Filtering by category 'Civility' containing 181 posts

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					Teresa M. Bejan discusses ‘mere civility’, disagreement and the limits of toleration
				
Lewis Willcocks talks to Dr Teresa M. Bejan, Associate Professor of Political Theory at the University of Oxford, about her recent book ‘Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration’ (Harvard University Press) and what early modern debates over religion can teach us about diversity and discourse in the twenty-first century. 

					Free Speech? Not for critics of Israel
				
Avi Shlaim argues that when it comes to debates concerning Israel, free speech has become stifled in British academia.

					An introductory guide to the ten principles
				
Our social media team have created a new way to explore the 10 principles on Youtube.

					Can you teach people how to disagree without being disagreeable?
				
Tony Koutsoumbos explores the lessons from his own experiences in building an environment of robust and strong public debate.

					Free speech debates are more than ‘radicals’ vs ‘liberals’
				
Eric Heinze argues that the radicals and liberal grounds for free speech are not mutually exclusive.

					Attacked, threatened and criminalised: LGBTI freedom of speech in Nigeria
				
Jude Dibia explores the criminalisation and violence faced by the LGBTI community after the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.

					From censorship by government to censorship by terrorism
				
Paul Cliteur and Tom Herrenberg, editors of a book on The Fall and Rise of Blasphemy Law, consider the changing nature of censorship.

					Between Islamists and secularists: debating free speech in the Arab world
				
Sara Khorshid reports from a panel discussion that brought together former hate preachers, feminists and ordinary Arab youth to debate the limits of free speech in the new Middle East.

					The ‘lying press’ and the crisis of confidence in German media
				
Maja Sojref and Sarah Glatte explore the growing public disillusionment with the mainstream press in Germany.

					Why is Mein Kampf the 12th most sold history book on Amazon India?
				
Udit Bhatia discusses attitudes to, and ignorance of Hitler in India.

					Chicago university’s free speech policy
				
Timothy Garton Ash introduces the report of a committee on freedom of expression at the University of Chicago

					When is speech dangerous?
				
Jonathan Leader Maynard examines the difficulties in assessing and managing the role of speech in violence.

					‘Innocence of Muslims’ and the manufacture of outrage
				
Danyal Kazim explores the violent reaction to the YouTube video in Pakistan – starting with trying to access it from there.

					Whose finger should be on the trigger?
				
Sarah Glatte explores the controversy over trigger warnings and asks whether they help or hinder free speech. 

					John Naughton: Are private superpowers a threat to free speech?
				
John Naughton discusses the state of the internet, net neutrality and private companies.

					What did the Buddha mean by ‘right speech’?
				
Matthew Walton explores the deeper Buddhist context of right speech – and soul-searching on Buddhist internet message boards.

					What is right speech and why is it important?
				
Leslie Green argues that Buddhist ideas  about avoiding divisive, abusive and  false speech can help us live together well in free societies

					Does Charlie Hebdo drift into racist caricatures?
				
The first edition of the magazine since the attack in which 12 people were killed featured a cartoon of  Muhammad on its cover. Myriam Francois-Cerrah objects.

					Living in outrageous times
				
Peter Bradley argues that we should tolerate offence but be less offensive

					National Security: Sample our intellectual buffet. Or make your own meal.
				
Timothy Garton Ash introduces a sample tour of the content on our site. 

					Privacy: Sample our intellectual buffet. Or make your own meal.
				
Timothy Garton Ash introduces a sample tour of the content on our site

					Salman Rushdie: What have been the most important changes to free speech in the last 25 years?
				
25 years after the fatwa and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Salman Rushdie discusses with Timothy Garton Ash whether there is now more or less freedom of expression in Europe, worrying developments in India and his critical view of Edward Snowden. 

					Should the LSE’s Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society have asked people to cover up people wearing religious t-shirts?
				
At the London School of Economics Students’s Union Freshers’ Fair members of the Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Student Society were asked to cover up their T-shirts displaying a Jesus and Mo cartoon. This panel discussion discusses the freedom to offend and how to balance freedom of expression and civility.

					US Supreme Court strikes down law creating ‘buffer zone’ around abortion clinics
				
In the case of McCullen v Coakley, the US Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling about restrictions on speech around abortion clinics.  Max Harris explains.

					Should Europe introduce a right to blasphemy?
				
Alain Bouldoires talks to Timothy Garton Ash about the survival of blasphemy laws in Europe, and calls for a ‘right to blaspheme’.

					EU versus intellectual freedom?
				
In a bid to synchronise hate crimes, the EU is seeking unity amongst members states against the denial of historical injustices. Is this the EU versus member states’ appreciation of intellectual freedom? Luigi Cajani explains.

					Eatock v Bolt: a controversial Australian hate speech case
				
Max Harris explains why journalist Andrew Bolt was found in breach of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act for articles about “fair-skinned Aboriginal people”.

					Nineteen arguments for hate speech bans – and against them
				
Free speech scholar Eric Heinze identifies the main arguments for laws restricting hate speech and says none are valid for mature Western democracies.  

					Regulating hate speech: lessons for Asia
				
Cherian George on how hate speech is gaining virulence in Asian countries such as Myanmar, and how peace-building workshops represent a positive step forward.  

					‘They used the oven to get tanned, you know…’
				
Marc-Antoine Dilhac recounts how he confronted anti-semitic prejudice in a French classroom, and argues that more good  comes from an open debate about hate speech than from banning it. 

					Britain’s proposed online porn filters
				
How do we strike the right balance between freedom of expression and child protection? Sarah Glatte explores a proposal by the British government.

					From Muslim activist to free speech defender: the story of Ahmad Akkari and the Danish cartoon controversy
				
Katie Engelhart speaks to Ahmad Akkari to find out why he apologised to one of the Danish cartoonists eight years after fuelling worldwide fury. 

					Why shouldn’t a Hungarian historian call Jobbik “neo-nazi”?
				
Tamás Szigeti explores the asymmetric narrowing of free speech in Hungary.

					Vladimi Pozner: Why Russia does not have a concept of free speech
				
Famous Russian journalist Vladimir Pozner says he thinks Russia really has no concept of free speech. Oh, but there’s one place where you do have complete freedom of expression.

					Should society tolerate all forms of art?
				
We regularly highlight comments that have made an impression on us. FSD user Perreaoult argues that Art has to be completely free as an instrument of expression. 

					Martha Nussbaum: How can we best approach the challenge of religious difference?
				
Legal philosopher Martha Nussbaum gave the 2013 Dahrendorf Lecture, exploring how to live with religious diversity.

					When and where should extremists be allowed to march?
				
Protests held by far right groups in ethnically diverse areas are provocation, but banning them can have undesired effects. Josh Black looks at a ban on the English Defence League in East London.

					A right to privacy? Not at the expense of free speech!
				
Our user imos.org.uk argues with one of our draft principles challenging the idea that privacy is a condition for free speech.

					I enjoyed the Book of Mormon musical. Now for the Book of Islam?
				
The Mormons reacted brilliantly to the musical satirising their faith, but something important is lost when we treat religions so differently – writes Katie Engelhart.

					Jesus Christ Superstar? Not in Rostov, Russia
				
The Russian parliament’s vote in support of a declaration against acts offending religious sentiments is symptomatic of worrying trends, write Olga Shvarova and Dominic Burbidge.

					The ‘Brandenburg test’ for incitement to violence
				
In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court made history by ruling that, to merit conviction, the violence advocated must be intended, likely and imminent. By Jeff Howard.

					Child pornography and freedom of expression
				
Did the European Court of Human Rights wrongly considered the distribution of child pornography to be an exercise of freedom of expression in the case Karttunen v. Finland, asks Rónán Ó Fathaigh.

					Brigitte Bardot’s repeated convictions for inciting racial hatred
				
Should a world famous actress be allowed to denounce an ‘overpopulation’ by foreigners? By Michèle Finck.

					Is the European Court of Human Rights merely defending the uncontroversial?
				
A famous case of state censorship in Austria highlights the tendency of governments to pander to the majority, leaving controversial views unprotected. By Michele Finck.

					Has the Strasbourg court allowed too much for local taboos?
				
At the European Court of Human Rights, the case of I.A. against Turkey in 2005 acted as a controversial precedent for limiting Article 10’s definition of freedom of expression in the name of religion, explains Michele Finck.

					Cyber-bullying that led to suicide
				
On 10 October 2012 the Canadian teenager Amanda Todd committed suicide after years of cyber-bullying and harassment. Judith Bruhn describes a shocking case.

					Free speech as seen by a believer in an Abrahamic religion
				
Islam, Christianity and Judaism are often accused of wanting to restrict free speech. Dominic Burbidge suggests a radically different perspective, from inside the thought-system of the Abrahamic faiths.

					The late Ronald Dworkin on ‘How universal is liberalism?’
				
To honour the memory of Ronald Dworkin, a brilliant philosopher and advocate of free speech, we post his remarkable 2012 Dahrendorf Lecture.

					Can the treatment of animals be compared to Nazi concentration camps?
				
Not in Germany, said the German courts. And the European Court of Human Rights agreed. 

					The practice of freedom
				
Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi stresses the importance of free speech but emphasises the Buddhist idea of “right speech”.

					William Dalrymple: Why Salman Rushdie was forced to cancel his visit to the Jaipur Literature Festival
				
The historian and writer explains the reasoning behind author Salman Rushdie’s no-show at the 2012 Jaipur Literary Festival.

					The Nira Radia tapes controversy and the right to privacy
				
Should government-initiated phone hacking be made public if the recordings are in the public interest? Shubhangi Bhadada exposes the thin line in India between the right to privacy and freedom of expression.

					Prashant Bhushan: The case for a referendum and how Kashmir could become “another Afghanistan”
				
If the territorial dispute over Kashmir is not addressed through open debate, it may become “another Afghanistan”, says the Indian supreme court lawyer. 

					Prevent harm, allow offence?
				
Robert Simpson suggests a way to distinguish between harm and offence.

					Does freedom of expression give us a right to show videos of animals being crushed?
				
In 2010 president Barack Obama signed a law banning videos that depict animal cruelty. Judith Bruhn explores whether this is a justified restriction to freedom of expression.

					How WCIT could fix – not kill – the internet as we know it
				
FSD user and regular commenter Luke Landau, a telecommunications engineer, argues the International Telecommunications Regulations are long overdue for an update.

					The silenced sex? Women’s voices in US election coverage
				
A new report shows only 12% of US election coverage on the abortion debate quotes women. Judith Bruhn explores why this under-representation of women’s voices is undermining women’s freedom of speech.

					What are the biggest debates concerning Islam and free speech?
				
FSD’s Katie Engelhart sat in on this Frontline Club debate to discuss controversy surrounding the YouTube video Innocence of Muslims. 

					A Muslim responds to the YouTube movie – on YouTube
				
While a Pakistani minister offers a $100,000 reward for the murder of the man who made the notorious Innocence of Muslims video, a British Muslim responds in exemplary fashion to “this imbecile named Sam Bacile”. Timothy Garton Ash commends his clip.

					Has Innocence of Muslims ended the innocence of YouTube?
				
Join us to debate the role internet platforms like YouTube should play in setting free speech agendas in your country, your language and across the world. Online editor Brian Pellot kicks off the discussion. 

					When an iPhone can be dangerous
				
The speed and ubiquity of mobile devices have changed the context of “hate speech” online, writes Peter Molnar.

					Shoot the Boer: hate music?
				
In 2011, a South African court banned the anti-apartheid song “Shoot the Boer” after ruling it hate speech, writes Nimi Hoffmann.

					Hitler’s Mein Kampf as satire
				
The German comedian Serdar Somuncu recites extracts from Mein Kampf to highlight the absurdity of Hitler’s propaganda, writes Sebastian Huempfer. 

					Japan: Korean ‘comfort women’ photo exhibit sabotaged
				
A South Korean photographer explains his ordeal in holding an exhibition in Japan that documents ageing ‘Comfort Women’, writes Lee Yoo Eun.

					Free speech in an unfair world
				
Free Speech Debate’s 10 draft principles benefit those in positions of privilege and power, writes Sebastian Huempfer.

					Fighting for free speech in an unjust world
				
A society in which free speech marginalises, rather than empowers, vulnerable citizens is a society in which our moral vision of universal free speech has not actually been achieved, writes Jeff Howard.

					Do anti-abortion protestors have free speech?
				
A pro-life campaigner and a pro-choice activist go head-to-head in this debate about the rise of US-style anti-abortion protests outside clinics in the UK.

					A day in the life of a climate scientist
				
A senior advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it is only a matter of time before a climate scientist is killed, writes Maryam Omidi.

					Why hate speech should not be banned
				
Restrictions on hate speech are not a means of tackling bigotry but of rebranding often obnoxious ideas or arguments are immoral, argues writer Kenan Malik.

					Shami Chakrabarti: Why robust civility works from an ethical but not from a legal perspective
				
The director of civil liberties group Liberty calls for a review of all speech crime legislation in the UK.

					Can Christians wear the cross at work?
				
Two Christian women are taking their fight to wear a crucifix in the workplace to the European Court of Human Rights, writes Dominic Burbidge. 

					RapeLay: a virtual rape game
				
A Japanese video game that involved raping women was banned three years after its creation following an international outcry by women’s groups.

					The harms of hate speech legislation
				
Hate speech legislation chills freedom of expression more than it protects vulnerable minorities.  Free speech lawyer Ivan Hare takes issue with Jeremy Waldron.

					Susan Benesch: What is the difference between hate speech and dangerous speech?
				
Susan Benesch, senior fellow at the World Policy Institute, discusses hate speech and dangerous speech with Timothy Garton Ash

					The harm of hate speech
				
Jeremy Waldron, professor of social and political theory at Oxford University, argues the case for legislation against hate speech

					How should the law define dangerous speech?
				
A trio of human rights experts elaborate on the definition of dangerous speech and consider how hate speech is protected both in Europe and under the first amendment in the US. 

					Does Salman Rushdie exist?
				
“The one thing not at issue in the Jaipur controversy was some theologically motivated attack on the freedom of expression,” writes historian Faisal Devji. 

					The Jaipur Literature Festival
				
Author Salman Rushdie cancelled his appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival after being informed that “paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld” were out to kill him, writes Manav Bhushan

					Irshad Manji on Allah, Liberty and Love: Why offence is a sign of truly free speech
				
The director of the Moral Courage Project says so-called ‘respect’ for Muslims is often lined with fear and “low expectations” of those practising the faith.

					Mark Thompson: How does the BBC approach religious programming?
				
The director general of the BBC explains why it aired Jerry Springer: The Opera, and talks about different responses to Christianity and Islam.

					Yan Xuetong: When can a value such as free speech be considered universal?
				
For values to be considered universal, at least half the world should accept them, says Professor Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University.

					The Grass Mud Horse Lexicon
				
The Grass Mud Horse Lexicon, a catalogue of subversive online witticisms in China, is an example of the unflagging creativity of the human spirit, writes Amy Qin.

					Real names vs pseudonyms
				
Are Google+ and Facebook right to ban pseudonyms? Voice your opinion here. 

					Article 19: freedom of expression anchored in international law
				
Jeff Howard explains what it means for a state to be a party to the ICCPR and how individuals can issue complaints about violations of free speech to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

					Criticism of the Thai king
				
US blogger Joe Gordon was sentenced to two and a half years in a Thai prison for publishing links on his blog to an unauthorised biography of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej. A case study by Maryam Omidi.

					Living with difference
				
What should and shouldn’t we be able to say about others? Let us know your opinions here. 

					Lost in translation?
				
Our international team of Oxford University graduate students has translated almost all of our editorial and specially commissioned content – a demanding task given the cultural and semantic differences across languages. You can find out more about the difficulties they faced in our Lost in translation? blog posts.  This week, Maryam Omidi takes a look at “civility”.

					Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s ‘perp walk’
				
Was it right to make Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former managing director of the IMF, do the “perp walk” after he was charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York? Clementine de Montjoye argues no.

					What does ‘reputation’ mean?
				
The definition of ‘reputation’ is hard to pin down and has varied from age to age and place to place. Let us know your understanding of the word here.

					India’s cartoon porn star
				
The Indian authorities’ decision to ban Savita Bhabhi, an online comic strip featuring a promiscuous housewife with an insatiable appetite for sex, was met with a criticism from the press. Maryam Omidi weighs up whether it was the right decision.

					The Piss Christ
				
Since its creation in 1987, Artist Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ, a plastic crucifix in a jar of urine, has divided opinion. In April 2011, the artwork was irreparably damaged by vandals at the Collection Lambert art museum. Katie Engelhart considers whether it was right for the museum to have exhibited the work.

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