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« Shouting Loud for Fouad!so simple, yet so sweet! »

Are we ready for freedom of speech?

  • By: Qwaider

  • On:Monday, January 07, 2008 3:00:41 AM
  • In:Thoughts
  • Viewed: (26392) times

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    freedom of speech
    The title of this post was an interesting question in one of the comments I received. Are we, as Arabs, Muslims, Middle easterners ready for the heavy weight of this responsibility called "Freedom of speech".

    According to all our totalitarian regimes, we are not. According the the US government who continues to support and back dictatorships of the regions, we are not. Now the issue is back to us as individuals. ARE WE READY?

     

    If you asked the Czar or Russia right before the bolshevik revolution if he thought people are ready to become a republic he would probably have said NO

    If you asked Louis XVI right before his head bounced into the bucket below the guillotine if people are ready he would have probably said NO.

    Freedom of speech is the right of every human to ever walk the face of this planet. It's not given or bestowed. It's NEVER given it's only taken, demanded and enjoyed by true free citizens

    It's so strange to see the prophet and his successors (the Khalifs) acknowledge, honor, guarantee and tolerate this freedom in their time, while we as Arabs, 1400 years later think we're still not ready on the fears that it will be complete chaos due to that.

    Sadly, freedom of speech is only taboo in certain areas, while everything else, is free and public. It just depends on the type of hypocritical regime you have. Here are some examples of items that are not banned by the lack of freedom of speech.

    1. A Saudi man asking to award men who beat their wives 1000 Riyals
    2. A Jordanian minister, mayor or representative asking to burn and kick out all Palestinians
    3. A Syrian official calling every one a traitor
    4. An Arabic household asking for the torture of their Srilankan maid to force her to confess to the missing jewelry
    5. A Lebanese producer fighting for the right to show nude models (as long as they appear in the back ground of the video clip)
    6. An Egyptian cleric, issuing a Fatwa allowing rape of minor girls
    7. An American writer can call for the nuking of all the Islamic holly shrines

    These examples are not subject to freedom of speech, they're allowed and maybe sometimes even encouraged!

    One day, we will all be able to see the world for what it is, and free our minds of the prison that has been placed on our eyes to convert us from humans, the most noble of all creations to simple gears in the ugly industrial machine. Always spinning, and never getting anywhere!

    Other Memories Documented on January 07
    « Shouting Loud for Fouad!so simple, yet so sweet! »

    Memories....

    Power corrupts,so absolute power means absolute corruption...
    There is no such thing as learning freedom, there is acceptance of the "other" which can be learned..Time is the factor here along with education...

    Unless we fight for our freedom, we don't deserve it.

    Divide and conquer, cooptation, coercion and hungering people alongside with the politics of fear is things our "leaders" are experts at..

    Salam
    • #2
    • masalha1
    • Windows Internet Explorer
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 7:56:05 AM
    Qwaider,
    Lets take Jordan as an example here, before we demand that right which is protected by the constitution which gets violated daily by the very  people who suppose to be protecting it ( i.e., the government ) people should learn tolerance first, accepting and respecting the others, take Jordanians vs palestinians issue, there are IGNORANTS on both sides and after 50 years of living together and melting into each others, people still fall into the government's scare, divide and conquer tactics, people are still not willing to accept others, and not willing to learn from recent history and tolerate each others, gevernments live and survive on our differences, and unless we sort out these differences and begin to understand that we all in this together, and your palestinian nieghbour is no different in any shape or form or loyalty than your Jordanian nieghbour, we will always be deprived of that right, because we always give the government the excuse and reasoning to take that right away from us.       
    ok first off the pic is creepy. second, I don't think we are ready for the ultimate freedom, simply because not everybody wants it. funny enough there are people who don't want the change or are just scared of the change.
    • #4
    • Dave
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:06:15 AM
    Everyone wants to be able to say what they like, but many of those same people are not willing to hear what is being said in return.  I second Masalha's statement: freedom of speech begins with tolerance, something that many people in this culture has little of.

    For example, if I am a proponent of freedom of speech, I have to accept the fact that everything that will be said will not be personally acceptable.  For instance, many people use freedom of speech to blast God or Jesus, which is personally offensive to me as a Christian.  And while I may not like it, I must respect the fact that they have the right to say...and believe...what they like.  As a tolerant person, my only recourse is to exercise my freedom of speech in return.

    On the other hand, we just finished hearing about a debacle in Sudan about a teddy bear named Mohammad.  This, and similar instances, generally include violence and physical action as a result of intolerance to what is being said.
    • #5
    • hamza
    • Windows Internet Explorer
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:40:49 AM
    ooh..I am the visitor of the day. Thanks :)

    We are not ready for freedom of speech. But at the same time, we should not totally open it for everyone because it will cause chaos.
    I suggest that freedom of speech should be considered relative to a combination of factors such as a person's IQ and authority/power they have.
    • #6
    • Maha
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:49:44 AM
    We are waiting for our rights to be handed to us by shady governments, OUR shady governments from OUR people. We produce the idiocracies that rule us, willingly giving up all our rights, and we now asking for the right to bitch about it...we are not ready, and we don't deserve it.
    THIS IS ONE GREAT POST!!!
    An incredibly expressive picture says it all.
    No, we're not ready for freedom of speech because we barb wire our mouths with two six hundred feet tall fences of what WE and only WE think is right towards others mainly, which varies from too lame to excessively sick! and the fear of judgment.
    Who ever expresses his TRUE mind will be hit by a thousand tomatoes and stones.
    The day the fear of being thrown at and the fear of listening to what ever is different STOPS...the day we'll be ready!
    "We produce the idiocracies that rule us, willingly giving up all our rights"

    WRONG! Jordanians, like all people, have among them good honorable Jordanians and corrupt Jordanians. The regime choses to surround itself with the sort of Jordanians hat reflect its values. And when the regime chooses, WE jordanains are not asked for our opinion. We have no choice the "idiocracies that rule us" so I have no ideas where you come up with the part that we do so "willingly giving up all our rights"

    From rigged elections, to a joke of a constitution, Jordanians have no say whatsoever in charting their own destiny and in how they are being being ruled. The Americans and before them the British decided.

    Dave, the level of tolerance of opposite views in Jordan is similar to that in US if not better.  So please stop blowing smoke. If I speak up against Israel in US I will pay dearly. If I speak up in support of Arab resistance, I will be called supporter and sympathizer of terrorism and I will lose my job and I will be blacklisted. Fact is, there is more tolerance of opposing views in Jordan than there is in USA. As a matter of fact, you will find israeli and American war criminals roaming the streets of Arab countries like Jordan  without much protest. But someone from Hamas or Hizboullah will be locked without charges in Guantanemo-like conditions in US or Israel.

    So please, I beg you, don't judge us. you have not earned the right to do so. you are responsible for some of the worst violations of human rights in the middle east, directly or indirectly. And you have not even condemned them. I find that extremely troubling.
    Dave the American Philosopher said " freedom of speech begins with tolerance, something that many people in this culture has little of."

    Dave, the level of tolerance of opposite views in Jordan is similar to that in US if not better.  So please stop blowing smoke. If I speak up against Israel in US I will pay dearly. If I speak up in support of Arab resistance, I will be called supporter and sympathizer of terrorism and I will lose my job and I will be blacklisted. Fact is, there is more tolerance of opposing views in Jordan than there is in USA. As a matter of fact, you will find israeli and American war criminals roaming the streets of Arab countries like Jordan  without much protest. But someone from Hamas or Hizboullah will be locked without charges in Guantanemo-like conditions in US or Israel.

    So please, I beg you, don't judge us. you have not earned the right to do so. you are responsible for some of the worst violations of human rights in the middle east, directly or indirectly. And you have not even condemned them. I find that extremely troubling.
    Jouraan. I'm an American in Jordan too. A guest. I love living here. If I criticize the government publicly, my husband loses his job, we are deported and we are also blacklisted (I know this, as an article I wrote actually broke the Jordanian press law on two counts, so said my editor. I've wanted to write some articles about what Christians have gone through in Jordan in the last year, but was advised not to if I want to stay in this country. So, I self-censor.

    I think you need to re-define tolerance. I speak up against regularly against Israel's human rights violations in America. Even in print. Even with Zionists. No one has said a word. Well, one guy said I had Stockholm syndrome. :)

    What would help this region be better prepared for freedom of speech is to understand that we can disagree without  lowering ourselves to name-calling and personal attack of those who have a different belief or opinion. Nothing will change as long as this is business as usual.
    Kinzi,
    "No one has said a word"
    It is not because they are open, it's because your voice have no impact. Be sure that if you have followers and many people started listening to you, you will be silenced(you know Anti-semitic)..

    In my own school a jewish professor was denied tenure and also was removed because of his views...

    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/arts/11depa.html?ex=1339214400&en=ed585a1989381dc7&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

    The states are becoming more like us, which is sad.Lets just hope that the american people will be able to make the right choice in the next elections...
    • #12
    • Dave
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 5:38:29 PM
    Jouraan, accusing me of being responsible for human rights violations in the Middle East is akin to me accusing you of being responsible, directly or indirectly, for terrorist attacks.  You see how ridiculous that argument is?  And you have never met me, so you can't possibly know what I stand for or my thoughts on US foreign policy.

    Also you claim that tolerance levels in Jordan are similar to those in the US.  As Kinzi stated, that statement is a bit of a stretch.  And I hope you've lived in multiple countries as I have, including the US, in order to back up your claims.

    And as a proponent of free speech, I accept your differing views (even if I don't agree with your accusations) without resorting to name calling or slurs.slurs
    It's so painful to read our own arguments against other people. If we can't tolerate "others" in a simple discussion, and most of us are not even decision makers, ,then how, for the love of god, how are we going to expect governments to harbor tolerance for free speech?

    It appears to me as if the whole world, not just our puny little splash on map, is not ready for free speech.

    But we should never stop trying. That's what we must do
    • #14
    • Jafra
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 6:27:43 PM
    q, in a democracy everyone is a decision maker. in the US, those decisions killed, uprooted, and maimed millions of Arabs. your comments about tolerance are misplaced.

    kinzi, why do you complain about repression in jordan when it's your democratically elected governments who support and protect and bless the actions of our regime and other despotic, failed Arab regimes.
    • #15
    • Jafra
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 6:30:06 PM
    one more thing Q, lets not pretend if a Nazi or fascist or racist or zionist wanted to share his views that we have to be tolerant of killers. phuleeeezzze. there is NOT a fine line between naiveté and liberalism.
    Jafra, if everyone who is a from a country that represses others shouldn't complain, then we will all be silent. Oppression is what human beings do when in power.

    Mohanned, I actually have quite a voice and quite an audience. And, I should add I have had many heated arguments, and have changed some minds.   No one has ever said a word about "firing" me over it, should be a better way of putting it.

    I, too, hope for a better outcome in the next election.
    • #17
    • Dave
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 7:56:36 PM
    Jafra, in a Democracy, the majority is the decision maker...not everyone.  Majority only needs to be slightly more than 50%, which means that, potentially, nearly half of the people may not be responsible for the actions of others.
    • #18
    • Jafra
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 8:14:04 PM
    dave, if you are a US or Israeli citizen, you are liable. if you don't like this system, go live in Canada or somewhere else. you can't have your cake and eat it too. and since there is no legal proof of how each person voted, i guess it's absurd to speak of anyone's guilt or innocence from the war crimes. don't ask people to cut you slack you never cut others you have caused serious harm to. how many Afghanis perished who had no say in the Taliban? same for Iraqis. but don't feel bad, as a jordanian, i am held responsible for shameful behavior of my government. and i have no say whatsoever. that's life.
    Freedom of speech is a right. It's not something that you wait to be given. You just practice it. It's your goddamn right people!

    It doesn't matter if you want to speak in support of Hitler, Maotsetung, Stalin, abortion or against god. People don't have to accept what you say. It's just like that. We're all adults and we should just say whatever we want whenever we want without any fear of prosecution.

    PS, I agree with "The caller", this is ONE GREAT POST!

    Dude, you're on a row, what's going on? Excellent progress in your style and topics.
    Q, the question that should be asked first is "Do we understand what's freedom of speech?"
    Believe me, give Jordan freedom of speech for only 24 hours and people will burn each other alive!

    freedom of speech as many of people out there understand it is having the right to freely curse Palestinians and blame them for every single thing happening here! And the opposite argument applies for the other Jordanians from Palestinian origin..   
    • #21
    • Dave
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:09:09 PM
    Jafra, that is very narrow-minded and borderline on bigotry.  But I guess you're welcome to your right to speak your mind.
    Interesing what surfaces!
    • #23
    • Jafra
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:48:54 PM
    Dave, you are a funny guy. the victimized White super power citizen. did you learn that from the israelis?
    • #24
    • Jafra
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 9:58:16 PM
    is this funny or what. Kinzi complains about her free speech being suppressed in jordan. dave complains about bigotry. all those victimized white folks. all the while US and Israeli armed forces are killing arabs daily. what irony. what absurdity.
    • #25
    • masalha1
    • Windows Internet Explorer
    • Said
    • On: 1/7/2008 11:15:42 PM
    Qwaider,
    This proves my point, tolerance is an essential element to argue your case, you can't blame all americans because of what George Bush and his gang do, same argument Dave made, you can't blame all Moslems because of what Bin Laden did, Americans paid a heavy price to defend their right to speach, and they earned it with blood, what have we done?
    • #26
    • Roo7yaa
    • Windows Firefox Browser
    • Said
    • On: 1/8/2008 12:09:55 AM
    masalha1, Americans voted for Bush. Muslims did not vote for Bin Laden. How can you compare genocide by a majority vote to an act of a an extremist group.

    your understanding of tolerance is so flawed and unbalanced. there is no tolerance towards people who support and fund genocide. I don't know who vote and who did not vote for genocidal Bush, TWICE. This is not some hide and seek game.

    And if you count all the killings blamed on bin laden and all the so called muslim terrorists and extremists, they won't add up to a small fraction of the genocide the US and its mercenaries committed in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Chili, and Vietnam.

    tolerance applies in all other cases, but in genocide? I DON'T THINK SO.

    So when the Jews tolerate Nazis, and when Blacks tolerate Skinheads, we can speak of tolerating genocidal imperialists.
    You too can have your Memories Documented

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