Islam grants human beings total intellectual freedom. Quranic concept of freedom of expression a descriptive. Muslims do not believe in the concept of freedom of. In all the ages of history prior to islam, the system of despotism prevailed. Freedom, its limits and boundaries since islamic society must be administered on the basis of islamic laws and decrees, the lawimplementers must not go beyond the bounds of islamic decrees and orders since people are bound to act upon islamic laws. This work is a pioneering attempt in examining both the evidence on freedom of expression in the sources of the shariah. Islam, globalization, and freedom of expression muhammad daiyabu hassan the exercise of freedom of expression by a segment of the secular establishment, mainly among members ofthe literary andintellectualelite inthewest, inrelationto islam, constitutes a major obstacle in the search for common grounds between the islamic world and the west. Pdf islam and four essential freedoms muqtedar khan. Freedom of speech in islam and its connection with street. Freedom of expression conference declaration we, human rights defenders and civil society organizations csos working for the defense and protection of human rights, gathered in quezon city, philippines, during the freedom of expression conference, n organized by the human rights online philippines hronlineph on 12 december 2017. The quran maintains and upholds the right to freedom of religion, speech, and expression when done in a decent way. Rather it would be truer to say that it was islam which for the first time in human history brought about a revolution in freedom of thought. Freedom of expression in islam offers the first and only detailed presentation in english of freedom of expression from both the legal and moral perspectives of islam.
For muslim jurists, law and ethics are ultimately concerned with moral. Unlike manmade systems, islam is in total harmony with the reality of human nature since it is revealed by the one swt who created human beings. If we dont believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we dont believe. It was the holy quran which for the first time preached the gospel of human freedom with such zeal and emphasis that the whole world woke up, as it were, from deep sleep. Freedom of expression and human rights in islamic perspective by. These are the words with which the holy quran opens. This is part of the law of england, scotland and wales because it is included in the human rights act 1998. The freedom in islam is like allowance of movement to a horse tied with a rope. This is the clear message of islam to whole mankind on earth and under the sun. Islamic law is essentially a superstructure that concretises the ethical norms of islam. Pdf on jul 1, 2018, aayesha rafiq and others published freedom of speech in islam and in international conventions find, read and cite all. For these reasons some simple and perhaps elementary demonstrations are used in this presentation. Christianity and its traditional views on freedom of expression. We use cookies to give you the best user experience.
Aha 2010 freedom of expression and the rights of women. Our countrys founders who were of different religious backgrounds themselves knew the best way to protect religious liberty was to keep the government out of religion. Islam has designated certain aims for society which include protection of mind, belief, private property, security and state. The term freedom includes all its aspects as freedom of religion, expression, justice, political achievements and all what can be considered of to be under its. Islam limits freedom of expression where it is blasphemous or creates social disorder 1. Life becomes devoid of worth when freedom is not present. Muslims do not believe in the concept of freedom of expression. About the rule of law, freedom of expression and islamic law. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Introduction in light of events of the past few years, notably, the publication of the cartoons in denmark caricaturing the holy prophet muhammadsaw and the recently dismissed criminal prosecution for apostasy in afghanistan, i will discuss freedom of conscience within the context of. In such societies freedom of expression has no place. There is no freedom of thought and expression in islam part 1 islam has escaped large scale critical scrutiny despite, or may be because, such endeavors have incited violent reprisals and mass. The world has seen a continuing struggle for the freedom of expression, including the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, often going hand in hand with the endeavour to limit the power of governments. The object is to make a man realize that he should seek the help of allah in all affairs.
At the same time, the fact remains that there is within islam a religious denomination, stream, sect, movement, or whatever. Freedom exists in the sense that everyone can freely express his or her opinion as a prerequisite of fundamental human rights. In recent years the subject of freedom of expression has become a topic of heated debate. This work is a pioneering attempt in examining both the evidence on freedom of expression in the sources of the shariah and the. Both the print and electronic media of west is what provides information to the people about islam and it is the biasness of this media that the people of the west have a negative perception of islam and they see it as a religion of oppression and aggression. This paper will attempt to offer an analytical approach to confirm islamic perspective and the innate phenomenon of freedom of expression and human rights. There are many verses of quran which describe freedom of.
Freedom of expression is an important and fundamental human right in islam. The rule of law, freedom of expression and islamic law. Freedom of expression in islam fundamental rights and. In islamic perspective freedom of expression is not only a right but sometimes it also becomes an absolute duty of a muslim.
The article 19 freedom of expression handbook i the article 19 freedom of expression handbook international and comparative law, standards and procedures. Ethical limits on freedom of expression with special reference to. In islam, religion is integrated into culture and customs in such a way that it is impossible to separate the two. Another consideration here is that the concept of god in islam is distorted in the minds of many nonmuslims who are socalled believers in god and advocates of religion. Promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression proposed a series of principles that will help determine what constitutes a legitimate restriction or limitation on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and what constitutes an abuse of that right. Christianity and its traditional views on freedom of. Page 1 abstract now a days freedom of speech has become a way to spread hatred and hurt muslims.
Commenting on freedom of expression in islam basharat ahmad proclaims. Therefore, the aims of islam conform to the reality of human society. Quran also mentions some important areas and it objectives of the freedom of expression. Allah almighty grants the freedom of expression due to human dignity, honour and free thinking. The primary source of information that the people of west have for gaining information about islam is western media. Freedom of expression from islamic perspective academic journals. In light of events of the past few years, notably, the publication of the cartoons in denmark caricaturing the holy prophet muhammad saw and the recently dismissed criminal prosecution for apostasy in afghanistan, i will discuss freedom of conscience within the context of the islamic legal view regarding. Islam considers freedom to be a natural right of the human being. It is a notorious fact that many prominent hindus who had offended. I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it. Freedom of expression human rights online philippines.
Only when such aims exist in a society can human beings progress in every sphere of life. Islam, every muslim was given the freedom and rights to defend their. Methodologically, the core differences between the universal and islamic understanding of freedom of expression are explained. Freedom of expression in islam islamic texts society. By continuing, we will assume you agree with our cookie policy. Your right to religious freedom american civil liberties. It is like authority which implies responsibility and accountability and provides the justification for the day of judgement. Islam is sometimes criticized by its enemies to lack any regards for freedom of expression. Freedom of expression in islam available at mecca books. This research is aimed to discuss overall sketch of freedom of speech and hate speech and those ways which hurt muslims and how this can be stopped.
Key words islam, cottage industry, employment, rural women. This work is a pioneering attempt in examining both the evidence on freedom of expression in the sources of the. Bismillahirrahmainrrahim in the name of allah, the beneficent, the merciful. The constitution of india provides the right of freedom, given in articles 19, 20, 21 and 22, with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution.
In islam, nothing that questions its claims to truth may be publicly expressed. The muslim debates debate on freedom of expression freedom of expression gives one the right to insult. Freedom of expression is a right that belongs to every individual in expressing their views. This work is a pioneering attempt in examining both the evidence on freedom of expression in the sources of the sharia and the limitations, whether moral, legal or theological. On the contrary, the quran encourages people to discuss matters.
Freedom of expression today is almost exclusively a global phenomenon. The right to freedom of expression is rooted in the 17th century struggle of european legislators for freedom of speech. Albeit, by reflecting on the earlier discussions, the perspective of islam on the freedom of belief as well as the freedom of expression is clear, since there are more emphasis these days in the political literatures of our country on the topic of freedom of belief and after that freedom of expression and press freedom, we will examine these two topics separately. There is no freedom of thought and expression in islam. Freedom of expression,human rights,islam,democracy,religion.
Freedom of expression from the islamic perspective hilaris. Parvez manzoor perhaps the best point of entry in this highly seminal field is mohammad hashim kamalis original contribution to the debate over freedom of expression in islam that is truly a labour of love and a work of devotion and piety. The portrayal of islam since 911 and an analysis of the danish cartoon controversy in south africa unpublished llm thesis, stellenbosch university, 2008 47. For a spiritual, moral and ethical awakening in muslim societies, the four freedoms i identified are essential. Do you live in europe, in australia, in canada, in. To safeguard these aims, an islamic society will restrict freedom of expression as espoused by the west since it acknowledges the fact that society is not just made up of individuals and what an individual does will have an impact on society at large. This article talks about the freedom of speech in islam. For, in my view, we had better no way some thing positive about islam itself in the context of the various fields of life it embraces, and the positivity and the supervisory character that its law enjoys with regard to practical life, as i have attempted in the books appearing after.
Freedom of speech or freedom of expression is a right but we should keep in mind that it. What these critics do not realize is that only fundamental laws such as do not kill, do not steal, etc are created by god, in the forms of commandments given to us through gods prophets. Freedom of expression from islamic perspective request pdf. Islam gives everyone right to exercise freedom of expression, as long as he. There is no freedom of speech in islam says top islamic dawah guy. Throughout history and till today many call for freedom, especially freedom of speech because the call to freedom is something attractive, and attracts the attention of the entier world at various levels, however the concept of freedom differs, so. Constitution says that everyone in the united states has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all. Contrary to the accusations that islam restricts freedom and the free expression of opinion, islam promotes, encourages and obliges its adherents to exercise their freedom, and protects their right to do so.
Establishing and promoting the rule of law in the muslim world, particularly in the middle east, north africa, and central asia, has become a pressing but complicated issue. This post by james mcdonald originally appeared at. Islams attempts to erode free speech in the west and change it to islams own agenda which is very different to what most western politicians perceive. Right to liberty and freedom of expression in islam. The right to freedom in article 19 guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, as one of its six freedoms quotes. Within the quran, there is no text that forbids the freedom of expression, limits it to certain extents, or suppresses it by any means. The self created blames against islam are which needs to be cleared through logical and natural ways and have to prove that islamic way of freedom of expression is the only means which can poise.
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