There are degrees of tyranny, as well as degrees of freedom and when Kant, the philospher of Prussia, writing in 1784, asked, 'Do we now live in an enlightened age?', his answer if I may paraphrase it, was along the lines of, 'No, but we are heading in that direction'. And now, some 328 years on, people in the Western countries can speak their minds on most matters without getting excommunicated, burnt at the stake or exiled.
But the situation remains exactly the opposite in the Muslim-controlled countries. Last week, a young journalist from Saudi Arabia, Hamza Kashgari, sent a few short tweets basically saying he does not wish to deify Mohammed, the founder of Islam, but would shake hands with him on his birthday, as an equal.
These simple words claiming equality as human beings (nothing in their content, that is actually insulting or degrading ) have provoked many thousands of his fellow citizens to call for the death penalty for Kashgari.
Despite attempts to mollify his compatriots, (rather like Galileo, reneging on his discovery that the sun goes around the earth) the voices baying for this young journalists's blood, only grew louder. So he escaped out of the country. But en route to New Zealand, he has been sent back to Saudi Arabia by the Malaysian authorities even though there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. What a shame and a disgrace! To collaborate with those who would use naked force - indeed, the ultimate santion - death and for what? Not for murder, or rape, but merely, the expression of an opinion...
As Kant said, for enlightenment to develop, '... nothing is required but freedom, and indeed, the most harmless among all the things to which this term can be properly applied. It is the freedom to make public use of one's reason at every point'. We can see the fruits of this idea, as we look around at the phenomenal level of inventions, discoveries, in every field of human endeavour, but surprise, surprise, there are few if any Muslim names who have made any discoveries of any note whatsoever...
Because for the little tyrants dominating households, communities and entire nations, the public use of one's reason is the most feared of ideas for it strikes at the heart of the fossilised, out of date rules and traditions that Mohammed sanctified by his words and example. And they wish to continue to slobber over, oppressions unninterrupted, some1,400 later: their right to 'marry' 9 year old girls, to hold the power of life and death over youth, to debase and control half the population in the name of their 'honour'. Hardly an environment in which creativity is fostered ! Are we to give in to this fossilised creed, mouthed mindlessly by fossilised thinking?
Let's call for sanctions against Saudi Arabia and a condemnation of Malaysia. We need to have actions taking place all across the world, on an even bigger scale than against the human rights violations that the system of apartheid which South Africa was governed by. Why? Because the Africaaners did not attempt to impose their laws on the rest of the world. But hey, guess what? This is Saudi Arabia's goal. With Saudi money, as I write this, mosques are being built on street corners all across Europe and America. The fossilised minds of Muslims are attempting to take everyone back into the age of sharia law. It is not only Hamza Kashgari who is at risk.
Freethinkers of the world, unite. Defend him and our human right to dialogue and debate without fear for our lives.
But the situation remains exactly the opposite in the Muslim-controlled countries. Last week, a young journalist from Saudi Arabia, Hamza Kashgari, sent a few short tweets basically saying he does not wish to deify Mohammed, the founder of Islam, but would shake hands with him on his birthday, as an equal.
These simple words claiming equality as human beings (nothing in their content, that is actually insulting or degrading ) have provoked many thousands of his fellow citizens to call for the death penalty for Kashgari.
Despite attempts to mollify his compatriots, (rather like Galileo, reneging on his discovery that the sun goes around the earth) the voices baying for this young journalists's blood, only grew louder. So he escaped out of the country. But en route to New Zealand, he has been sent back to Saudi Arabia by the Malaysian authorities even though there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. What a shame and a disgrace! To collaborate with those who would use naked force - indeed, the ultimate santion - death and for what? Not for murder, or rape, but merely, the expression of an opinion...
As Kant said, for enlightenment to develop, '... nothing is required but freedom, and indeed, the most harmless among all the things to which this term can be properly applied. It is the freedom to make public use of one's reason at every point'. We can see the fruits of this idea, as we look around at the phenomenal level of inventions, discoveries, in every field of human endeavour, but surprise, surprise, there are few if any Muslim names who have made any discoveries of any note whatsoever...
Because for the little tyrants dominating households, communities and entire nations, the public use of one's reason is the most feared of ideas for it strikes at the heart of the fossilised, out of date rules and traditions that Mohammed sanctified by his words and example. And they wish to continue to slobber over, oppressions unninterrupted, some1,400 later: their right to 'marry' 9 year old girls, to hold the power of life and death over youth, to debase and control half the population in the name of their 'honour'. Hardly an environment in which creativity is fostered ! Are we to give in to this fossilised creed, mouthed mindlessly by fossilised thinking?
Let's call for sanctions against Saudi Arabia and a condemnation of Malaysia. We need to have actions taking place all across the world, on an even bigger scale than against the human rights violations that the system of apartheid which South Africa was governed by. Why? Because the Africaaners did not attempt to impose their laws on the rest of the world. But hey, guess what? This is Saudi Arabia's goal. With Saudi money, as I write this, mosques are being built on street corners all across Europe and America. The fossilised minds of Muslims are attempting to take everyone back into the age of sharia law. It is not only Hamza Kashgari who is at risk.
Freethinkers of the world, unite. Defend him and our human right to dialogue and debate without fear for our lives.
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