Exceptionalism and hypocrisy: why silencing religious criticism is bad for everyone
Blogger brought in for questioning over sex education criticism
Gong Jiao Way
The Fake Times
Friday, 03 February 2006A blogger, known as The Legal Janitor, has been brought in for questioning by the police after complaints were made over his posts criticising sexuality education provided by religious groups.
The National Council of Religious Overlords (NCRO) received complaints from Christians that the posts question the scientific validity of their belief that condoms do not prevent conception or the transmission of HIV.
Chief Indoctrinator Goh Toh Heow explains, “We believe as a matter of faith that all pre-marital sex will definitely lead to sexually-transmitted infections and eternal damnation in hell, and find it extremely offensive that the posts cite scientific research and logic to claim otherwise.”
“On top of that, the posts caricatured and made fun of our beliefs. We feel that the intention seems to be to incite Christian anger unnecessarily.”
Lord Inquisitor Ho Lee Seet states firmly that “no one is allowed to ridicule or cast aspersions on the faith of a person under the cloak of free expression”.
1. Illogical and unworkable
The critical problem over the rule enunciated by MUIS, “no one is allowed to ridicule or cast aspersions on the faith of a person under the cloak of free expression”, is how illogical and unworkable it would be in practice.
Each of the 3 Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) are monotheistic, and demand exclusivity of faith. It is central to their teachings that each one professes to be the One True Faith.
This being the case, what happens when a Christian preaches that Christianity is the only way to salvation? Or when a Muslim preaches that Islam is the only way to God?
The unfortunate consequence of following the rule stated by MUIS is that every Jew, Christian and Muslim would immediately fall foul of that rule by simply preaching or trying to spread their faith. When one religion is preaching that it is the only true faith, it is also necessarily ‘casting aspersion’ on another which preaches the same.
Thus the statement put forth by MUIS cannot hold. It is precisely because Singapore is a multi-religious society that we must allow criticism and alternative opinions of any religion.
If this freedom is taken away, neither Jews, Christians nor Muslims would be allowed to preach the exclusivity of their religions any longer, so as to not ‘cast aspersions’ on the faith of others.
Is this the result that MUIS is looking for?
2. Hypocrisy and double standards
It must also be noted that the double standards practiced by those who criticise the caricatures is rather glaring, when the Arab press publish anti-Semitic and racist cartoons on a regular basis. Where was MUIS when these caricatures were published? Why did they not speak out against such ‘ridicule’ and ‘casting’ of ‘aspersions’?
To make things worse, the perception of ‘everyone else against Islam’ is one that has been actively cultivated by certain Muslims.
A delegation of fundamental muslims from Denmark have toured The Middle East with the material shown in these links (published today in a danish newspaper), in order to stir up the situation as they were not able to ignite the confrontation they wanted in Denmark. However, the most offensive pictures shown on page 35 and page 36 were never (before) published in any Danish paper or magazine. They were added to the original series of pictures by the delegation itself. The fundamental religious leaders in Denmark speaks with two tongues. They are talking about integration in Danish, and confrontation in arabic.
The question is, if you are right and your cause is just, why do you have to lie and deceive?
Tellingly, the mainstream press, and particularly the Islamic press, have conveniently neglected to report that there are Muslims who support freedom of speech:
For its part, the newspaper has found Muslim allies. When the controversy first broke, hundreds of Danish Muslims demonstrated in Copenhagen in support of the newspaper. Among them were refugees that right-wing, anti-immigration parties would like to see turned away at Denmark’s borders.
“People have a right to say what they want without being killed,” says Nasim Rahnama, the 20-year-old Iranian woman who started a petition in support of the newspaper. “These Islamic groups have to be stopped. I just can’t sit down and do nothing.”
So far Ms. Rahnama, who moved here from Tehran four years ago, has collected over 150 signatures from Danish Muslims who support the paper’s stance but says that she would have got many more if it weren’t for people’s fear that Islamic groups would find out.
“I am so happy here,” she says. “I have learnt the language. I have a lot of friends. I live in freedom; I love it.”
The clear fact is that this is not an issue of persecution of Muslims, but rather the prevalance of the use of physical violence by lunatics to silence the voice of moderate Muslims.
Would moderate Muslims criticising the use of violence be ‘casting aspersion’ on the faith of those who believe in using violence as a tool of oppression?
3. A Reflection on Yourself
The lesson is that if you want your religion not to be mocked, it helps to have a reputation for senseless violence. Is this the incentive structure we want?
And truly, this lies at the heart of the matter.
If your reaction to some people criticising you, or even making fun of something you believe in, is to plan and threaten to kill them, then who is the caricature now?
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The Volokh Conspiracy – Bush Cabinet Member Condemns Anti-Christian Blasphemy, and Points to Laws Restricting Incitement to Hateful Expressions
The Volokh Conspiracy – Suppressing Anti-Religious Speech — an Emerging International Law Norm?
The Y Files: Blasphemy in Denmark — and here
The Volokh Conspiracy – Who’s to Blame for the Caricatures of Mohammed?
Althouse: “Yes, we have the right to caricature God.”
History News Network – BRITISH JIHADISTS: “KILL ALL THOSE WHO INSULT MUHAMMAD”
History News Network – DANISH MUSLIMS STARTED THE FRACAS
Crisis in Denmark: Alienated Danish Muslims Sought Help from Arabs – International – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News
Religious News Online – Danish editor tests right to violate Muslim taboos
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | France enters Muslim cartoon row
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Anger as papers reprint cartoons of Muhammad
Global Voices Online » Blog Archive » Malaysia, Denmark: Clash of Civilities?
Michelle Malkin: FIGHT THE BULLIES OF ISLAM
Balderdash
Singapore Ink. » The cartoon war
Singapore Ink. » The cartoon war: necessary provocation?
SomethingStickyThisWayComes: Sticky Issues: The Problem With Prophets
AsiaOne – A Europe in caricature
Channelnewsasia.com – MUIS unhappy with caricatures of Prophet Mohammad in European papers
TODAYonline – In Europe, it’s not a laughing matter
