This morning's Sunday featured a discussion on the relationship between religion and freedom of expression. The three guests, speaking to reporter Trevor Barnes, were Rowan Williams (Christian), Ed Kessler of the Woolf Institute (Jewish) and Atif Imtiaz from the Cambridge Muslim College (Muslim).
All three of them are liberal voices within their respective faiths (and, thus, well suited to Radio 4's Sunday programme). Their discussion, therefore, followed a well-meaning, interfaith path, with Dr Williams and Dr Kessler and Dr Imtiaz agreeing that "freedom to offend is not a right nor the goal of free speech; it is but a disgression".
So consensual and liberal was it that Trevor Barnes even felt the need (at one point) to suggest that their discussion might be somewhat unrepresentative.
So consensual and liberal was it that Trevor Barnes even felt the need (at one point) to suggest that their discussion might be somewhat unrepresentative.
Interestingly, Trevor repeatedly questioned Dr Imtiaz over why Muslims are so easily offended, and offended far more than anyone else. Dr Imtiaz stood by the position that Muslims can be mocked for their failings as religious people but that the things Muslims hold sacred should never be mocked.
There was a later discussion on Desert Island Discs between Kirsty Young and an obscure philosopher from Sheffield which danced around the subject. Very funny - Kirsty saying things like:
ReplyDelete"Are you saying that education in philosophy will help prevent some of the extremism we've seen associated with religions, which so troubles us around the world, or other forms of extremism..."
Whatever you do don't mention the "I" word!