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Eleven theses on the freedom to criticize religion

12 02 06 - 20:35

Religion should be exposed to the same criticism and satire as all other human expressions. The rage among Muslims that stemmed from the publication of a satirical cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed has inspired me to formulate a number of theses. These matters should be up for discussion, with the core idea being that a taboo on criticizing religion, and the demand of particular respect for religion is out of place, and leads to the incapacity to resolve preconceptions, abuse and violence that stems from religion.

1) Especially when it comes to religion, freedom of speech needs extra protection.1

Religions like Christianity and Islam are inclined to protect themselves from criticism by prohibiting it, and if possible by penalizing it. But the taboo on criticizing religion creates certain dangers in these religions. Penalizing criticism happens at the expense of those whose beliefs are different, causes high-mounting frustration, and leads to paranoia and conflicts within the community.

Allowing criticism and free speech makes it possible to canalize frustrations and fears and to prevent conflicts.

2. The ability to cope with criticism is an important part of the right to freedom of speech.

Thanks to the freedom of opinion, minorities and individuals are free to practice religion according to their personal needs. The other side of the coin is that you need to deal with what others have to say about you and your ideas. Opposing ideas often spring from dissatisfaction with existing rules or the opinions of other groups. But also within a group it’s important that people be allowed to speak freely about rules that go against their natural needs, and propose to change or ignore them.

Thanks to freedom of opinion it is possible to critically analyze any way of life and its underlying conceptions, and adapt it to better suit people’s needs.

3. Those who want freedom of religion must also be open to criticism.

Muslims cannot claim western freedoms on the one hand while imposing Islamic societal restrictions on the other. They need to realize that the right to freedom of expression is what allows Islam to exist. But this right does not mean that Islam is sacred. Just like all other ideas and concepts, religion is open to debate and attempts to deconstruct it.

Muslims who want to propagate Islam by advertising it as a solution to problems that stem from other ways of life, need to accept that others wish to discuss the Islamic lifestyle and problems within the Islamic community, even if this should lead to the disintegration of Islam.

4. Criticism makes change possible.

Religions such as Christianity and Islam aim to exist unchanged for all time. The texts or their holy books are unassailable and for all eternity. Allowing criticism would strike at the root of this aim. The drawback of disallowing cristicism is that rigid ideas and preconceptions would fester forever. For example, women will always be considered inferior to men as long as the book is believed to be unassailable. Doubts about this are reasoned away by referring to the will of God, who is all-knowing. Thanks to the right to criticize it remains possible to resolve conflicts and to change incorrect or prejudiced concepts, rules or laws.

It is unwise to exclude religion from the possibility of improvement or adaptation to modern needs.

5. In order to modernize Islam from within, two condtions must be met: criticism must be allowed unconditionally, and one must be allowed to openly abandon Islam.

This may lead to the diminishment or disappearance of Islam, but that may be necessary in order to meet the needs and interests of individuals and societies. It may also lead to individial adaptations of a belief, or the rise of schisms or new movements and religions.

Religions do not need to be preserved at all costs. That leads to friction and outbreaks of violence if the tension between humans and religion grows too large. As long as criticism or leaving a religion is not accepted, moderate as well as non-Muslims will suffer from the way in which people try and preserve their religion.

The well-being of humans and society is more important than religion.

6. Gods in religion are considered to be omnipotent and omniscient, and therefore are elevated above criticism.

This is the cause of many problems. Religions and gods are, just like all other human expressions, constructs of the mind. They contain human preconceptions and ideas that are only applicable within specific cultural contexts.

Elevating religions above criticism leads to the religion-based exercise of power over people and cultures, even if this power goes against the interests and natural needs of people. That’s why it is important to bring religion back to its origin, the human mind, and to submit it to the same analytical criticism as all other human concepts and ideas.

7. The fierce reaction to criticism results from fear.

The anger that we have witnessed among muslims not only streams from the fact that Islam prohibits criticism and satire. It’s mainly an expression of the fear of being confronted with reality. This kind of criticism ruthlessly shows that Islam is not as perfect as muslims would like to believe. Also, critical analyses exposes the fact that Islam is man-made, just like all laws, ideas and philosophies.

Nothing is as painful as the discovery that the being you love, trusted unconditionally, and whose laws you unquestioningly placed above human intelligence is only a fallible product of the human mind. The taboo against criticism protects humans from this feared truth.

8. The cause of extreme anger among muslims is neither mockery nor satire.

The West is reproached with a lack of respect because of the caricatures. The truth is that Islam does not allow for any kind of criticism, whether satirical or serious, that questions the perfection of their religion.

Many critics, journalists, scientists and also women that have transgressed the rules of modesty and obedience have been murdered. In the Islamic world, they have been muzzled under the cloak of "insulting religion."

9. The best evidence that not satire but intolerace of criticism is at the root of the anger is Taslima Nasrin’s complaint.

Nasrin begins her speech "On Islamic Fundementalism" as follows:

I have said that Sharia law should be revised. I would like a modern, civilized law, in which women are given equal rights. I won’t have any religious law that discriminates—none, period. No Hindu law, no Christian law, no Islamic law. Why should a man be entitled to four wives? Why should a son inherit two-thirds of his parents’ property when a daughter can only inherit a third? Should I be killed for saying this?

If only because of the mullahs who sentenced Nasrin to death because of her simple wish to free women from violent oppression, we should not give in to the demands of muslims not to "insult" their religion with cartoons. There will come no end to their demands to " respect the religion" and not speak out aginst it.

10. Honor killings fall under the same category as murdering someone for having different beliefs.

Women who get murdered because they "westernize" are victims of the Islamic wish to suppress and destroy everything within their culture that threatens the holiness and eternity of Islam, just like other murdered critics are. Women who have been murdered because they were "westernized" were murdered because they symbolized western culture, and therefore went against the interests of Islam.

Questioning honor killings and the oppression of women is considered to be insulting to muslims. Showing respect for these feelings means no justice will be had for countless women who are violently controlled or even murdered, and their situations will never improve.

Women have the right to westernize and to free themselves from male control.

11. Freedom of religion is a right that serves to protect the individual against religious suppression.

Many people think that freedom of religion serves to protect religions themselves. But as a human right it is far more important that the individual have the right to practice his religion as he sees fit. The right of religious freedom should not be used as an excuse to discriminated against individuals, or to demand respect for discriminatory religious practices.

Freedom of religion is a person’s right. It’s not the right of a community to violate the human rights of the individual. Freedom of religion is a human right that gives the individual the freedom to determine his own attitude towards his religion, even when this comes with disputes and disagreement, and even when this leads to reform or the disappearance of a religion.


Els Geuzebroek, translation Melissa Canton, february 2006 131 views