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Freedom of Expression or Hate Speech
Ibrahim Nawar
Is it Really Freedom of Expression or Hate Speech? By Ibrahim Nawar The saga of the Danish cartoons about the prophet of Muslims, Prophet Mohammed, is going on, seemingly with no end on sight. European and other Western newspapers are publishing the cartoons, arguing for freedom of expression. Muslims around the world are demonstrating against Danish embassies, boycotting Danish products and calling for revenge. Freedom of expression is in grave danger on both sides. Those who have published the cartoons have violated the feelings of Muslims allover the world, inciting hatred and negative feelings against them. Those in the Muslim world who have taken to the streets, burning Danish embassies and calling for revenge are politicizing the case without understanding that the Danish government has little to do with the accused paper. In democratic countries the government can't close down a newspaper or fire a journalist or order him or her to be put in prison. However, there are examples of state intervention in order to correct media discourse. In France more than a year ago, the French authorities ordered the closure of al-Manar TV in Europe. All European satellite service providers denied the channel access to broadcast in Europe. The argument against al-Manar was that the channel had violated the press code by inciting hatred against others and it should be cut off air on this ground. Freedom of expression is not a stream without banks. It has its own banks or borders that separate freedom from ciaos and distinguish between the right of someone and the violation of the right of some one else. In the UK the Press Complaint Committee has the right to investigate violations of freedom of expression and can order the correction of these violations. In Germany, Holland, Italy and other European countries, the press industry is not free in the sense that journalists can write anything. Western journalists know that they should not publish anti-Semitic materials otherwise they will be questioned and may be taken to court or perhaps sacked. Western journalists also know that they should not spread hate speech or call for violence. If a journalist in a democratic country has incited hatred against others or called for violence, he or she would be questioned by the industry watchdog and might be disciplined by the paper or the relevant media organization. The TV show host Kilroy Silk was sacked from the BBC about two years ago and his show was cancelled as he wrote an article that was seen as an insult to Arabs. Therefore, there are ways to deal with the Danish cartoons. What is equivalent to the Press Committee or Press Council in Denmark may take the initiative and call for a hearing about the disguised cartoons. The Muslim Council of Denmark or the Council of Arab and Muslim Ambassadors may submit the relevant complaint if the Press Council can't initiate the hearing. The case may be furnished on the ground of "incitement of hatred". The accused paper may defend itself. The Danish Muslim Community representatives may seek any form of apology, correction, compensation and/or ask for penalty by the relevant court. The accused newspaper should have known that any form of drawing or sculpturing of the Prophet Mohammed is forbidden and that the insult of the Prophet is the short way to provoke the feelings of more than one billion Muslims around the world, some of them live within the European borders and are European citizens. The issue of hate speech is a very serious and sensitive one for Muslims as well as believers of other religions. In a global world, multicultural societies must learn ways to deal with cultural differences. If we are to promote social harmony and peaceful coexistence between different races and cultures, media should understand these differences. Respect of other faiths and other cultures is the solid ground for social coherence and national peace. Those who provoke the feelings of others, who are different, are practically calling for social tension. The most dangerous consequence in our case, the case of Danish cartoons, is that it has provided religious fanatics and Muslim extremists with the ammunition that help them to mobilize masses behind them in the streets of Muslim capitals. This is not at all in the interest of humanity and will never help the coexistence and dialogue between civilizations. Muslims are living everywhere, in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. Don't ever mix them up with Bin Laden or with Zarqawi. If we do so, we will be pushing them to unite with these two fanatics. The anger in the Muslim world may be seen as nonsense by some people or groups in the West. They are mistaken. This Muslim anger has its own ground and will not be stopped by more confrontation. On the other hand, angry Muslims should know exactly what they are heading for. Is it for a holy war? Is it for revenge? Or is it for justice that may be achieved by real apology and to embark on a course of real understanding of Islam in the West. Islam is a religion of tolerance not revenge and Muslims are people of peace not of suicide bombs. Muslim councils, intellectuals, media organizations in Europe should play a role in presenting the true Islam to the people in the west. Western media, schools and universities also have an important role in educating people about Islam. There is a lot to be done in opening the gate of dialogue between the Muslim and the Western civilizations on the basis of respect of their differences and the promotion of the supreme human values of freedom fraternity and Justice. In the Arab world the crisis of the Danish cartoons has taken its toll. At least three newspapers, one in Egypt and two in Jordan have been punished for publishing the cartoons. Two editors of newspapers in Jordan have been sacked and one head of TV news in Algeria has been suspended. APFW is calling for those to be reinstated but may be taken to court and have a chance to defend themselves. Most of those who are demonstrating in the streets of Muslim capitals have not seen the drawings, a repetition to what had happened during the anger against Salman Rushdi, the author of the disguised book "satanic verses". Journalists should not be punished if their intentions were to inform their citizens about these disguised drawings. If there was any wrongdoing, then it should be dealt with through courts not by administrative orders. What to do next is the most practical question now. Muslims have the right to get angry of the disguised Danish cartoons. Their anger has turned to a real frustration as many Western newspapers are republishing these cartoons. As this anger may continue and may get more serious, all actions of provoking Muslims should be stopped. The accused Danish newspapers, Jyllands Posten should issue a clear apology to Muslims allover the world and may open one of its page for a dialogue with the Muslim community in Denmark and Muslims allover the world. Angry Muslim demonstrators should understand that the Danish government couldn’t close down the paper or jail its editor. If the Muslim Council of Denmark would like to take the paper to court, it may do so. Angry Muslims should make their demands clear and pursue the right way to achieve these demands. They may demand things other than the clear apology. Their leaders should speak up and tell the world what do they want. This anger, though it is legitimate, should have an end because it can’t continue forever. In the long run, the crisis of the Danish cartoons has proved the urgent need of a real understanding and dialogue inside Europe between different cultures that live side by side in European countries. Since 9/11 there has been a lot of talk about this dialogue and achieving better understanding and better relations between people of different cultures. Very little has been done in that respect. There are extremists on both sides, don’t give them a chance to dictate our future.
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Previous free speech & censorship stories
Religion and Freedom of the Press
CPBF response to the cartoons
Cover-ups, lies and censorship
CPBF response to the cartoons
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFJ call for debate as cartoons cost editor his job
All the news that doesn't fit
Gagging the truth
Borris Johnson vows 'I'll go to jail to print the truth'
UK paper gagged over Aljazeera memo
Freedom of Information Blockage
FoI training from the Campaign for Freedom of information
Journalists worldwide protest Canada's news lockout
Australia gets tough on journalists
Government to consult over Freedom of Information and the PCC
A law unto itself
Community Newspaper uses FoI Act
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Free Speech & Censorship
Religion and Freedom of the Press
CPBF response to the cartoons
Cover-ups, lies and censorship
CPBF response to the cartoons
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFJ call for debate as cartoons cost editor his job
All the news that doesn't fit
Gagging the truth
Borris Johnson vows 'I'll go to jail to print the truth'
UK paper gagged over Aljazeera memo
Freedom of Information Blockage
FoI training from the Campaign for Freedom of information
Journalists worldwide protest Canada's news lockout
Australia gets tough on journalists
Government to consult over Freedom of Information and the PCC
A law unto itself
Community Newspaper uses FoI Act
Open the Books!
Freedom of speech - the global challenge
IFEX handbook on free expression campaigns
A message from the McLibel two
Using FoI
Freedom At Last?
Congratulations
Lobbying, FoI and News International
