The significance of freedom in our lives can be seen through the legendary singer Bob Marley’s song and the final words of Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace, who exclaimed, “freedom.” Undeniably, freedom is a cherished blessing and a shared value that is genuinely appreciated by those who do not have it.
Freedom encompasses various forms, including freedom of speech and expression. World Freedom Day and World Press Freedom Day celebrations recognize the importance of exercising, celebrating and safeguarding these freedoms. Despite all this, one person’s idea of freedom may differ from the other’s. So, how do we celebrate our freedom without offending others’ way of freedom?
Every year on Muslim religious occasions, namely, Ramadan, Eid and the Hajj, someone somewhere in Europe purposely insults Islam and the prophet of Islam on the pretext of freedom of expression. A series of Quran burnings across Europe and America that happened on Muslim religious occasions revealed two recurring themes – that they are deliberately organized and supported by the European governments.
Relatedly, every year during the month of December, when Europe celebrates Christmas, Israelis invade Gaza. Are these simply coincidences? Why are Islam and Muslims the victims of perpetrators in the name of freedom?
Today, the term “freedom” has become a buzzword often used in a contradictory manner, resembling George Orwell’s concept of “doublethink” from his famous novel 1984.
The word “freedom” is frequently incorporated into slogans, particularly regarding Western military interventions and their consequences worldwide. Examples include “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and “Operation Enduring Freedom,” which, despite their proclaimed aim of bringing freedom, have resulted in the destruction and immense human tragedies in nations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and others.
Western “adventures” in the Middle East and beyond have often been tailored to promote the idea of the West as a liberator and custodian of people’s freedoms, particularly women’s rights. However, one notable contradiction arises regarding the issue of veil-wearing Muslim women, as some European countries have implemented bans that force these women to remove their veils in public spaces. This raises questions about the consistency of the West’s commitment to individual liberties.
It is well-documented that Afghan women enjoyed their right to vote in the 1920s long before European women. Surpassingly, authentic pieces of research show Western women are victims of domestic violence, almost double the proportion of those West liberated in a faraway place. Shouldn’t some forces help European women?
The United States and the United Kingdom had ruined Iraq and Afghanistan to liberate women allegedly from the radical Taliban that they had once supported and armed.
To be fair, if liberating women is the cause, then the U.S. and Europe are in need where violence against women is recorded high as “on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the U.S.”
In this limited space, it is impossible to include disturbing facts of women and children suffering in Europe. So, what sorts of freedom does the West want to export to the rest?
Recall an example of Donald Trump, who walked in front of the British queen and was criticized for failing to submit to the British royal protocol.
Europe’s concept of freedom is evidently twofold because it observes, reports, campaigns and finally associates all democratic movements, protests and events that happen in faraway places with human rights and people’s right to freedom. Yet, its own forces are directly or indirectly involved in conflicts, wars and regime change missions it too often turns a blind eye toward to ignore all sorts of human rights violations.
Hundreds of liberal newspaper articles, scores of studies, books, films, documentaries, speeches and thousands of social media posts are perfect examples of Europe’s “double standards” on freedoms and human rights.
So far, almost all Nobel Prize holders and a series of other award winners corresponding to human rights, democracy and freedoms have contributed to Europe’s illegal wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and beyond. The increasing list of Nobel Peace Prize winners has become “questionable.”
Anyone having doubts about the Western perception and practices of freedom of expression and thoughts could search about Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden and The Guardian NSA surveillance as case studies.
So, the question arises here where is freedom? Isn’t it that “national security” is much higher than freedom of expression? What about Julian Assange’s freedom?
We often read stories about oppressed women in Afghanistan and the rest of the Muslim world. Fine, there are worrying realities, but the question remains as to what is the difference between those bad guys (Taliban) and good guys (the Europeans) since both forced women to dress up in a way they think is best.
How do you feel when you see European politicians and sections of the media run campaigns to ban veils and mosque minarets? Aren’t these cases of dishonesty or double standards?
Australian writer Jeff Sparrow rightly put it when he said, “Most people already recognize the unparalleled cynicism and dishonesty by which 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' was imposed on an unwilling nation.”
True freedom is that we should respect others and give them space to breathe, think and live as they want. When a Muslim woman protests over wearing a dress that she chooses to wear, it is branded as “backward and outdated,” but if a woman of another faith such as a nun or Jewish woman does this, it is called modesty.
For years now, anyone in British journalism who dares to challenge Israeli policies in Gaza or the British policies in Iraq was fired from their jobs for freely expressing their views. George Galloway provides a list of all journalists, including Andrew Gilligan, Greg Dyke, Gavin Davis and Piers Morgan. I recall dozens of charity workers, medics, journalists, activists and U.N. officials.
Britain’s first female Muslim Cabinet Minister, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, was portrayed as a “terrorist sympathizer” and “extremist and radical’s supporter,” arguably for criticizing Britain’s roles in Gaza and Kashmir that led to her resignation. Warsi is not alone; in the U.K., anyone who uses their right to freedom of expression to criticize Israel, whether Cherry Blair, Jeremy Corbyn, and many others, will face the consequences.
I think British journalist Peter Oborne’s following passage best explains the West’s way of freedom of expression and its standard for Israel: “The Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, who wrote, ‘I am an Islamophobe and proud of it,’ ‘Islamophobia?’ The Sunday Times columnist Rod Liddle rhetorically asks in the title of a speech, ‘count me in.’ Imagine Liddle declaring, ‘Anti-Semitism? Count me in,’ or Toynbee announcing that she was ‘an anti-Semite and proud of it.’ This wouldn’t happen and for very good reasons. Anti-Semitism is recognized as an evil, noxious creed and its adherents are barred from mainstream society and respectable organs of opinion. Not so Islamophobia?”
So what has changed from the forced displacement of Aboriginal people in Australia, Apaches in America and Arabs in Israeli-occupied Palestine and beyond in the world? The discourse of freedom has changed!
Europe must rethink its ideas of freedoms that are limited, distorted and incompatible with the modern era. In the context of Quran burning, it is certain that the Holy Quran is protected from any change or corruption and will be safeguarded.
Those handfuls of corrupt and polluted-minded people wishing to disrespect and burn the Holy Quran must know the fact they can’t erase its nobility nor undermine its prestige. The only damage Quran-burning folks with the backing of European governments are doing is taking Europe pushing toward a never-ending conflict with the Muslim world.
