In last week’s class, the discussion focused on the portrayals of the Prophet Muhammad by news organizations. The Charlie Hebdo cartoon of Prophet Muhammad incited a violent attack, however many still suggest that the publishers were simply voicing their opinions and there is nothing wrong with this. In the US, this notion of unmoderated free speech has also been recently been called into question. Can a line be drawn between allowing free speech versus censoring for the protection of minority groups? Should this be done on a case-by-case basis? Who is responsible for choosing what is censored and making sure that there are no biases being introduced into this? Is it dangerous for a government entity to have the power to censor publishers?
The first Surah (chapter) of the Quran, named “The Opening”, is the most recited chapter of the Qur’an by millions of people around the world. One of the verses from this chapter translates to “Guide Us to the Straight Path, the Path of those who have bestowed you favor”. This is one of the main tenets of Islam; following the path that Allah has prescribed and that the prophet Muhammad embodied to near-perfection. In a modern context, this “Straight Path” has become confusing for Muslims due to the wide variety of Hadiths and scholarly suggestions on how to find their way to this Path. Is there only one “true” path for Muslims to follow to obtain a place in Heaven or is this path more subjective?