BBC News has reported that the poster above has been allowed under free speech laws in Switzerland. It comes ahead of a decision by the government on whether to curtail the construction of mosques and minarets in Zurich. My own opinion is that the poster's clear hateful overtones override free speech laws and it should therefore be disallowed. The minarets look just like missiles (coincidence?) and the poster evokes a sense of dark/black/terrorist Islam overtaking pure white/cross/Christian Europe. What are your thoughts? What are the limits of free speech when it comes overt or implicit propaganda that evokes religious and cultural enmity between groups like the one above does?
It's a difficult issue, but I think free speech should be upheld in this case. I think the definitive line should be when people call for outright violence against others. Up to that point, it's dangerous to assume that one interpretation of justice and truth should be more right than another, and should be the standard by which all expression is judged. Some say that we don't value free speech just to have free speech. We value it because it allows the expression of various forms of truth, or morality. But then we need to adopt a definition for what constitutes truth, and in doing so, we'd necessarily conflict with those who disagree, and have to suppress their voices. This path leads to the antithesis of liberal society.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I would have to agree with you fundamentally. However, the poster does skirt a very fine line between a certain interpretation of justice and calling for violence. Its portrayal of Muslims unfairly implies, or at least evokes the fear of, Muslim violence against Switzerland. Either way, it is incredibly distasteful.
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