Hey hey hey!
I would love to see you all at an awesome event planned at The Greek Club in Brisbane, talking about the future of Australia and this country's travel through transition.
George Megalogenis, Anne Tiernan and I will be tackling these issues on the 28th of April, and we would love to see you there! Jump on the Avid Reader website and get your ticket today!
The Intelligence Squared debate which was shown on BBC, "God and His Prophets Should be Protected from Insult" is now online!
You can also catch it next week on ABC TV Big Ideas on Friday 7th February on ABC1 at 11 am.
This program will REPEAT on Sunday 9th February on ABCNEWS24 at 6.00am.
If you aren't near a TV, the the full web version of the session it is available here.
It will also be available on ABC Online (iview) after the program has aired :)
Looking forward to hearing your feedback!
On the 7th of November, I had the honour of debating with the likes of Julian Burnside, Uthman Badar and Thomas Keneally on a pretty interesting topic: whether God and His Prophets should be protected against insult.
I was pretty nervous and excited about the affair, as can be seen in blog posts here prior to the event.
The debated was screened on BBC World to an audience of about 70 million on the last weekend of November, and you can check out the video here.
This is the transcript of the speech...
***
God / The All-Compassionate / The All-Merciful / The Source of Peace / The Creator / The Maker of Order / The Shaper of Beauty The Forgiving / The Knowing of All…
And then we have us. Flawed, fallible, full of passion and fire, and so very…human.
How can we deign to think that we – the creatures that we are – should protect God from insult?
Good evening ladies and gentlemen
The topic we have before us today is ‘that God and His Prophets should be protected against insult’.
Tom Keneally and I effectively are arguing against this hypothesis. From a definitional point of view, the topic is understood as follows:
‘God’, in monotheistic religions, is taken to mean ‘the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being’.
The word is also sometimes used for emphasis to express a particular emotion, such as “God, what happened here?!” although that is not always approved by everybody.
‘Prophet’ is ‘a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God’.
‘Should’ is used to indicate obligation or duty.
‘Protect’ is to keep safe from harm or injury.
‘Insult’, in its noun form, is a disrespectful or scornful remark.
***
There are a couple of interesting questions that this topic raises.
What (or who) deserves our protection, as individuals and as society? Should we be protected only from things that will harm or things that have the potential to cause harm?
On the other hand when it comes to insult it must be asked: Is freedom, or freedom of speech absolute? It clearly isn’t, as the existence of laws, rules and regulations mean that there are levels of restrictions on what we can and cannot express.
What is the difference between freedom of speech and expression, and the allowance for insult or incitement of hatred? What is the difference between the two? If freedoms are not actually absolute but do come with restrictions, what limits do we have? Who upholds these limits? How does freedom fit around the concepts of responsibility and society?
***
Tom and I will be tackling this topic from different perspectives.
I will address three arguments.
Firstly, I will posit that God, as a supreme being, does not require the protection of mere humans to protect Him from any harm or injury. Where the damage is being inflicted is on the followers, and so protection, if any, is more about the practitioners of the religion. Furthermore, if God is known to be above insult, then what is the anger really about? It is there something else going on?
Secondly, I will argue that freedom of expression is important to sustain a functioning, thriving, growing society and that said freedom is protected within religions. This does however, come with important caveats if we are to live in a functioning civilisation.
Thirdly, I will wrap up by addressing violence as a response to insult. This is unequivocally unacceptable, although perhaps unfortunately, understandable. I will humbly suggest that the end does not justify the means, and that in any response to insult, the best examples should be followed.
Tom will then continue by talking about how the concepts of blasphemy and sacrilege, and punishments for them, are not viable in a ‘free speech’ society and how mutual respect is the only ultimate guarantee of respect for God and the Prophets.
***
The concept of ‘protection’ brings to mind a dynamic whereby the strong protect the weak and those with power protect the powerless. Do we honestly think that we can protect God and His Prophets? For the insult to be incitement to hatred and beyond, the recipient would be harmed by it. God and His Prophets are surely above our mere words…
So what is going on here then, beneath the anger at an insult?
When people stand against insult, mockery and derision of God and His Prophets it is unlikely due to the fact that they think the words will cause harm or injury directly. It is more likely a reflection of the pain they have felt due to what they love and revere being treated with contempt and ridicule.
Mockery and derision are manifestations of a disrespect and a lack of sensitivity. God and His Prophets shouldn’t necessarily be ‘protected’ themselves, rather, we should focus as a society on respecting people, as we are the ones who feel the pain and hurt. If we are to live in a civilised society, a level of respect towards what others deem sacred is critical.
There is also the added factor of where the insult is coming from and its intent. Reactions in the Muslim community, for example, that may seem disproportionate may be exacerbated by what some regard as worsening attitude towards Muslims by, dare I say it, the West. That frustration may manifest itself in a grievance towards free speech.
What is it we are trying to achieve? If it is a civilised society where we all respect one another’s sacred beliefs, is the any protection truly going to be the key or will it be a band aid forcing attitudes underground?
***
My second point touches on the universal concept of freedoms, and more specifically, freedom of speech and expression.
It’s a freedom that cannot be understated, and it is enshrined in the Universal declaration of Human rights, in article 19. It is why we are able to be here and I am able to have this debate.
There is danger is presenting religion and free speech as mutually exclusive, as incompatible. Without freedom of expression, which is a bedrock of democracy, open discussion of ideas becomes difficult.
However, if an insult comes with an intent to incite hatred then it moves out of the realm of simple freedom of speech. I would argue that incitement to hatred is a different beast altogether. That’s not an insult, it is a vindictive act driven by altogether sinister motivations.
Freedom of expression comes with a level of personal responsibility. We are all individually responsible for our intentions, choices, sayings and actions in the community that we live in.
There shouldn’t be a need for protection because individuals who practice free speech should bear the responsibilities of their expression.
***
With that, I come to my third point.
I believe we should follow the examples of those who lived their lives with virtue. It may not be surprising to find that such figures, such as the Prophet Mohammed, did not demand protection from insult.
On the contrary, he was insulted and abused often in his life.
He never responded to these events with violence. In fact, he often did the opposite.
There is one particular example that I enjoy.
God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet after what we shall call a particularly bad day.
'Muhammad! Allah (The Glorified and the Exalted) has heard what your people have said to you. I am the Angel of the Mountains and my Lord has sent me to you to carry out your orders. What do you want now to be done? If you like I may crush them between the two mountains encircling the city of Makka.
The Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) replied with this:
(I do not want their destruction) I am still hopeful …
So those who have used violence in order to ‘protect’ the Prophet cannot say they were following the example of the very man they model their life on.
***
Ultimately, ladies and gentlemen, God and the Prophets are surely above our insults. They, if you will, transcend the limitations of humanity and the mere concept of us being able to protect them is irrational.
Furthermore, the concepts of free speech and freedom of expression are extremely important to a functioning democracy, so that ideas can be exchanged and built upon. It should always be remembered though that with the right to freedoms does come some level of personal responsibility.
Moreover, violence is an unacceptable form of protection in any situation, particularly when it comes to religion and spirituality. So even in the face of insult, which may be hurtful and derogatory, we would do well to respond in the best way possible, not only in the interests of civilisation but in the interests of showing the best sides of what faith can provide.
***
16:125 Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best…
Reflection
Check out my reflections on the event here!
What are your thoughts?
Cheers,
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
You may remember a little while ago my mentioning the debate whether "God and His Prophets should be protected against insult" that I was being a part of.
I got an email a few days ago informing me that it will be shown four times globally on BBC World News this weekend (OMG!) at the following times (GMT).
Times in GMT are as follows:
30th November 09.10, 20.10 1st December 02.10, 15.10
The estimated audience will be 70-80 million.
Slap it in your diaries yo and tell me what you think!
I will be posting the video and transcript of my speech shortly after it is broadcast.
Khair inshallah!!!
Cheers,
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Well, in three weeks time in front of a live audience and a BBC viewership of 70 million, I will be arguing against the hypothesis that God and His Prophets should be protected against insult at the Intelligence Sqaured Debate in Sydney on the 7th of November.
To be honest, it is a slighty scary prospect, mostly because...
1. This is a pretty nuanced issue, and can be pretty well misconstrued;
2. I imagine many in the Muslim community feel that in fact God and His Prophets should be protected against insult and will see my taking this position as an insult to Islam (!)
3. It is probably the largest audience I have had the humbling honour of speaking to!!!
At the end of the day, I am no Islamic scholar and speak about this issue as purely an interested individual and a Muslim woman who feels a sense of shame every time there are riots and people are killed because of a set of cartoons or an amateur video. We should be better than this!
I feel I should mention that my taking this position does not mean I do not feel that Allah and his beloved Prophet Mohammed (SAW) are not sacred and revered. This is about our actions in this world rather than debating the sanctity of who we worship per se...
Alas! I am getting ahead of myself. I am working on my angle at the moment, and would love to hear your thoughts on the matter... what do YOU think?
Maybe you can watch it?
Literary festivals are wonderful feasts for the mind; the Brisbane Writers' Festival was no exception.
Held over the 5th - 8th of September at the beautiful State Library of Queensland, it brought together some amazing - truly amazing - writers and authors and I was humbled to be speaking alongside some of them for a few events.
The photo above is with the authors Tim Cope (on my left) and Chris Sarra on my right. Both of their stories are amazing and worth checking out; Tim rode along the steps of Genghis Khan, and Chris is the former Principal of Cherbourg School, who was able to change the culture of low expectations and attendance at this Indigenous education facility.
The second event I had the honour of being a part of was The Great Debate. Held on election night, it meant that I didn't have to watch the telly or really think about politics... except our topic was 'Australia needs leaders, not politicians', and we were on the negative.
My fellow debaters were William McInnes and Julia Zemiro from Eurovision (and Rockwiz). We were pitted against Tim Fischer, Anita Heiss and the delightful Ben McKenzie.
Unlike the debates I have previously been involved in, I soon found that this was to be a 'hilarious' debate (as the crowd below can attest to). Here is a little excerpt of what I had to say...(or what was on the script anyway!).
***
#SATIRE ALERT#
***
I will argue two points tonight, both which will prove to you undeniably that Australia needs politicians, not leaders, regardless of what the election says.
Firstly, I will argue that we as don’t want to be lead, we want to be represented. Politician are those who represent us.
It is no secret that Australians aren’t a fan of tall poppies, people who think they know what’s good for us, or authority figures in general. 
We don't we want people who will tell us where they think we should go,we want to tell them where we want to go and have them take us there. Or that's how Its supposed to work - ours don't quite have that down yet.
Secondly one of the main differences between leaders and politicians is that leaders are assume power, while politicians are entrusted with power to make decisions by the us, the people – the citizens they represent.
After all, who will a leader be answerable and accountable to?
Putting this aside, one of the most important contribution politicians make to our society is that they entertain us. They keep our journalists employed and without them, who would Annabelle Crabb talk to in Kitchen Cabinet? Phillip, what would you write about if there were no pollies? The pages of the Australian would be laid bare...
While googling the answer to this topic, I came across the following quote by Gourcho Marx.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
SO in essence, politics is the art of trouble.
This is definitely what Australia needs.
Leaders inspire us, yes this is true.
However, our National Anthem says 'Australian all let us rejoice, for we are young and free...'
We clearly don't want to be inspired. We want to be entertained. Politicians do just that.
***
#END OF SATIRE#
***
What do you think? Did you go to the Brisbane Writers' Festival? Any favourite sessions?
A stunning way to tell a story. Check out this audition on the X Factor.
What have you been up to this week? It's been a crazy one on this end...I had this interview come out on Radio National about the piece in the Griffith Review, learnt a fair bit about training someone and read many analyses about the reaction to the Boston Bombings (a few of which I have included below). Enough about me though...here are some of the bits and bobs which caught my eye this week.
Paul Grahams words on finding your purpose and doing what you love (via Brain Pickings).
What you should not do, I think, is worry about the opinion of anyone beyond your friends. You shouldn’t worry about prestige. Prestige is the opinion of the rest of the world.
Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.
Terrorism and other religions...
An amazing piece on moderation versus extremism.
It is this that I wish people remembered.
This a beautiful piece written by artist James Rhodes...
[box]The government is cutting music programmes in schools and slashing Arts grants as gleefully as a morbidly American kid in Baskin Robbins. So if only to stick it to the man, isn't it worth fighting back in some small way? So write your damn book. Learn a Chopin prelude, get all Jackson Pollock with the kids, spend a few hours writing a Haiku. Do it because it counts even without the fanfare, the money, the fame and Heat photo-shoots that all our children now think they're now entitled to because Harry Styles has done it.[/box]
Very cool Facebook page, Room for Debate - it is the exact kind of space I would like to encourage and grow...They are currently talking about whether the Hijab is worth fighting for?
[box] ...aside from the racial overtones when mostly white Western women are trying to “save” mostly non-white non-Western women, Femen activists have insulted the group they claim to care about. A campaign against the hijab is an attack on Islam instead of on patriarchy itself, effectively marginalizing all those women who choose to seek their rights in an Islamic context.[/box]
An MUST read by Mohamed Ghilan on "The Irony of Muslim Terrorism". I've just discovered his blog and I am sold.
A really well presented piece by Stella Young on the Politics of Exclusion, something I know about perhaps from one angle but not from this particular angle - that of disability and the invisibility it renders...
I posted this during the week but it is worth a conversation - diversity in motorsport. Will Buxton writes an awesome piece on this...
I have to include this amazing spoken word video. It's rather viral at the moment (includes swear words). Seriously though, watch it. A letter to JK Rowling from Cho Chang.
Here are some equally interesting critiques, all which bring up interesting points (this is just one example) and it is good to see the poet has engaged with them via her tumblr. I think pieces like this are extremely important and a healthy part of the public sphere of debate. Clearly, there are many critiques, but what this has achieved is highlighted a problematic discourse and created a catalyst - a conversation through which we as a society can dismantle and tackle the issue. How can issues ever be resolved if they are not talked about?
For a bit of fun, check out these awesome LEGO CREATIONS!
Enjoy your Sunday!
