George Orwell warned against the idea that one could “Only combat Communism, Fascism or what not if we develop an equal fanaticism. It appears to me that one defeats the fanatic precisely by not being a fanatic oneself.” So what might a “non-fanatic” response to Islamism consist of? It is unlikely that one simple approach will do the trick. But among the remedies needed is a strong civil society movement including both Muslims and non-Muslims aim…
George Orwell warned against the idea that one could “Only combat Communism, Fascism or what not if we develop an equal fanaticism. It appears to me that one defeats the fanatic precisely by not being a fanatic oneself.” So what might a “non-fanatic” response to Islamism consist of? It is unlikely that one simple approach will do the trick. But among the remedies needed is a strong civil society movement including both Muslims and non-Muslims aim…
Jacob Mchangama, a secular-minded Danish civil-rights lawyer who monitors free-speech restrictions, notes: “Democracies do have compelling reasons to prevent the establishment of deep parallel societies guided by illiberal norms operating without accountability. However freedom of expression and religion must also protect a religious authority’s political statements, and “threats” about consequences in the after-life must be clearly distinguished…
…ement is among the most blatant examples of how far the international human-rights community has strayed from human-rights principles by blundering into complex and highly partisan political debates on economics. Olivier De Schutter, U.N. special human-rights rapporteur on the right to food, proclaimed: “Where the world financial crisis has brought about the loss of millions of jobs, socialized private debt burdens, and now risks causing significa…
…panicking over fake news and populism in the 21st century have anything in common with the Athenians who panicked about threats to their democracy in the 4th century BC? Do modern autocrats still use the same playbook as the emperors, popes, and absolutists of the past? And were religious extremists executing heretics in late antiquity and the middle ages motivated by the same impulses as modern jihadists willing to execute blasphemous cartoonists…
…s to Moscow. The German government has responded to a recent spate of right-wing extremist violence with a commitment to enact tough new measures against online hate speech. These would expand Germany’s existing efforts along these lines—but seemingly without any consideration of the pernicious effects they’ve already had around the world. As our new report shows, Germany’s ongoing crackdown on online speech has been closely watched, and copied, b…
In a speech earlier this month the European Union commissioner for justice, Vera Jourova, declared: “If freedom of expression is one of the building blocks of democratic society, hate speech on the other hand is a blatant violation of that freedom. Ot must be severely punished”. Director Jacob Mchangama says to The Economist that, Ms Jourova’s approach “takes the EU away from its founding values” because “one cannot foster tolerance through repre…
…able channels for public debate, and yet they are now rarely seen as an out-and-out benefit to democracy. Rather, they are more likely to be seen as transmitting fake news, conspiracy theories and hate. Fears are also growing that private tech companies are exercising too much power over – and with – social media, and are quashing awkward voices. Unfettered information has become an agent of polarization. Read the full article and see the integrat…
In a speech earlier this month the European Union commissioner for justice, Vera Jourova, declared: “If freedom of expression is one of the building blocks of democratic society, hate speech on the other hand is a blatant violation of that freedom. Ot must be severely punished”. Director Jacob Mchangama says to The Economist that, Ms Jourova’s approach “takes the EU away from its founding values” because “one cannot foster tolerance through repre…
…able channels for public debate, and yet they are now rarely seen as an out-and-out benefit to democracy. Rather, they are more likely to be seen as transmitting fake news, conspiracy theories and hate. Fears are also growing that private tech companies are exercising too much power over – and with – social media, and are quashing awkward voices. Unfettered information has become an agent of polarization. Read the full article and see the integrat…
