The New Found Liberty Of Europe

With growing tension all around the world, you can't help to stop and wonder why humanity is taking this route toward perdition in life rather than wait to see what comes after death! The fight for liberty seems to never cease; personal and social freedom will still be at jeopardy even a century from now. The unwarranted events taking place in the world at the moment are nothing but fuel to the challenge that liberty – this terribly misunderstood word – is facing and will have to act against. Freedom of speech, independence of the press, the ability to live a democratic life under the law…under the law, are all terms that people are saturated by on a daily basis.

These issues of personal "right" have been used very loosely recently by people you would think have the best knowledge of ideas related to liberty. Europe, the cradle of civil rights, is now trying to decide what path to take; it stands in limbo. On the right there is "freedom of press," and on the left there is total anarchy. Yes, there is a fine line between the press' publishing abilities and a turn toward chaos marked by instability.

As a Moslem, I feel obliged to at least comment on what is going on at the moment with the European debate on whether to republish certain controversial cartoons or not. The alibi being used is that Europe must protect the "freedom of press." Please, let me make it clear that I'm not writing this piece to create any kind of theological debate/explanation, nor am I trying to implant hate into anybody. All I want to do is just make some points clear for the Europeans to keep in mind and fix some misconceptions they may have.
In an essay I always read to my students, a twentieth century writer says,
"There are a lot of people in the world, and I have to accommodate my liberty to their liberties."

In the twenty first century, I think you realize that no one lives in isolation any longer. Great changes have taken place in the world, and nobody – not even Europe – can deny the fact that ethnicity is slowly being cancelled as multifaceted groups are emerging in different countries. More and more people are asking questions about culture and the existence of the "other" on the face of this earth. That is why Denmark must learn that its people are not the only ones in existence; the so called "other" is there as well.

The writer further explains his point by saying,
"We are all liable to forget this, and unfortunately we are much more conscious of the imperfections of others in this respect than of our own. A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct."

Sometimes it saddens me when people actually forget that freedom/liberty doesn’t mean you are able to do whatever you want at any given time, otherwise, there will be a maelstrom of indiscretions going on in all the countries of the Free World. Add to this argument the idea of sensitivity; let's face it, playing with an issue that is sensitive for millions of people will incur consequences which unfortunately may become violent. Please, don’t misunderstand me, I do not condone violence. Neither do I want a violent end to this unfortunate situation; all I want is to see initiatives taken on behalf of the international community toward promoting the understanding of Islam.

Another issue I would like to also raise here is the current status of Danish personal freedom. With the republication of the cartoons, you will have to consider a few things:
To begin with, the government will have to take measures to protect its citizens from any possible threat on their behalf, so naturally it will place some restrictions on people's movements and ask them to take caution (whether nationally or internationally) in their daily routines. You may say that everyone is living a normal life and that no word of caution has been issued by the government, but let's be frank: isn’t there an implied atmosphere of some kind of fear in the air? Aren’t these practices restrictions on your personal freedom? Is this the kind of sacrifice you are willing to give in order to protect "the freedom of press"? Did you give a reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others?

It is not a matter of theological differences, nor is it a matter of a clash between cultures; it is a matter of controversy. There is a big difference between considerate freedom and being Liberty drunk. Europe must reconsider its civil rights manifestations - written or socially agreed upon- to enhance its favoritism in the Muslim community. Nourishing media moguls with imbroglio will only make Europe increasingly imprisoned in a cage of restrictions and strictures.

By: M. Hannouf

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