Charlie Hebdo Attack- (dissecting the freedom of expression controversy)

Source: Google

White Hat- Facts and Figures
By- Namit Hans

Eleven people were shot dead when two terrorists entered into the office of French satirical magazine ‘Charlie Hebdo’ on January 7th. The attacks came in response to the alleged offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad printed in the magazine on regular intervals. Later on Al Qaeda’s branch of Yemen took responsibility of the attacks and claimed that it was done to avenge the insult of their prophet.

The whole world came together to show their solidarity for the victims and advocate the freedom of expression which is granted to every individual by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The article 19 of the declaration states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

However, every country/state has a number of strict defamation and privacy laws to restrict the freedom of expression, such that it does not reach a limit of offending someone which may in turn lead to a situation of social unrest. The Charlie Hebdo magazine has faced several attacks in the past including the 2012 bombing which happened after the magazine published a series of nude caricatures of the prophet. However, the magazine has been printing satirical cartoons which are related to different faiths apart from Islam.

We have seen similar reluctance for any speech or expression in the past which hurts the religious sentiments of people. A fatwa was issued against Sir Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini, a spiritual leader of Iran in the year 1989 after his book ‘The Satanic Verses’ was published in the year 1988. Similarly, Sir M.F. Hussain was forced to leave India in the year 2006 following death threats from Hindu right wing groups like V.H.P. in response to a nude painting of ‘Bharatmata’ made by him.

The incidents involving pulping of the book ‘Hindu’ by Wendy Doniger and all the controversy related to it, is still fresh in the minds of Indian populace. Before the lethal attacks on Charlie Hebdo, legal cases were also filed against it in the year 2007 by the grand mosque of Paris as an act of protest and resistance. Should the freedom of speech be absolute or not; the question remains.

Black Hat- Criticism
By- Saloni Saini

La liberté d'expression, French translation of freedom of expression, is one of the most commonly misemployed phrases in today’s time. Freedom of expression is vital for a progressive society but it cannot be used as a guard while mocking societal sentiments.

Every country has its own version of freedom of speech and expression with certain restrictions and exceptions, which keep colliding time and again. But this doesn’t give anybody a right to invade into a person/society’s religious, political or personal inclinations. One should respect that these limitations are mainly to keep the social harmony intact, violation of which may cause friction among different communal groups.

Advocating regulations on freedom of speech and expression, Pope Francis said, “If anyone says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch.” This simply means that no freedom is absolute to the point of its abusage. There needs to be a limit to which you can hamper one’s faith and belief.

The barbaric terror attack on French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo doesn’t even deserve a justification. However it is the responsibility of various media houses to draw a clear line of demarcation on what is acceptable and what is not. Charlie Hebdo repeatedly lampooned particular religious groups, which landed the magazine amidst controversy time and again.

One of the immediate aftermaths of this attack could be seen from the very fact that its publication 

increased to a colossal 7 million copies from a mere 60,000 copies. This was its commercial interest taking over its other occupational interests, either towards the society or its employees.

Liberalization cannot be used as an excuse to cause repugnance to a particular societal group, be it Islam or Judaism. If propagating a particular religion with a motive to influence the masses is considered erroneous, then maligning it through means of writings or creations also cannot be justified. This bigoted act by Charlie Hebdo is a classic example of misuse of freedom of speech and expression. It is such blasphemous acts which force us to circumscribe the fourth estate’s liberty of expression, for peaceful coexistence.

Yellow Hat- Optimism/Support
By- Prateek Kumar

Freedom of an individual is among one of the most pivotal right rendered to portray their thoughts and expressions to others through any medium. Freedom of expression is a keystone of democratic rights and individual’s freedom, as it upholds the public participation in decision-making and enables democracy to work properly.

The recent argument developed on the overcast incident of Charlie Hebdo has created a mark of criticism on the legal aspects of every nation and on their constitutional amendments of press. The depiction of Prophet Muhammad in their satirical cartoon is not justified enough to be forgiven which provoked a particular section of Muslim community to commit such a heinous offence with an aid of some Islamic extremists. But on the other hand, by holding the dynamism of free speech, one can help other people to know more about their government and religion.

Honesty and maturity are the terms to define freedom of speech. Charlie Hebdo in recent times became the symbol of free speech not only in France but across the globe. For some, the pictorial representation of Muhammad was vilified and racist, and for the others it was a mode of denouncing religious biases of the society. It is the most powerful weapon in the hands of every individual and should be used free as a bird if it is not vindictive and vicious. If someone’s religious or national sentiments are harmed though the publication of any impromptu representation, shooting and creating violence is not a solution.

The idea of freedom is multifaceted and it has always been protected and redefined by every other generation. Moreover, the value of freedom can only be understood by those who are educated and developed understanding of human nature.

Therefore freedom of religion, press and expression are equally important because an unquestioning monoculture leads to inaccurate ideas and also because it gives people an opportunity to think and say whatever they want and there’s rarely a good enough reason to neutralize that. Freedom of expression can also control the state authorities implemented by the society and to the maintenance of self-controlled society, which is required in the democracy.

Green Hat- Creative Solutions
By- Saba Fatmi

The act of killing is a condemnable act without any second thought but the act of denouncing somebody or explicitly any religion in an offensive manner also needs to be scrutinized. The recent Paris carnage compels us to rethink, what actually went wrong? Freedom of expression is a right given to its citizens by every country through their constitutional rights and globally this right is given by International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The guidelines are clearly described about what should be done and what not. But the need of the hour is to take stringent steps for the violations of these rights. If an individual violates these rights, it can be constrained easily but these violations by media organizations can lead to precarious situations.

Every country has a different set of laws; be it societal or religious, which deviate from the other. But when an act done in one country affects the other, then that should fall into the global arena, for which universal supervision should be sought. A universal body should be composed which not only just put forwards the parameters but also incorporates laws which cannot be violated and if violated, it should be perilous for the violator.

Freedom of expression should not be curbed in any circumstance as it brings transparency and precision in front of the world wholly. Whosoever tries to put forward his or her opinion should be safeguarded, especially media personnel who are morally and ethically bounded to do their duty.

Beholding all these aspects, a universal body should be set-up which comprises of representatives from each country and religion. If the freedom of expression is violated by media, it should have code of conduct which bans or puts censorship upon them and if any terrorist activities take place then the body should also be backed by military reinforcement to restrict terrorists from creating disharmony among the masses.

The contemporary state of affairs also necessitates amendment in regards to blasphemy laws. The fourth state as gatekeepers should themselves put a check and try to re-evaluate before disseminating the information as freedom of expression should be used to uplift understanding among religions. These steps do not suffice but it will definitely act as a catalyst foreseeing the present scenario.

Blue Hat- Expert Interview
By- Erick Massey

Rev Fr Jais Assariparambil, Catholic Archdiocese Of Delhi

Q) Do you think there should be any restriction to the freedom of expression?

A) The right to express oneself should be respected without any restriction. A person’s right to express his opinion does not depend on to the extent to which his view is shared by others. If we look at the society these people have played a significant role in not only entertaining people but also make them to think and have a critical outlook of the society. Freedom of expression should be respected to develop a sophisticated structure in a constructive manner. Having said this, freedom should also not be expressed at the cost of national integration or communal harmony. When one makes use of his freedom with political or religious agenda it becomes not a means of construction but destruction. So theses philosophies have to be guided by certain principles and guidelines set down by a body of experts.

Q) Do you think the repetitive satire from Charlie Hebdo was justified?

A)People have every right to critique ideologies, lifestyle religions etc. but it has to be done within the periphery of constructive development of the society. In this case, Charlie Hebdo took a risk and paid for it. Ideas beliefs and concepts should always be subjected to scrutiny, scepticism and be tested to see whether they stand up to parody, satire and ridicule. Ridiculing others religion is no way justified but death is definitely not a justification for such an act. The author of life is God and he alone can have authority over the life of anyone.

Q) Should there be any regulation on writing against sensitive issues like religion?

A)Religious criticism has a long story as it goes as far as the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece with Diagores of Melos. Criticism of religion is complicated by the fact that there exist multiple definitions and concepts of religions in different culture and language. When one writes or expresses ones thinking and ideas of any particular religion, he has to take in account the feeling and sentiments attached to it. Critique of something will bring out the best in it. But there should be a gap between a critique and a ridicule.

Q) What measures should be taken to avoid the suppression of freedom of expression?

A)I would say that human beings are fallible. Today I might suppress a view, tomorrow it might be turned out to be the truth. In early century the Church authorities accused Galileo Galilee as a committing a grievous offense. Today we know that who was right. Suppressing a purportedly false opinion we may in fact suppressing what the future will be shown to be true. It happened in the case Socrates. Those who engage in mistaken facts of suppression are often turned out to be sincere. The truth will survive the ordeal of suppression and has the intrinsic ability of ultimately triumphing over error. As I mentioned earlier a body comprising of experts from various disciplines of life can help the government in forming a set of principles and ethos which will help in expressing rather than suppressing.

Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi

Ashok Sahu, Retd. IPS officer, cuttack

Q1.In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks, there is widespread condemnation of Islam. Is Islam responsible for the attacks? Are we misdiagnosing the problem here?

Ans- In the Charlie Hebdo terror the motive behind the mayhem was revenge against the free manner in which cartoons were drawn reflecting Islamic practice of Jihadist. The terrorists claim to be inspired by their faith, Islam. So, by diagnosis Islam is said to be preaching violence in the name 'Allah' and it is affirmed by the ISIS Jihadists.

Q2. Promoter of the Charlie Hebdo brand of humour and satire sees the need to share and endorse the culture of “Free speech.” What is your view?

Ans- Freedom for speech and expression is not a license to say anything one likes. It has to be exercised with restraint so that your neighbour feels free to co-exist with a sense of dignity. His freedom is limitation on your freedom and vice versa.

Q3. Blasphemous cartoons with a sexual theme are not new in the Europe. Is this a compromise of power, with voices in the west using the terror attacks to channelize their collective anger against Islamic fundamentalism?

Ans- Radical Islamic fundamentalism is fanaticism, which preaches intolerance and adopts terrorism as an instrument to silence criticism and dissent. It should be condemned and shunned collectively. It is against mankind as a whole.

Q4.As an Indian, what is your perspective on this tragedy?

Ans- As an Indian, I condemn this tragedy and urge all civilized nations to join together to fight against terrorism, which is the biggest threat ever to democracy and the peaceful survival of the mankind as a whole.

Shaikh Afsha, works for an NGO, Banglanatak.com, Delhi

Q1. How do Charlie Hebdo attack and free speech match up?

ANS- Before the attack it was the cartoonist freedom of speech to express their thoughts on Islam but then the attack proves the freedom of speech of the group who could see their religion getting insulted.

                                                  

Q2.Cartoonists who deliberately insult religion, how should we protect against it  instead of attack upon them?

ANS-It will be sad to ban on cartoonist’s freedom of speech and expression. Cartoonist needs to self-realize the limit of their freedom which is not to hurt the sentiment of religious people. Instead of attacking, we just need to ignore them. By attacking them they will get more attention of the world.

Q3. Religion is a sensitive issue. Do you think there's need of censorship on media before publish anything controversial?

Ans- No need of it.

  

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Introduction:

Namit Hans, 23, Graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Former Gandhi Fellow at Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Saloni Saini, 23, Graduate in Mass Communication from GGSIP University Delhi, Former intern at Indo-Asian news Service and ABP news, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Prateek Kumar, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Saba Fatmi, 22, Graduate in Economics from Jamia Milia Islamia Delhi, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Erick Massey, 23, Graduate in B.Sc from Delhi University,  Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi, 22, Graduate in Sociology from Behrampur University, Pursuing Diploma in Odiya Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

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