A Letter to Secretary Rice
Dear Secretary Rice,
I would just like to say that I am very disappointed and discouraged by the following statements made by State Department Spokesperson Justin Higgins.
"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims," State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.
"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility," Higgins told AFP.
"Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable. We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices."
These comments indicate to me a stunning misunderstanding of this situation and send an alarming message about the US support for the freedom of speech and the press around the globe. These cartoons were solicited precisely to show that free expression in Europe was being suppressed by the threat of violence and terror at the hands of radical Islamic militants. Their response to the publishing of the cartoons is evident throughout Europe and the Mid-East, where rather than a tolerant response they are calling for bombings and beheadings. Even if the cartoons were in poor taste, they were certainly not intended to "incite religious hatred".
The recent controversy surrounding a political cartoon in the Washington Post and the dignified response by the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as an example of how civilized societies respond to the actions of the free press. Condoning, or at least not strongly condemning, the rhetoric and actions of the radical Islamic militants while failing to show support for the fundamental rights of the peoples of Denmark and other European countries is in my estimation a poor response.
It is my hope that the US can play an active role in encouraging tolerance, but more importantly in demonstrating the importance of freedom of speech even in the face of disapproval. Otherwise where do we draw the line? I shudder to think what kind of place America and the rest of the Free World would be if our governments imposed limits on our press or other institutions in the name of religious tolerance.
I hope that the US Dept of State does a better job in the future of promoting the ideals that so many Americans, both past and present, fight and die for both at home and abroad.
Sincerely,
Tremain E. Wheatley
I would just like to say that I am very disappointed and discouraged by the following statements made by State Department Spokesperson Justin Higgins.
"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims," State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.
"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility," Higgins told AFP.
"Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable. We call for tolerance and respect for all communities and for their religious beliefs and practices."
These comments indicate to me a stunning misunderstanding of this situation and send an alarming message about the US support for the freedom of speech and the press around the globe. These cartoons were solicited precisely to show that free expression in Europe was being suppressed by the threat of violence and terror at the hands of radical Islamic militants. Their response to the publishing of the cartoons is evident throughout Europe and the Mid-East, where rather than a tolerant response they are calling for bombings and beheadings. Even if the cartoons were in poor taste, they were certainly not intended to "incite religious hatred".
The recent controversy surrounding a political cartoon in the Washington Post and the dignified response by the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as an example of how civilized societies respond to the actions of the free press. Condoning, or at least not strongly condemning, the rhetoric and actions of the radical Islamic militants while failing to show support for the fundamental rights of the peoples of Denmark and other European countries is in my estimation a poor response.
It is my hope that the US can play an active role in encouraging tolerance, but more importantly in demonstrating the importance of freedom of speech even in the face of disapproval. Otherwise where do we draw the line? I shudder to think what kind of place America and the rest of the Free World would be if our governments imposed limits on our press or other institutions in the name of religious tolerance.
I hope that the US Dept of State does a better job in the future of promoting the ideals that so many Americans, both past and present, fight and die for both at home and abroad.
Sincerely,
Tremain E. Wheatley
posted by Tremain Wheatley at 2:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home