Ibtisam Posted November 2, 2008 Ross, Brand and Freedom of Speech Whenever there is outrage in the Muslim community over offensive comments and caricatures targeted at Muslims, those behind such acts always use the "freedom of expression" card. Their argument is almost always accompanied by the "principle" that the right to offend is indeed the very cornerstone of a free society, this is the justification they present to carry on being Islamophobic. However, events often unfold that show the reality, which confirms that freedom of speech should have limits and must always be used responsibly. The actions of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have rubbished the nonsensical claim that freedom of expression must go hand in hand with the freedom to offend. Their comments were without doubt offensive and should not have been made and people, including MPs have rightly condemned them for their act. Notable absentees from this debate are the secular extremists and right wing Islamophobes who would normally come out of their holes to champion the freedom of expression card and warn us all of the dangers of giving up our liberties to appease those who take offence. The interesting fact is that the MPs, including PM Gordon Brown, who have waded into this debate and criticised the celebrity pair would normally be loathe to criticise any offence caused against Muslims or other faith groups and use the "freedom of expression" card to keep silent. You couldn't find a more blatant example of double standards if you tried! Blog Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chimera Posted November 2, 2008 Jonathan is known worldwide and has millions of fans, if i was him i would distance myself from anything related to BBC (who turned him into a scapegoat and punished him like he's some 4 year old) I only noticed this whole retarded issue(blown out of proportion x100k - yeah what they did was out of order but still there acting like Brand and Ross killed someone) when my favorite show wasn't shown last friday( Friday night with..) btw politicians will jump on any bandwagon not related to 10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ANTARA Posted November 2, 2008 Funnly enough, i first thought wat the heck is this got ot do with freedom of speach, but u r spot on, there is alot of double standards. For them when celebrities get offended it is different i think, but then again Gordon is tryinga show he is not "out of touch" and has feelings like the rest of the public who apparently got "offeneded" by what these two morons had to say.. BTW i missed reading the metro the day dis story broke, this guy's photo was all over the place and I hate him for some reason. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
