old that I know it is futile for me to argue against it. I will try anyway: I have never, ever, seen any kind of proof of this. Ever. Anywhere. But I know that a lot of Muslims and Arabs like to think so.
What we DO have is that SOME Jewish financiers and lobbyists are extremely good at getting their message out. This is called professionalism. And it would be smart of the Arabs to learn from them, if they want to do the same. Remember, if you add the wealth of the Arabs together, it is vastly greater than the wealth of Jews.
I know many journalists on so-called Jewish-owned newspapers in America and Europe. I have never heard that they were censored by these -- strangely enough always unnamed -- evil Jewish owners.
You may call me naive. But I would prefer if you came up with some proof.
Name
Hassan
-
Profession
Question
I must disagree when you say that there is no similar case in recent history. France, the Netherlands and the EU as a whole has taken action to ban stations like al-Manar and Sahar TV over what they see as anti-Semitic material. The broadcast of such items is also freedom of expression, is it not. This is merely a case of different rules for different groups of the population. Arab and Muslim media should take a collective step to protect their rights and freedom to publish their viewpoints any where in the world.
Answer
Your example is correct, but it is not the same thing. The TV stations were giving racist or violent comments, and as I have said earlier, there are laws in place to ensure that freedom of expression do not lead to racism.
The Danish cartoons do not advocate violence or say anything about all Muslims. I don't like the cartoons. But when I see a cartoon of President Bush throwing grenades or killing children, I don't claim that this shows all Americans are evil.
Name
Hajar
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Do you agree with the way Muslims reacted to the cartoon issue?
Answer
This will be my final input, because my time is up. Thank you for reading and for taking part with many good questions.
I think the reaction by SOME people has been blown out of proportion. I condemn violence in all forms, including attacks on people and burning of embassies.
But the most reactions I have seen have been ones like the ones I have seen in this debate -- often affronted, by also calm and reasonable. I respect this and encourage it. Otherwise, how would the Danish editors understand how much they have insulted innocent people?
Discussion is always welcome. I could do without the murder threats.
