Living in the liberal
western world where it is regularly taken for granted, I support the right for
freedom of self expression. But although I may support the 'right' to do a
particular thing, I hope I will always question if, given particular
circumstances it is in fact the right thing to do (or say).
"Freedom of speech is
not absolute and responsibilities are attached to it and more so when those
living at the margins are subject to racism and discrimination. We should
defend free speech but doing so while listening to the voice of the voiceless
living in our midst..." 1.
This probably seems old fashioned,
but whatever happened to "consideration for others"? Whatever happened
to putting someone else's wellbeing on a par with our own perhaps even with some
sacrifice on our part? Is demanding our right without consideration for others the
right thing to do or as I've said before, is it not one of arrogance that says "this
is my right and you are going to have to live with its consequences"?
Demanding our rights to something
may indeed bring us into conflict with others whose rights are diametrically opposite
our own. We can witness a battle of extremes where, for example, "on one side,
freedom of speech is sacred. On the other, for all those who believe, religion
is sacred" 2. Sadly it still needs to be said that although both have the right
to defend their respective values, both are absolutely wrong to impose those values
and views upon others.
So pervasive is our indignation
at the attack on our Western liberal ideals of 'freedom' how many of us
remember now, or even realised that the very first victim of the murders in
Paris recently was a Muslim, a Frenchman, a policeman who, outside the offices
of Charlie Hebdo died defending the right of those inside to continue insulting,
and in my view irresponsibly caricaturing his religion.
Freedom of speech is a
powerful tool but used selfishly can easily become a powerful weapon. With freedom
of speech we should seek to "ask the right questions - the questions that
need to be asked - rather than accusatory ones that fuel the stereotypes that
have originated in mainstream media" 3. We can seek to build bridges of mutual
respect and understanding therefore negating the need to defend our own position
from attack.
With freedom of speech we have
been given the responsibility, opportunity and tools to narrow the gap of misunderstanding
and conflict, not to widen it.
The new artworks
Although I hadn’t planned on
releasing these two new works until later in the Spring (as part of a larger
body of new images), I felt that it was relevant to do so in the wake of the Paris
atrocities. A friend of mine who lives in Jerusalem loves all things that start
with "keep calm and..." so, having
added my now familiar tag of 'coexist' this became the title of the first new work.
She and her husband are an inspiration for seeking the wellbeing of others. This
piece is dedicated to them.
The second work is called "Orphans in an Orphaned Land" and was also finished well before the events in Paris. It is
a graphite drawing and contains, perhaps somewhat prophetically the Latin term lex talionis; the law of retaliation. It
was Gandhi who said that if everyone practised 'an eye for an eye' the whole
world would go blind. However, no one deserves death for drawing a cartoon regardless
of how intolerant and insulting it may seem to have been. So perhaps limiting an eye for an eye, a cartoon
for a cartoon may well serve as justice in our sometimes self-centred liberal society.
Also written into this work is a second dedication "to all the children of
Yitzak and Ishmael"
“One day…peace will come
to our troubled region. On that day we will all of us have to ask ourselves
what we did for peace. Did we capitalise on the conflict for political gain or
did we contribute something of value to give hope to the region? Did we build
boycotts or bridges? Did we pull people into a dark and primitive past, or help
them envision a better future?” 4.
Shalom aleichem, salaam aleikum,
peace be with you.
Notes:
1. Yasmina Khadra. One of
the most celebrated authors in France today whose real name is Mohammed
Moulessehoul. He is Muslim and was born in Algeria, where he served in the
military.
2. Hatem Bazian. Senior
lecturer in the Departments of Near Eastern and Ethnic Studies at Berkeley
University, USA
3. Khalid Albaih. Sudanese
artist, political cartoonist, illustrator, designer and writer.
4 Daniel Taub. Israel's ambassador
to the UK. Source: Jewish Chronicle
.
.
