Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons: Where Does the EU Stand on Civic Freedoms?

Via Volokh.com, the EU Justice and Security Commissioner has recently declared:

The European Union may try to draw up a media code of conduct to avoid a repeat of the furor caused by the publication across Europe of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, an EU commissioner said on Thursday.

In an interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph, EU Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini said the charter would encourage the media to show “prudence” when covering religion.

“The press will give the Muslim world the message: We are aware of the consequences of exercising the right of free expression,” he told the newspaper. “We can and we are ready to self-regulate that right.” (Empahsis Mine)

In StrategyUnit’s commentary on the Jyllands-Posten Muhammed Cartoons, I stated:

The gulf and difference in values, assumptions and perception between millions of Muslims and what the West (esp. the sacredness of the freedom of speech) is not to be underestimated. This is a real division that exists between the cultures and a wedge that fundamentalist at both sides can drive and finally nail down to make the “Clash of Civlizations” a defacto truth.

Sadly, StrategyUnit has miscalculated the sense “sacredness” over free speech that EU officials are willing to state publicly. Eugene Volokh sums it up well, here:

When you say something like that against a backdrop of thugs burning embassies and killing people in reaction to your citizens’ speech, appeasement and surrender are exactly what’s going on, “voluntary” rules or not. Millions of Europeans should feel humiliated that one of their super-government’s officials is even proposing this.


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2 responses to “Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons: Where Does the EU Stand on Civic Freedoms?”

  1. Ams alzidgali

    Freedom of the press does not legitimize insulting others. If you were to publish something about another’s wife you would quickly receive objections, clarifications, and corrections. How would they react if you said, with the excuse of press freedom, that you would publish something negative about “royal family in the UK” or “the revolutions of the French. . . the land of Robespierre” or “the bandits of Denmark”? You cannot simply say, “This is freedom of the press, I am freely expressing my thoughts.”
    Freedom of expression does not authorize anyone to defame others. There is certainly a freedom of disseminating one’s thoughts, but if you do not take others’ thoughts into consideration you will leave them with no freedom. There should be boundaries between freedoms.

    You must be respectful to everyone. What they have committed (with cartoons) is a grave offence. It is disrespect in every way. They should tread carefully.

    please see this article to know who and where islam stand from all of this and who is
    Mohammad to the the Muslims , critisizm is ok if it is there, and consructive. so please read this 1st before comminting:
    http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/mohamed/1424/index.shtml
    God bless u all.

  2. StrategyUnit

    Ams Alzidgali,

    Thank you for your comment and apologies for the late reply.

    I would argue that someone who truely believes “Free of Expression” cannot at the same time respect the idea of “Freedom from Insult”.

    If we were to have both freedom, who would decide what’s permissable and not? There is no King Solomon to decide such a difficult thing.

    True, the Muhammad Cartoons were made simply to provoke and disrespectful to many Muslims. But, should it illegal? Never. Should violent protest result? No.

    Muslims groups have the right to protest such cartoons, but no one has the right to intimidate or silence others.

    Yes, many European states have restrictions on “freeom of speech”, such as against Holocaust Deniers or those proclaimed as racist. And for the record, I disgree with these restrictions too.

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