This is definitely a problem when people think it's alright to kill apostates.
Wrong. Mutual respect cannot be accorded equal status as freedom of speech and expression as the former is nebulous and cannot be equal. When Muslims have a 1001 ways to get offended as evident in daily news reports, how can "mutual respect" be implemented when one community has more was to be offended than others? It's unfathomable if an attempt to implement it occurred as it could very well put other communities at a heighten risk of persecution, in effect creating a privileged group above others. This is evident with existing blasphemy laws.
Freedom of speech includes freedom to ridicule religions, which can prompt dialogue and promote advancements of ideologies to become compatible with modern times. If one does not like the sound of it, he can easily choose not to listen to it.
Thanks for your honest opinion, Bob.
Hope he wins. Secularism upholds the separation of religion and state whilst retaining the freedom to practice religion. Only in such states are nations allowed to advance without the shackles of irrelevant superstitions holding them back.
Blame the prevalence Of HIV on another country?! What about having greater sex education instead? Own up and take responsibility for this matter instead of pointing fingers.
So you are saying that people like this can justify their immaturity and insecurity by violence? Apparently , you are not alone, and the world can see all your faults. Not even Ben Affleck can help you.
A nation's progression is halted when critical speech is against the law. This is in effect blasphemy laws and was last seen practised in Europe's Dark Ages. It is very evident that the most advanced societies and nations now uphold secularism.
May I add to your comment, norfolkinwhey, that even with full assimilation, there will still be prejudice. Take the Indonesian example again in 1998 with the racial riots targeting ethnic Chinese Indonesians, of who were all force assimilated in the 60's by practically outlawing Chinese culture. Chinese Indonesians were still targeted even though they were assimilated. Thus I agree with your statement about non-Malays/Muslims.
This is why countries must only have secular law as the optimum ideology for true freedom to persist. No way can sharia law prove pluralistic, fair and unbiased.
I hope one day the oppressed like Lina Joy will be vindicated.
I would not say that all secular states persecute or suppress the faithful like some theocratic states. A distinction needs to be made with what a secular state and its democracy encompasses. Communist China cannot be considered a secular state as it does not have democracy with a single ruling party. A secular state comes with a democratic package and intrinsically allows freedom of worship and separation of religion and state, thus a secular state is to be impartial to the faithful.
However, if the faithful does try to overstep its boundaries and try to impose the religious beliefs or overly expose religious symbols in the public sphere, be it in public schools and libraries etc., then it is wrong for the faithful to claim victim hood when the secular state decides to remove said influences from that public sphere (exp: removal of a monument of The Ten Commandments from in front of a American civil court, followed by religious protest).
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Thingamajig