Distinguished people from diverse fields hold forth at JIH webinar in wake of attacks in France
Kashif Ahmad Faraz | India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—A recent webinar on the freedom of expression brought about people from diverse fields. The speakers agreed on the need to protect this freedom but stressed the importance of checks and balances.
The webinar on ‘Freedom of speech in a healthy society’ was conducted by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. JIH president Syed Sadatullah Husaini said people must have the complete freedom to speak and write what they want but cautioned that every freedom comes with responsibilities.
“Islam considers it not only a right but (also) the duty of a man to narrate what he thinks is right. The Quran forbids us from hiding the truth,” he said and called for fighting against the violation of the freedom of expression of any group, community or political party or citizens.
“People should have the complete freedom to say what they think is right so that they can express their views to the world without any fear and write and speak what they think is good. We must understand that with every right, there are some responsibilities. No authority is unlimited. Even in our Constitution, where the right to freedom of expression has been given, its limit has also been stated. If the right has been stated in Article 19 (1), then the limits have been given in Article 19 (2), under which the limitations have been defined that include security issues and hate speech”, said Mr Husaini.
According to Mr Husaini, Islam never stops sincere criticism of itself but rather welcomes it. “But what happens in recent times, especially in France, it’s not criticism; (it’s) rather an attempt to incite and instigate to disturb the communal harmony, which is not welcomed in (a) civil society,” he noted.
Mohammad Jafar, vice president, JIH, described the freedom of expression as one of the fundamental human needs that play a vital role in a healthy society.
He said the freedom of expression had been recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). With human development, the canvas of the freedom of expression has broadened, from print to broadcasting and digital media, and from cinema to social media. It seems that there are no limits to the tools of expression. In a civilized society, some limits and responsibilities should be laid down for the freedom of expression,” he explained.
According to Mr Jafar, the ICCPR lays down certain limits in order to prevent the misuse of the freedom of expression. The Constitution of India proclaims that the liberty of thoughts and expression is a fundamental right but also marks its boundaries, some of which are contempt of court, religious sentiments, false and malicious propaganda, nudity and vulgarism. Unlike the west, where the absolute freedom of speech has “created chaos in society”, Islam doesn’t permit hurting anyone’s religious sentiments, he said, adding, “For any civilized society, the balance between rights and responsibilities has to be maintained.”
Goswami Sushil Maharaj, National Convener, Sarvdharm Sanvad, said: “When God created humans, he gave humans the freedom to think and speak, and the same idea of freedom is protected in our Constitution. The Constitution guaranteed us the right to freedom to think and express, follow religion and protect our communities, and if this freedom is assaulted, we should raise our voice. India is known for democratic values and if values are violated, we feel hurt and if we don’t do so, we are equally held responsible for that.”
Hardit Singh Gobindpuri, the Chief Nodal Officer of the Delhi Minorities Commission, said some people use social media to post offensive comments that sometimes disrupt communal harmony. Some national news channels are doing the same, he said but emphasised that the government must not curtail the freedom of expression.
Atul Kumar Anjan, from the CPI, said there was no place for religious fanatics in India. “I have a question: why are there no communal riots in Great Britain where other communities are very few but the violent attacks take place in France where other communities have a sizable presence. We have seen in Pakistan during the holy month of Ramadan, innocents have been killed in bomb blasts, why is it so? Long journeys cannot be travelled with (a) short sight. We need to broaden our hearts for other communities. No communal riots and tension could take place if we have tolerance and harmony for others.”
Anjan urged India’s Muslim religious leaders to ask West Asian rulers to be tolerant of other faiths and allow expatraite workers the religious freedom. “The chances are happening. The UAE opened its doors to other communities. We have seen the change from religious blindness to respecting other religions,” he said.
Father Victor Edwin S J said the people in power were manipulating and distorting facts in order to dehumanise a large number of people in the country, and it’s leading to the disintegration of society. He lamented that democracy has failed and the rights and freedoms of a large section of society have been denied.
The webinar was moderated by Iqbal Mulla, secretary, JIH.
