Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Self-Critical Approach

Tariq Ramadan introduces the Danish cartoon controversy in his article, “At the crossroad of Islam, the West.” The main problem lies in having the right of freedom of speech vs. freedom of religion. I agree with Ramadan when he says citizens should be called upon to, “exercise their right to freedom of expression responsibly and take into account the diverse sensitivities that compose our pluralistic contemporary societies.” I agree that this, as opposed to legislation, would be the solution. Censorship is certainly not the answer, and as Ramadan stated, the Muslim citizens aren’t looking for censorship, just more respect. The self-critical approach definitely seems to be the best option. As Ramadan states in his second article, “What the West can Learn from Islam”, “We must turn our backs on a vision that posits us against them and understand that our shared citizenship is the key factor in building the society of the future together.” As Ramadan states, there is much that we can learn from the Muslim culture and in order to make the most out of this there should be a self-governed level of respect and tolerance for this culture that may be very different from what one is used to. We must look for shared values such as social justice, which the Quran mentions and commands of Muslims. At the end of his second article Ramadan states; “learning how to respect the feelings, the loves, and the complexities of those who do not share our faith, nor our entire memory, but with whom we must build our future together” [is essential]. Basically, I agree with Ramadan in his belief that instead of legislation/laws we must be self-governed and be more respectful of those who we might not have shared the past with, but whom we inevitably will be sharing a future with.

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