Freedom of press is a very difficult issue and often we can find certain articles to be re-edited or adjusted, not to say censored, for the safety of an ongoing action. In lot of newspapers and on television-stations we often can see the propaganda material bulking over the edges of the beaker.
Media is not totally free, but should have most of the time have enough liberty to criticise what it sees happening in the world.
The US one of the most liberal democracies has substantial censorship on what is published and with many newspapers, magazines and television stations we can see too much the connection with one or the other political party or certain lobby (like the weapon lobby)
Every editor and management has to make choices which line to draw and which direction to go. That even New York Times did not go on to publish the image in the Charlie Hebdo magazine that incited the terrorists, so it doesn’t enrage its Muslim public audience, does not mean that it was not free to publish whatever it wanted. Each organisation should also have the liberty to chose the ethics to which it wants to adhere, and by doing that sometimes having to censor certain items or pictures.
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To remember:
- people who are feared should get their senses together and try to understand the satire and the news, and not overreact.
- We will all be hypocrites if we morn on the instance and we do not defend the freedom of press, and if we defend freedom of press, but do not defend the freedom of people who do not align on our religious belief.
- People need to learn to adapt.
- their will always be people who would not align with their beliefs and probably end up making fun of them
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What is beginning to emerge is that the Islamist terrorists were motivated by their support for the Islamist State, rather than their outrage at the cartoon. Islam has a belief in the ‘Umma’, the world community of the faithful, but what these people want is to establish a Medieval caliphate. That’s why France has been targeted, because its form of secularism makes a clear distinction between church and state, which most Christians, Muslims and Jews would support. However, what ‘the faithful’ need is a reassertion that secularism is not militant atheism, but is supportive of our right to hold to and practice our religion, publicly as well as privately.
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Thank you very much for your good comment.
The secularism and keeping religion separate from administrative and organisational matters for the human living conditions is, as you in a certain way indicate, something certain religious groups should come to comprehend not excluding people to live according to their own beliefs. The freedom presented by the revolutionary idea of the 19° century century, wanting to keep politics and religion independent of each other, just secures the safety of freedom of thought and handling in each religious or atheist group, avoiding any political intermingling endangering the pure religious teachings.
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I think there is an anomaly in France, though, because the state funds some activities of the Catholic faith, and recognises certain of its ‘holidays’, while at the same time outlawing some evangelical Christian activities and Muslim practices. As a Christian, I was on the sharp end of this when I lived in France, and heard a French commentator talking about the unequal application of ‘licetée’ this morning I think we need a Europe-wide review as to how to build a genuine multiculturalism through inter-cultural dialogue, including humanist perspectives. My ancestors, Huguenot refugees and Baptists, were among the first ‘secularist’ Christians in Britain, and the Cromwellian view of ‘liberty for the tender-hearted’ of course pre-dates the French Revolutionary values, valuable though they have been. Cromwell also re-admitted the Jews to Britain. Toleration was never an absolute value though, but part of C17th scientific rationalism – everything solid has its breaking point, including human beings.
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I do agree the French state measures with two weights and the different Christians are not treated equally. We as non-trinitarian Christians and finding we do have to follow the task Jesus has given us, to preach, are in France not allowed to preach on the streets, and like the Jehovah Witnesses may not do any billing.
As you say we need to make serious work of a Europe-wide review as to how to build a genuine multiculturalism. Those who have contacts with politicians should bring them under pressure to do so.
The way to freedom of speech, thought and religion still has to go a long way. We are not yet there.
Are or were you also a non-trinitarian Baptist (like I was)?
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Interesting to see the ‘offensive’ cartoon. Can’t retweet though…
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Perhaps you can try again or tweet it from the article itself.
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