Letter: Charlie Hebdo attacks inspire free speech debate

There is a debate happening right now, and it has been amplified by the heinous attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper. The newspaper regularly publishes images of the prophet Mohammed, something that is strictly forbidden in the religion of Islam.

Some say the newspaper has every right to publish whatever they’d like because it’s free speech. Others say to do so is racist, and therefore there is really no place in our society for that. I would like to propose that it is truly neither.

We do not live in a society that wholly accepts free speech. Where we differ from some nations here in Canada is that we are free to critique our government, their policies and the people that form them using any format we wish, including satire.

We are not, however, free to use our speech to express freely any opinion that we have. You would be hard-pressed to find a venue to show an anti-Semitic play. We as a society have drawn a line.

The Charlie Hebdo satirical cartoons were extremely offensive to those who believe that any depiction of the prophet Mohammed is blasphemous. The depiction of a black Jesus kissing Madonna in her “Like a Prayer” video was offensive to some Christians, and there are a myriad of offensive skits that skewer both the Christian and the Jewish religion.

So why is speaking out against Islamic edicts so incendiary? My belief is it’s due to fear. Extremism of any kind is very dangerous.

The only way to combat this fear is to continue doing what we always do, and if that includes inciting debate and thought via satire, then it should definitely continue.
While I don’t believe it’s especially respectful to do so, I believe that as a society, we should fight for this right.

We should be nice to all people, treat everyone fairly and respect their individuality.

Do not judge people by the colour of their skin, religion, sexuality or appearance. But do make informed decisions about what values we accept. We should be able to talk about that. Any way we choose.

Jenny Romero
Sudbury