Here’s a book I’m looking forward to reading.  I think.  It’s a book I know will excite me, infuriate me, challenge me, provoke me, and have me scrawling an enthusiastic ‘yes!’ or a bad-tempered  ‘no!’ in the margins of practically every page.  And very often both on the same page.

It’s a book, that is, on free speech.

I can think of few people more qualified to write such a book than Timothy Garton Ash, whose dispatches and commentary on political repression appear regularly in The New York Review of Books and The Guardian.  And I love the idea of him drawing up ten free-speech commandments — or rather, per his subtitle, “his ten principles for a connected world.”

Here they are:

1. We — all human beings — must be free and able to express ourselves, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas, regardless of frontiers.

2. We neither make threats of violence nor accept violent intimidation.

3. We allow no taboos against and seize every chance for the spread of knowledge.

4. We require uncensored, diverse, trustworthy media so we can make well-informed decisions and participate fully in political life.

5. We express ourselves openly and with robust civility about all kinds of human difference.

6. We respect the believer but not necessarily the content of the belief.

7. We must be able to protect our privacy and to counter slurs on our reputations, but not prevent scrutiny that is in the public interest.

8. We must be empowered to challenge all limits to freedom of information justified on such grounds as national security.

9. We defend the Internet and other systems of communication against illegitimate encroachments by both public and private powers.

10. We decide for ourselves and face the consequences.

That all sounded great until I read it through a second time.  And realized that the one that stumps me is #6.  Really?  Respect anti-Semites and Islamophobes and racists and sexists and pry-my-gun-from-my-cold-dead-hands shmucks of all stripes?  I can understand them — that is, I can put myself in their shoes and figure out why and how they came to be such shmucks.   But understanding, at least for me, does not necessarily entail respect.

Perhaps Garton Ash will persuade me otherwise (I have the book on order, so am only working off this New York Times article), but as with most people, it takes quite a bit for me to be persuaded to change a treasured stance.

Which means that #4 is not exactly a non-stumper either.  In an ideal world, maybe.  But “trustworthy” is a matter of preexisting opinion.  There are hordes of people who consider Fox News trustworthy.  Others, like me, consider the NYT trustworthy (for the most part, and with significant exceptions such as its coverage of Palestine).  A terrifying number of people once considered Pravda and Der Sturmer to be trustworthy.  The news sources you trust are likely more a reflection of your preexisting opinions than of any objective measure of reliability or — that ever-elusive ideal — “truth.”

And then, now I think on it, #5 also stumps me somewhat.  I’m assuming that the book will define “robust civility” — I like the concept, since civility too often has an aura of mild-manneredness, and the idea needs some guts.  In fact I’d like to see Garton Ash write a manifesto just on that.

Of course his new book is already attracting detractors.  Some of them are quoted in the NYT piece , which, since flames always lead, begins with his idea that other newspapers should have united to reprint the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of Muhammad.   I get the idea — solidarity in the face of intimidation and terrorism — but wouldn’t it have been a perfect example of the tail wagging the dog?  Of otherwise respectable media giving in to what Glenn Greenwald calls emotional blackmail?

Despite such caveats, I generally admire Garton Ash’s writing.  But I’m more stumped by his ten commandments than I thought I would be.  The more I look at them, the more vaguely idealistic they seem.

But then Garton Ash is no vague idealist.  And of course, I haven’t read the book yet.  And since it’s not due out until tomorrow, and is a somewhat daunting 491 pages long, I’m assuming that neither have the detractors cited in the NYT.

Could it be that criticizing a book you haven’t yet read is precisely part of the problem?

———–

[Update to come when I’ve read it!]

My first impulse was to join this declaration, organized by The American Muslim magazine, as a signatory.  Then I realized that oops, I’m not Muslim.   So am running it in full here instead.

The background story:   Molly Norris is the Seattle cartoonist forced to “go ghost” (in FBI parlance) after protesting threats against ‘South Park’ creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker for their gentle ribbing of the ban on depictions of Muhammad (which, incidentally, is far from universal in Islam).    Her protest took the form of declaring an ‘Everyone Draw Muhammad Day’ — a really dumb idea, as she quickly realized, since it only invited hatemongers to ratchet up the rhetoric, and led to threats on her life from Muslim fundamentalists.

But the penalty for dumbness is neither death nor exile.   And as this declaration clearly states, death threats against those who insult Islam are, in fact, anti-Islamic:

A DEFENSE OF FREE SPEECH BY AMERICAN AND CANADIAN MUSLIMS

We, the undersigned, unconditionally condemn any intimidation or threats of violence directed against any individual or group exercising the rights of freedom of religion and speech; even when that speech may be perceived as hurtful or reprehensible.

We are concerned and saddened by the recent wave of vitriolic anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic sentiment that is being expressed across our nation.

We are even more concerned and saddened by threats that have been made against individual writers, cartoonists, and others by a minority of Muslims.  We see these as a greater offense against Islam than any cartoon, Qur’an burning, or other speech could ever be deemed.

We affirm the right of free speech for Molly Norris, Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and all others including ourselves.

As Muslims, we must set an example of justice, patience, tolerance,  respect, and forgiveness.

The Qur’an enjoins Muslims to:
* bear witness to Islam through our good example (2:143);
* restrain anger and pardon people (3:133-134 and 24:22);
* remain patient in adversity (3186);
* stand firmly for justice (4:135);
* not let the hatred of others swerve us from justice (5:8);
* respect the sanctity of life (5:32);
* turn away from those who mock Islam (6:68 and 28:55);
* hold to forgiveness, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant (7:199);
* restrain ourselves from rash responses (16:125-128);
* pass by worthless talk with dignity (25:72); and
* repel evil with what is better (41:34).

Islam calls for vigorous condemnation of both hateful speech and hateful acts, but always within the boundaries of the law. It is of the utmost importance that we react, not out of reflexive emotion, but with dignity and intelligence, in accordance with both our religious precepts and the laws of our country.

We uphold the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Both protect freedom of religion and speech, because both protections are fundamental to defending minorities from the whims of the majority.

We therefore call on all Muslims in the United States, Canada and abroad to refrain from violence.  We should see the challenges we face today as an opportunity to sideline the voices of hate—not reward them with further attention—by engaging our communities in constructive dialogue about the true principles of Islam, and the true principles of democracy, both of which stress the importance of freedom of religion and tolerance.
SIGNATORIES:

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, PhD, Director, Minaret of Freedom Foundation
Prof. Akbar S. Ahmed, PhD, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University
Prof. Parvez Ahmed, PhD, Fulbright Scholar & Assoc. Prof. University of North Florida
Barbara Al-Bayati, Co-Founder, Orphan Whispers
Wajahat Ali, playwright, journalist, and producer of “Domestic Crusaders”
Sumbul Ali-Karamali, JD, LLM (Islamic Law), author of “The Muslim Next Door”
Salam al-Marayati, Pres., Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
Shahed Amanullah, Editor-in-Chief, Altmuslim
Aref Assaf, PhD, President, American Arab Forum
Hazami Barmada, Pres, American Muslim Interactive Network (AMIN)
Farah Brelvi, Board of Directors, ACLU-NC
M. Ali Chaudry, PhD, President, Center for Understanding Islam (CUII)
Robert D. Crane, JD
Almoonir Dewji, blogger – “That We May Know Each Other”
Lamia El-Sadek, political and human rights activitist
Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communications and Community Outreach for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)
Mona Eltahawy, journalist
Prof. Mohammad Fadel, PhD
Fatemeh Fakhraie, Editor-in-Chief, Muslimah Media Watch
Mike Ghouse, President, World Muslim Congress
Iftekhar Hai, President, UMA Interfaith Alliance
Hesham Hassaballa,  M.D., author, journalist, blogger – “God, faith, and a pen”
Arsalan Iftikhar, author, human rights lawyer, blogger – “The Muslim Guy”
Jeffrey Imm, Director, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
Nakia Jackson, writer
Prof. Muqtedar Khan, PhD, author of several books, Blogger – “Globalog”
M. Junaid Levesque-Alam, writer, blogger – “Crossing the Crescent”
David Liepert, M.D., blogger and author of “Muslim, Christian AND Jew”
Radwan A. Masmoudi, PhD, President, Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy (CSID)
Melody Moezzi, JD, MPH, writer and attorney
Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, author of many books of poetry
Ebrahim Moosa, Assoc. Professor of Islamic Studies, Dept. of Religion, Duke University
Sheila Musaji, Editor, The American Muslim (TAM)
Aziz H. Poonawalla, PhD, scientist and blogger – “City of Brass” on Beliefnet.com
Hasan Zillur Rahim, PhD, journalist
Prof. Hussein Rashid, PhD, blogger – “Religion Dispatches”
Robert Salaam, blogger – “The American Muslim”
Raquel Evita Saraswati, activist, writer, blogger
Sarah Sayeed, President of One Blue
Jafar Siddiqui, blogger – “Penjihad”
Prof. Laury Silvers, PhD
Pamela Taylor, Co-founder Muslims for Progressive Values, Panelist for On Faith
Tayyibah Taylor, Editor, Azizah Magazine
Tarik Trad, writer, humorist, photographer, artist and activist
Asma T. Uddin, Attorney, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Editor, Altmuslimah
Amina Wadud, PhD, consultant on Islam and gender, visiting scholar Starr King School for the Ministry
Svend White, blogger – “Akram’s Razor”, activist, writer
G. Willow Wilson, author of “Butterfly Mosque” and “Air” graphic novel series

NOTE:  If you would like to add your signature, please send an email with your name, title, and organizational affiliation (if any) to tameditor@aol.com.