I just read this piece by Ebomuse over at Daylight Atheism and was moved. Free speech needs to apply equally to everyone, regardless of religious, political, or ideological persuasion, and it seems that Islam, even more than Christianity, tries to curtail that freedom of expression when it comes to their religious views.
Ebonmuse cites Johann Hari’s courage to speak out against tyrannical Islamists in multiple articles. When a respected Indian newspaper dared to agree with and support Hari’s articles, the editor and publisher were arrested.
Says Ebonmuse:
Once again, religious lunatics and terrorists have hijacked the marketplace of ideas and twisted the universal right of free speech into a right, possessed exclusively by themselves, to never be offended. They demand legal protection from ever having to see or hear anything they disagree with, and because they’re always willing to resort to violence if their demands aren’t met, even supposedly liberal, democratic governments give in to them with depressing frequency. The de facto result is the censorship and suppression of freethinkers. Meanwhile, we who are outraged by their vicious and savage creeds seemingly have no right to call upon the government to imprison them.
And in the concluding paragraph:
If free speech is circumscribed by the “right” of religious groups to be protected from offense, then it is an empty and meaningless freedom.
Here. Here. Check out the article at Daylight Atheism for links to Hari’s pieces and Ebonmuse’s complete commentary. It’ll be worth your visit.
I’m frightened that this is being allowed to happen! Islam does not allow free speech for the apostates or non believers that speak out against it, but happily criticizes the West and other religions.