Friday, May 18, 2007

CBCNN campaigns for artistic freedom

Makes me wonder why protests in India against Danish cartoons did not deserve such condemnation. Why does CBCNN think artistic freedom is relevant only when the victim is Hindu?



The Hindu : International / India & World : Academics protest bid to muzzle artistic freedom

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here are a couple of interesting comments in "Outlook" on Comrade's double speak on Freedom of Expression:

http://www.outlookindia.com/rantsmag.asp?fodname=20070515&fname=girishkarnad&sid=1

Comment 1:

Well, the HINDU, also protested against the Prophet Cartoons. It might be a pleasant surpirse to some that Shr N Ram is such an intellectual polymath that he can interpret the Hdaith and other Muslim written and unwritten sources in such a subtle manner. Here is what he wrote:

At a time when Muslims across the world feel deeply offended by prejudiced stereotypes of Islam post-9/11, the cartoons have not just been insensitive, they have been downright provocative. In the first instance, they offend the strong belief among Muslims that the Prophet must not be depicted in any way. The Koran prohibits idolatory or giving shape or form to Allah, who must not be objectified. But the specific prohibition on graphic or other depictions of the Prophet derives from his hadiths to the effect that neither his grave nor anything connected with him should, after his death, become an object of worship. Aside from this, the cartoons promote hate by suggesting that Islam preaches violence and terrorism. While Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that originally published the cartoons, responded with a quick apology, other European newspapers, notably in France, decided to republish the cartoons on the ground that they were defending freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is supremely important. But surely it does not require its champions crassly to cause offence to the faith and beliefs of an identifiable group.

Comment 2:

Let us not forget that this very same leftist rag when it came to nude hindu goddesses merely shrugged this off as "perceived hurt sentiments" in its editorial.