Monday, February 06, 2006

Religion sucks. So does freedom of expression.



Article 19 of the Declaration of 'Human Rights' stipulates that:

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Does it follow then that one can publicly reject the holocaust , because one simply holds the opinion that it was a jews conspiracy? Will this count as 'the right to freedom of opinion and expression'? 'Slavery was justified because Black people do not count as humans'. Would it be ok if somebody voices that opinion through the established media? Would 'the right to freedom of opinion and expression' support this? Where does 'the right to freedom of opinion and expression' stop? After God, the prophet Muhammed is the most revered figure in Islam. Muslims have an extremely high deference for their prophet. Expressing an opinion, be it a cartoon or an accademic essay, that degrades this highly regarded person is wrong(above picture). Who chooses what 'the right to freedom of expression' covers? The West? Like the custom-made 'declaration of human rights' created to impose, implicitly or explicitly a Western value system on the world.
Article 18 of the same declaration says:

'Everyone has the right...to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance'.
Does article 19 have more authority than Article 18? Religion disciplines and structures people lives. But it also exerts a powerful hold on their thinking. Not my cup of tea. But the so-called freedom of expression should not be a licence to insult or offend others.

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