02-21-2006, 02:30 AM
<b>The article of Ms. Jain is a good analysis except that I beg to differ with her concluding paragraph. The fact remains that a very small section of our Muslim citizens have gone to the street to hold demonstration, what to say of indulging in violence. However, a few of their political leaders belonging to both the majority and the minority community have so far unsuccessfully tried to built up tension on the issue of the cartoons.
We as Indian's should feel proud of the fact that the legal experts who drafted the Constitution of the Republic way back in 1949 in Constituent Assembly of India , had the foresight to visualize the problem which Denmark is facing today along with a few other EU members. Therefore, while granting the freedom of Speech and Expression to the citizens under Article 19 it has also empowered the State to impose reasonable restriction , so that the exercise of the rights by an individual or a group of individuals do not cause any problems for other sections of the Indian society. Similarly, Sec-153 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860 provides for punishment to those who are guilty of causing ill feeling and religious hatred by exercising their freedom of speech and expression.
The European Union needs to adjust itself to the reality of a multi-racial and multi-religious society in the face rapid globalization. It is unfortunate that many of the commentators are terming this current series of unfortunate cases of violence in various countries as a confrontation between West and Islam. Very few of them are able to go the fundamental and root cause of the problem, ie how the right of freedom of speech and expression is to be exercised and till what extend this freedom extends, particularly in the present day Western Society.</b>
We as Indian's should feel proud of the fact that the legal experts who drafted the Constitution of the Republic way back in 1949 in Constituent Assembly of India , had the foresight to visualize the problem which Denmark is facing today along with a few other EU members. Therefore, while granting the freedom of Speech and Expression to the citizens under Article 19 it has also empowered the State to impose reasonable restriction , so that the exercise of the rights by an individual or a group of individuals do not cause any problems for other sections of the Indian society. Similarly, Sec-153 of the Indian Penal Code of 1860 provides for punishment to those who are guilty of causing ill feeling and religious hatred by exercising their freedom of speech and expression.
The European Union needs to adjust itself to the reality of a multi-racial and multi-religious society in the face rapid globalization. It is unfortunate that many of the commentators are terming this current series of unfortunate cases of violence in various countries as a confrontation between West and Islam. Very few of them are able to go the fundamental and root cause of the problem, ie how the right of freedom of speech and expression is to be exercised and till what extend this freedom extends, particularly in the present day Western Society.</b>