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…
…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 from actual threats of violence or the like.” Read th…
…should be channelled to fighting poverty, reversing growing inequality and compensating those whose lives have been devastated by the enduring global economic crisis.” Neither expert made any mention of possible social, economic, or political costs. These statements raise many questions, aside from the obvious issue of the plausibility of the proposal and the rank amateurism of its reasoning. In fact, other human-rights officials and civilian grou…
…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…
…nt 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, by authoritarian governments eage…
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…
…nels 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 integration of ou…
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…
…nels 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 integration of ou…
