Bring back freedom of speech

A competition of ideas is vitally important, even essential, to the functioning of a free society. That's why it is depressing to read about how some European nations are restricting freedom of speech in order to prevent people from offending Muslim sensibilities. Freedom of speech has taken a beating in the United States with the passage of the McCain-Feingold legislation, which extends the suppression of political debate more thoroughly than previous campaign finance laws.

Bruce Bawer describes the approach of some European parliaments.

Legislatures have taken action. In April, after virtually no public discussion, Norway's Parliament passed a law that punishes offensive remarks about any religion with up to three years' imprisonment and places the burden of proof on the accused. Three months later, Britain's House of Commons approved a bill that would criminalize "words or behavior" that might "stir up racial or religious hatred."

Islam is not a race but a religion whose ideology should, in a democratic society, be entirely open to criticism and, for that matter, to parody and mockery. Outraged by the House of Commons measure, comedian Rowan Atkinson (who plays the character Mr. Bean on television) commented: "For telling a good and incisive religious joke, you should be praised. For telling a bad one, you should be ridiculed and reviled. The idea that you could be prosecuted for the telling of either is quite fantastic." Atkinson was nearly alone among British authors, artists, and entertainers in his vocal criticism of the bill.

There used to be a common rebuttal to restrictions on the freedom to express ideas: "I may not agree with what you say. But I will fight for your right to say it." The war on terror is ultimately a war between the free society and the totalitarian one. Watching the elected officials of free societies restrict freedom in response to political assassination seems like preemptive surrender.