Note the combination of freedom and legal limits in both articles. Every citizen may therefore speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.” Article 11 declared the “free communication of ideas and opinions to be one of the most precious of the rights of man. Article 10 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen stated: “No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law”. Moral autonomyįree speech and religious pluralism were born in France in 1789, at the outset of the French Revolution. France’s own history with these principles should remind us of how delicate this balance is. But if all we learn from it is that press freedom is good (which it is) and violence against journalists is bad (which it is), we will fail to grasp the more complicated issue: how we actually go about balancing freedoms and religious pluralism. The assassinated editors and cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo are being portrayed now as heroic defenders of press freedom, martyrs in the fight against religious fanaticism. Religious tolerance requires individuals to respect each other’s sacred beliefs. As history shows, maintaining both freedom of expression and pluralism is difficult. Cartoonists, journalists and the wider public are all proclaiming “Je suis Charlie” and many newspapers are reprinting the provocative images of Mohammed to insist that their faith in this freedom will not be shaken.īut in affirming this faith, we should be wary of lapsing into free-speech fundamentalism. The shock and sadness caused by the horrific events in Paris are quickly being translated into passionate professions of faith in free speech.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |