A CHRISTIAN couple who mass-mailed evangelical tracts to the public for many years were on Thursday found guilty of distributing seditious or objectionable publications to three Muslims.
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What is freedom of speech to one party is the encroachment of another’s territory. That is the irony of freedom of expression. It is better to call it “Freedom of MY expression”.
freedom with limits is only logical.
This does not augur well for religious harmony and tolerance in Singapore. Imagine what the fundamentalist Christians would do in retaliation? They will be checking their letter boxes everyday for materials that provoke or promote religions.
There are countless religious pamphlets being distributed on a daily basis, promoting things like spiritual-healing to fortune-telling to magical powers of certain religious leaders etc. These can all be easily be construed as provocative and an ancroachment of personal space to one who does not believe in such religious or spiritual claims.
Coming back to the couple. They have been doing it for many years as claimed and have only offended 3 Muslims in recent times. Why didn’t anyone stepped in throughout all these years they have been doing this? So much like the Aware saga. No complains – no action.
No wonder we are a complain Nation. It’s the only way to get things done.
Uncle Ben say these words to Peter Parker aka Spiderman
“Great power comes with great responsibilty”
They will be given a light sentence, most likely a small fine.
Have you read the things they were distributing? It was not just about selling a healing product or service. It actually directly criticised and dissed another religion. It was very provocative, nothing like the faith healing and fortune telling pamphlets you mentioned.
Imagine someone distributing pamphlets saying that people that pray to the Buddha, Guan Ying or Guang Gong are foolish people. Saying such things serves no public good and has the potential to brew hostility between people.
You can say such things in the privacy of your home or but dont go distributing/spreading such talk.
Religion is a very sensitive thing. Almost all of the conglict in the world today is directly or indirectly linked to religious differences. Don’t play play.
where is the deterance if such people get off the hook lightly?
6) mice is nice on June 1st, 2009 4.24 pm where is the deterance if such people get off the hook lightly?///
5) Soldier -Religion is a very sensitive thing. Almost all of the conglict in the world today is directly or indirectly linked to religious differences. Don’t play play.///
agree with both points.
overzealous fanatics will always think what they are doing is correct by the sheer fact that they have become overzealous fanatics, their mind closed to any alternative viewpoint.
having been let off the hook lightly embolden others who share their views to push the envelope.
such actions will surely cause a reaction from others who feel their space encroached on…
8) mice is nice on June 2nd, 2009 6.54 pm: such actions will surely cause a reaction from others who feel their space encroached on…
You mean more reaction from other fanatics?
hi smallvice585,
hmmm, not necessarily the other side is fanatics. it does not take another Hitler to stop Hitler.
also depends on the reaction to determine if the reaction can be considered fanatical. in some countries, bombing places of worship in a tit-for-tat is commonplace. for S’pore, i hope it will never come anywhere near that.
What is being achieved here is to stop Christians from proselytizing as prescribed. Fight until submit. Period.
There been chatters in the net about sending out hadiths, common in Islam, to Singaporeans. And by their nature they are almost always offensive to a lot of non-Muslims.
How will legal system cope with that if they are constantly pressed this way.
If every government of this world takes this approach to appeal to the sensitivity of Muslim then there is only one outcome when taken to its logical end.