Monday, September 17, 2012

A Man Who Understands Freedom

For those who try to blame some filmmaker for the riots in the Middle East (what was their excuse before this film?), heed the words of Salman Rushdie, who knows a thing or two about threats to freedom:
"A book which was critical of Islam would be difficult to be published now," he (Rushdie) told the BBC's Will Gompertz.

He said the only way to solve the issue was for publishers to "be braver".

"The only way of living in a free society is to feel that you have the right to say and do stuff," he said...

"If you look at the way in which free expression is being attacked by religious extremism, the things of which these people are accused is always the same - it's blasphemy, heresy, insult, offence - it's this medieval vocabulary.

"We're in a difficult place because there's a lot of fear and nervousness around."  (boldface mine--Darren)
I'm reminded of a quote:
"The notion that you can somehow defeat violence by submitting to it is simply a flight from fact. As I have said, it is only possible to people who have money and guns between themselves and reality."
--attributed to George Orwell

1 comment:

Ellen K said...

I'm not a supporter of provocative films, BUT the fact that government agents were sent to "talk to" the maker of this film should send chills up the spines of Hollywood types. But being good little libs, the fall in lockstep, assuming that a government that censors things this dislike won't ever come after them. In the meantime, how can a film which has been on Youtube for a year, suddenly erupt in these kinds of attacks unless someone (Morisi)was looking for a convenient excuse. If this results in yet another undeserved apology from Obama, or worse, release of the blind imam that planned the first attack on the Twin Towers, then we can simply cash in our chips because at that point it's all over boys and girls.