The Value of Free Speech
“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle
to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” M. Gandhi
Looking at the
world today, there is one unique civil right that is preserved in our country
that is unlike many other countries – the right of free speech. With the world
focusing on the “denigration of religions” we are fortunate to enjoy such a
right protected by our Constitution. Today, there are many instances where such
behavior as speaking out against popular ideologies, theologies or political
rhetoric is a criminal offense with some facing the death penalty for doing so.
There is a fever
in the world today to criminalize denigration of religions in our world and it
has prompted strong statements of support from people in our own government
that carries with it threats of incarceration and prosecution of federal laws
designed to prevent hate crimes. Unfortunately, such rhetoric has been
presented in a very biased manner as it appears to favor one religion over many
others.
During a speech at
the United Nations somewhere on or about September 25, 2012, our own president Barak
Obama, said, “The future must not
belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. But to be credible, those who
condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see in the images of Jesus Christ
that are desecrated, or churches that are destroyed, or the Holocaust that is
denied.”
This was
approximately a little more than a year after the Cairo Islamic Summit that
viewed that any religion should not be denigrated and focused on the strategy
to impress on international communities to take effective measures against such
acts of incitement of hatred and intolerance towards the Muslims and acts that
lead to violence and loss of lives.
One has to notice
that Islamophobia was a
high priority on the agenda of this July, 2011, summit. This issue was adopted universally
and globally through a framework of the United Nations’ international law which
states in part: “Article 20 of ICCPR, clearly states that denigration of
symbols or persons sacred to any religion is a criminal offence. This law
ratifies OIC's position and the only remaining problem is the absence of
enforcement in the true spirit by member states.”
It was claimed
that this law was not effectively transposed to the domestic laws of the United
States thus recently, our own attorney general, Loretta Lynch, stated in part
during a public speech held on December 3, 2015 “"The fear
that you have just mentioned is in fact my greatest fear as a prosecutor,
as someone who is sworn to the protection of all of the American people, which
is that the rhetoric will be accompanied by acts of violence,"
Obviously our country was founded on freedom of
speech. However, this right to freedom of speech is limited when it incites
violence. The attorney general stated that she would take actions and
investigate acts of anti-Muslim hatred and bigoted actions suggesting that free
speech does not protect predicated talks of violence. She capped her speech by stating,
“I think it’s important that as we again talk about the importance of free
speech we make it clear that actions predicated on violent talk are
not America," said Lynch. "They are not who we are, they are not what
we do, and they will be prosecuted."
American have learned
from our own experiences that freedom of speech is a path to respect human
rights as well as civil rights. Let us hope our government does not enforce
such laws selectively and seek to go against liberty through the means of
tyranny and target non-Muslims for invoking their freedom of speech without
inciting violence but rather more clearly, stating the truth of our government.
The recent emphasis
on protecting the rights of Muslims, specifically those who are arriving as
refugees and coming to America has been covered with an executive order type of
political shield or blanket of assurances that prosperity, spiritual growth and
development shall be guaranteed by our government as they assist, assimilate
and foster re-settlement strategies to make these Muslims feel at home inside
America.