Free speech for all, not just some
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean the liberty to only hear opinions agreeable with them.
Boo Su-Lyn, The Malay Mail Online
It’s ironic that supporters of Dr Zakir Naik are calling for the Indian Muslim preacher to be allowed to lecture here in the name of freedom of speech and academic freedom, when these are the same people who refuse to give space to alternative views.
As a free speech advocate, I believe that Dr Naik should be permitted to talk about any topic he wants to, including a comparison of Hinduism and Islam. Local Indian and Hindu groups accuse him of spreading hate against Hinduism and have even called for the Muslim preacher to be deported. But the authorities eventually decided to allow Dr Naik’s lectures on condition that he change the topic.
What Dr Naik’s fans from PAS, Amanah and Perkasa fail to realise is that freedom of speech doesn’t mean the liberty to only hear opinions agreeable with them.
Free speech means that every Malaysian citizen has the equal right to express their views, even if some people disagree with those opinions. Nobody should have a monopoly on public discourse.
Nothing in the Federal Constitution states that only certain views can be expressed in Malaysia; certainly not in Article 3 that says Islam is the religion of the federation.
Where were these so-called free speech advocates when religious authorities seized the Malay translation of Canadian author Irshad Manji’s book Allah, Liberty and Love and prosecuted the local publisher?
Where were they when Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail was charged with blasphemy for merely questioning certain Muslim practices? Or when Kassim Ahmad was charged with insulting Islam for questioning the hadith?
