The ‘Jones’ is Sherry Jones btw, author of the book The Jewel of Madina.
I’m not writing to deliberate on Russell Brand or Jonathan Ross.
Erm… Okay let me just say a few words about Brand then. I really hate Brand. Ughhh, I mean can those trousers get any tighter? The worst I can esteem him with is thoughts of malevolence. At best, I liken him to a walking STD.
Oki doki, that’s out of the way then.
In his book ‘On Liberty‘, the British philosopher John Stuart Mills argued that
…there ought to exist the fullest liberty of professing and discussing, as a matter of ethical conviction, any doctrine, however immoral it may be considered.
Beyond the realm of the chit-chat that philosophers and libertarians have privately bantered on about for centuries regarding the above quote, it’s the full on manifestation of testing the limits of freedom of expression that interests us.
Exercising freedom of expression is theoretically meant to take place in the context of competing values. The ‘competing values’ are typically considered the social and religious customs that help define the notions of offense, tolerance and respect. In Britain though, where religious customs are fading and social norms shifting, there forms this black hole as to how far freedom of expression is exercised.
This is precisely where the current drama over the prank call made to Andrew Sachs by Brand and Ross, neatly fits in. Even though the furore is still unfolding, more than 27,000 complaints made to the BBC have forced apologies from both Brand and Ross, and has led to the resignation of Russel Brand from BBC radio.
You can find the script of the call in the online site of The Telegraph, or simply just YouTube it (I’m not providing links). Suffice to say all of it is trash, but the main insult is over the lurid way Brand exposed his previous relationship with Sach’s grand daughter.
I don’t really know that exact demographics of BBC2 listeners, but I would hazard a guess that the majority of them are old. Old in the sense that they probably safeguard their Christian values, less likely to be divorced and have fond memories of ‘in my days, kids used to…’ I know its a strong statement, but it helps explain the high number of complaints, especially if they have their own grand children and thus feel offended by the Brand/Ross call. Comparatively, the younger crowds don’t feel such indignation. It’s either harmless or just plain normal to them. When I was young, I would watch ‘You’ve Been Framed’. Amongst the MTV generation though, I believe ‘Jackass’ is the norm. A program where crass insults and churlish behaviour have helped shape the next generation into believing that everything goes (down the crapper).
While the full outcome of what happens with the Brand/Ross case is yet to be decided, I’m hoping that any discourse by Muslims on this issue would lead them to seeing the inherent harms of free speech (codified via article 19 of the UDHR). Holding our tongues is one of the greatest virtues endeared to us by the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Now in relation to the Jewel of Madina…
As Muslims, we really don’t have any excuse to be confused. Yet, when it became apparent that Sherry Jones was looking to publish her book in the UK (it’s on an indefinite hiatus now). Some high profile Muslim commentators approached the matter in a somewhat placid manner. By this I mean that they were caught in the trappings of using free speech as basis of whether the book should be published or not. Given the conciliatory tone of the author, and the constant repetition that the book was meant to show the life of ‘Ayesha (ra) in a positive light, such commentators could only weakly reply by saying that whilst they disagreed with the contents, free speech should permit the publication of the novel.
Where then is the inalienable belief that Islam defines what is clearly correct or incorrect? How is it that BBC2 listeners can stand there ground, when they know something to be wrong? My biggest fear is that the next generation of Muslim commentators, intellectuals and leaders, will have their thinking only shaped by Islam in the peripheries, but grounded in their core thoughts by the same fodder that feeds the MTV generation.
Allah knows best.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Any neutral observer of the media in this society can state the obvious that Islam and Muslims appear to be the “black sheep” of society. They are constantly being linked to terrorism, exhibiting Islamic values being incompatible with British Values (Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams’ Shari’a Row) Intervention by the Government in Mosques and in State Schools with the new PVE (Preventing Violent Extremism) tool kit being rolled out recently. Glorification of Terrorism Act, specifically legislated to categorise the type of Muslims who speak out against the injustices happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, the list is endless.
There appears to be a concerted, global and at all strata of society policies against undermining Islam as a political, economical, social alternative to Western Liberal Capitalism. Some might call me cynical and a conspiracy addict, but I am not. I am stating the obvious. Let’s take the example of the publication of this “Mills & Boons” genre book.
In the current climate for the Muslims, where we are being lambasted with negativity about Islam and the real sensation of the community being palpable by the Government, it becomes of paramount importance for the authority to assess and neutralise the re-emergence of a global Islamic movement. One of the steps would be to isolate the Muslim community in Britain from the Global Ummah (Global Islamic Brotherhood) as this directly impacts their national interests and security.
Two choices are available for the Muslim living in the UK: assimilate with our policies or be labeled as a violence-loving, extremist, both of which are unacceptable. Those that have become “tolerant” and apologetic will accept the book’s publication as acceptable and they will fit in with the first category. Those that will condemn and speak out against the book will be honed in as extremists, thus isolated and shunned by the rest of the society.
As believers in the Creator, Allah (swt) , we are obliged to speak out against injustice and oppression, especially if it affects us directly. Not only is it satisfactory for us to argue against the publication and highlighting the bankrupt justification of Freedom of Speech, but to also work and discuss towards a strategy of not allowing this insult to re–occur, again and again.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 am
Walaikum,assalaam!
It has been stagnant for the time being but I am planning some changes in it to make it more focused since this is the time we witness the collapse of this fraudulent monetary system.
Updates: I have been busy following my course work at college and forming and managing a group to organize events on Islaam in the college. Thats heck lotta work for now. So now I will have a community to update this place.
jazak’Allah khair