T!W7 task 5 freedom of speech

“How far should an individual be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech?”

“One man's cartoon can be another man's crime.” All along, most democracies have repeatedly asserted their right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression as part of their guiding principles in society as epitomized by Denmark's Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, statement that 'Of course the principle of freedom of expression is the most important principle for us. This is our priority number one.’ There should be a limit to an individual should be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech so as to ensure that this freedom of speech does not affect others adversely.

Moreover, freedom of speech is widely accepted as a basic right of individuals and countries likewise. As such, we should allow people to make a reasonable amount of criticism against unfair practices. It is also one of the guiding principles of democracy. In many European countries, freedom of speech is highly regarded. Also, there is constant feedback from the people for different policies so that they can be improved to benefit people further.

Freedom of speech generally promotes plurality and diversity of opinions in a society. By imposing restrictions on speech, a system of oppression is essentially created. This is not conducive for advancement of society. To encourage a diversity of opinions in society is also a step towards minimizing discontentment in society. Underlying tensions might build up and cause disastrous effects if freedom of speech is overtly restricted and the government and general public is unaware of problems that they need to set right. Only with the freedom of speech to speak up against unfavourable current policies or situations can there be hope of improvement.

Freedom of speech gives people and organizations the support required for exposing misdoings and this is desirable. The basic principle of freedom of speech in democracies protects individuals and organizations who ‘blow the whistle’ on unjust practices carried out by higher authority. In this aspect, freedom of speech is essential for providing people with the courage to spill the beans so as to refine existing practices or eliminate unjust practices for the advancement of society. For example, if there was no freedom of speech, Newsweek, an American magazine, would not have been able to expose to the world the humiliating torture of Iraqi prisoners by the American army without facing persecution. The publication led to the subsequent censure of the Army and further investigations to stop such barbaric behaviour.

However, too excessive freedom might bring about repercussions. As such, freedom of speech should be curtailed when it has negative effects on groups of people or countries. In this increasingly globalized world, there is rapid transfer and exchange of ideas. We should be more sensitive to areas of speech that might insult other people’s beliefs, and in the case of the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, blasphemy to a religion, Islam, as what we say can have a wide impact. What is acceptable by Western standards might be contentious in the Muslim world. The problem with the cartoons are that not only do they go against Muslim law that disallows the prophet to be depicted, but they even depict the Prophet, a sacred figure Islam, as a terrorist. To the Muslims, it is seen as a trampling on their beliefs and their rights as in a way, they think that they are being viewed as 2nd-class and not respected in the European society. As such, this has resulted in a violent upheaval in numerous countries, Danish goods being boycotted and Danes in Muslim countries receiving death threats.

The Danish cartoons incident serves not only as a grim reminder of the lack of understanding between the Western world and the Islamic religion but also of the urgent need for every individual to exercise caution in his speech and be sensitive to others’ feelings.