Amer Araim and Charlie Hebdo: ‘Harmony’ Trumps Free Speech

Amer Araim

In his latest Contra Costa Times op-ed, Diablo Valley College instructor Amer Araim joins the ranks of Middle East studies academics whose reaction to the recent Islamic terrorist attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo demonstrates that they neither understand nor support free speech when it comes to criticizing or parodying Islam:

When Salman Rushdie wrote his book “Satanic Verses,” . . . I suggested that the Muslim community in Britain should initiate legal proceedings in British courts against Rushdie for defaming the family of Prophet Muhammad. . . . Many Muslims all over the world condemned the [January, 2015] terrorist attacks, but they were in pain at the continuous insults to the symbol of the religion by Charlie Hebdo and other media sources. . . . [T]he media could help by not agitating people through outrageous political or cultural publications. That will not diminish the freedom of the press, but it will ensure harmony in the world.

Cinnamon Stillwell analyzes Middle East studies academia in West Coast colleges and universities for Campus Watch. A San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of San Francisco State University, she is a columnist, blogger, and social media analyst. Ms. Stillwell, a former contributing political columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has written on a wide variety of topics, including the political atmosphere in American higher education, and has appeared as a guest on television and talk radio.
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