Letter to the Courier in response to religious hypocrisy

In response to the article from Josh Layton, Muslim group says violent protests over cartoons are wrong, Courier, February 10th, I am beguiled by the attempt by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA), to tell us that it is wrong to attack other people’s religion, but it is obviously acceptable to call gay people harmful to society and full of disease, (Iqbal Sacrenie, Muslim Council of Britain). The point that everyone is missing is that religion should be a vehicle to the path of enlightenment, whichever religion you choose. It should never be used as a vehicle to restrict freedom of speech. For the whole point of democracy is to protect at all costs free speech, along with freedom of religion, accountable and representative governments as well the rule of law. Certain religions bring mockery upon themselves, because they act in a farcical way. How else can you explain, “…it is bad enough making a picture [of Mohammed], but a cartoon is even worse,” Mohammed Salim (AMA). Just as it is a right for the religious to enjoy freedom of religion, it is also the right of society to express itself in an opposing way that may cause offence. Otherwise, we might as well turn the clock back four hundred years to the world of witch burnings. However, we may already be heading in that direction, as the recent protests have led me to believe, that there are some who would have us return to the world of Nazi book burnings in 1933.