In a recent blog in Blogworld, Dr. Nicolette Bethel stated that she and Rick Lowe "have maintained a relationship of cordial disagreement for the past few years" and that they "rarely see eye-to-eye." She went on to say that "I think we have a relationship built on mutual respect. The most wonderful thing about democracies and freedom of speech is that they permit people who do not agree to live together peaceably and work for a common cause."
I had just received an essay by Peter Hoekstra, prompted by a film called "Fitna" which was due to be released last week in the Netherlands. The film includes images of a Quran being burned and compares the Quran to Hitler's "Mein Kamph." so the Neherlands is bracing for violence at home and its embassies abroad.
He writes:
"Free societies hold freedom of speech to be a fundamental human right. We don't silence, jail or kill people with whom we disagree just because their ideas are offensive or disturbing. We believe that when such ideas are openly debated, they sink of their own weight and attract few followers."
"Our country allows fringe groups like the American Nazi Party to demonstrate, as long as they are peaceful. Americans are permitted to burn the national flag. In 1989, when so-called artist Andres Serrano displayed his work "Piss Christ" - a photo of a crucifix immersed in a bottle of urine -- Americans protested peacefully and moved to cut off the federal funding that supported Mr. Serrano. There were no bombings of museums. No one was killed over this work that was deeply offensive to Christians."
Thank goodness freedom of expression and religion have remained important to most Bahamians over the years.
Read the entire opinion peice by Peter Hoekstra in the Wall Street Journal by clicking here...
