Freedom, Religion and Democracy in the Age of the 24/7 News Cycle: A Dutch Perspective

Transcript

MINISTER KOENDERS:  I consider the controversies around freedom of expression and democracy not just a Dutch disease. It is a universal challenge in a time of growing tensions between different cultural and religious groups, combined with the major shifts that I just mentioned. On the other hand, the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, on innocent civilians in 2001, have led many people to believe, in their inner, deepest thoughts, that somehow all Muslims are extremists seeking to destroy us. But on the other hand, in 2006, for many Muslims -- and others -- the image of this country, for instance, was no longer the Statue of Liberty, but a hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib.

Fear and fear of rejection have become dominant in communities, both in the West and in the Muslim world. Simplification in politics and the media tend to deny, too often, that the horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center were a statement of extremists, and not of all Muslims, as the degrading treatment of Iraqis by some deviant soldiers is often portrayed in other quarters as a determined policy of the West while, in fact, it amounted to a denial of Western values. The caricatures of Mohammed in the Danish press, and the recent film “Fitna,” are the direct consequence of this way of seeing the world in black and white. What we should really be fearful of is that freedom might fall victim to this controversy.

Everyone must have the opportunity to express themselves freely. And that’s maybe something that has to be said again. You’re opening a museum on this today. That goes to the heart of democracy and is the basis for all other freedoms.Open debate is the heartbeat of our society. And if only one way of thinking is permitted, the continuous flow of ideas and opinions, the lifeblood of our democracies, will dwindle.

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