Freedom of Speech and Expression

2. How would one feel if someone comes up to you and calls you “a bastard, the offspring of sex between your mother and some man who is not your legally wedded father.”

ref:http://chedet.cc/blog/?p=840

The right to freedom of speech and expression

What is right? What is freedom? I'm pretty sure that it is so bright and clear that it blinds us all. We can yap about it all we want and it won't end unless either of us dies. Doesn't matter. What matter most is that what we all can understand equally; "speech" and "expression".

"Speech", in an easy to understand (my own) definition is, words that can be spurt out from one's mouth that may or may not make any sense and may or may not be heard by others.

"Expression" is by definition as above, is, any reaction of one's involvement to an event that is perceived by others.

-Ammar Zufar

 So, as per my definition, the first quote above that I quoted from Tun Dr. Mahathir's blog, contain a short speech or more commonly known as an insult. And my expression would be, "Who cares?". That's just another label. It may just be true(god forbids). Just like when people branded me with other labels such as, "good", "bad", "lazy", "smart" etc.. I may(depending on the situations) feels angry, and feel like killing somebody, and I may not. The point is, whether to express or not, those feelings. If I have a feeling to kill somebody, should I express it by killing somebody? Now that is freedom of expression. If, for instance, somebody who claims to act by the law, arrest me after the killing and somebody else(judge & jury) hold me liable for the killing and send me to the rope? That ain't freedom of expression! They'll justify by saying that I'm nuts just because they have set standards of feelings that we can and cannot have. Is that actually called freedom? (And "they" can actually do the killings freely).

So, if the western actually stands for the freedom of expression, let us kill anybody that we want to kill like what happen with the "Innocence of Muslims" incidents. You opt for freedom of expression right? Well I don't. It's not rational and not practical. Maybe we should bombs all the towers in the U.S. too right? Nah, just not my style.

What would anybody call a "freedom of expression" that is governed by set of rules and standards? Irony? Paradox? Maybe I'll just plainly call it, "Ridiculously Stupid". Got a nice touch to it.

What about "freedom of speech"? I vote for this one. It's what I'm doing now. But I know, there is no such thing. Maybe now, maybe later, there's always someone who's going to stop me, like they did with the rest. I know that you all know somebody so I'm not going to refer any to you. Speaking about "freedom of speech", here's an interesting open letter written by S.H. al-Attas or somebody that claimed to be him. You figure it out;

SURAT TERBUKA UNTUK SULTAN IBRAHIM (YEM)

I haven't finish reading it yet because it's so long, but I got the points. He is dissatisfied by the Malaysian Monarchy system namely the Johor Sultanate that he openly wrote about it. I bet he won't get his "freedom of speech and expression" entertained, but that "Sultanate" can get their freedom of doing whatever and whenever as always.

Are any of you "people of the books"? Scholars? Most Muslim will refer "people of the books" or "ahl-al-kitab" to the believers of the four scripture, namely, Zabur(Psalm), Taurat(Torah), Injil(Bible), Quran, because that is what they are taught. But for me, any verses in the Quran that refer to "ahl-al-kitab" is anybody that study and learn with references. To me, most of the Muslims are not "people of the books". Why? Because they are ignorant. Same as the Christians. They just do as they're told by the preachers. They rarely feel the needs to study for themselves, refer to the books, be the "people of the books". What about Jews? Jews are rare where I'm from(Malaysia). I haven't met any Jews my entire life. Looking forward meeting one.

Just do what you want to do. Kiss people, diss people, kill people, heal people. Just make sure you have the guts to face the consequences. If you don't want to do anything, just keep thinking.

Thinking is never-ending.

-Ammar Zufar  

Well, that should wrap up everything. Till next time. Salam.