Freedom of expression, a noble concept, came to be perceived by many marginalized French Muslim youth as an empty slogan used by the powerful elite to justify the silencing of Muslims and to allow the right-wing to bash Muslims at will. This in turn created a feeling of victimhood among many disfranchised youth. The debate should not be about freedom of expression and extremism. The real debate should be about France and how it deals with its Muslim population. Attacking and killing journalists is highly symbolic, as was the attack on the Twin Towers in New York. Why are the media and politicians pushing us to choose a side: liberty or oppression, freedom of expression or violence, secularism or religion? In their pursuit to make us choose the right option, politicians and media pundits create a new holy entity called freedom of expression. It becomes another sacred, holy, untouchable cow. Another religious concept which if youre killed promoting, you become a martyr. When Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents that implicated the United States and its allies in many scandals, the concept of freedom of expression was completely rejected by these governments. Many journalists in the U.S., and even some in Canada, sided with their governments and were not sympathetic to his plight. The freedom of expression that everyone nowadays rushes to defend is not as simple to understand or to practice. The same thing can be said about religion. Why do we have to choose between one or the other, or accept a self-serving version of both? : Monia Mazigh
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 18:53:35 +0000
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