Jamaat-e-Islami Hind organised a webinar on ‘Freedom of Expression in a Healthy Society – what is and what’s not?’ on November 25. The webinar was attended by various religious and political leaders and intellectuals, including Goswami Sushil Ji Maharaj, National Convenor Bhartiya Sarva Dharma Sansad (Parliament of all Religions) and Dr. Victor Edwin of Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi.
Presiding over the webinar, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President Syed Sadatullah Husaini, asserted that freedom of expression is a natural right and the Constitution of India also gives this right to every person. He continued, “A person must speak up if he feels is right. Otherwise, he will feel suffocation. If anyone thinks that any government policy is wrong then he must speak out. Without this, we can’t imagine the development of the country. But every right has certain limitations. The limitations of freedom of expression have also been set in accordance with the rules of the religion and the country. No one can be allowed to inflict mental, religious or personal harm to anyone, crossing the line.
“Islam encourages freedom of expression. So, on many occasions, the Companions took decisions against the opinion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ . But in recent times, criticism of Muslims has risen sharply. If it is done sensibly with control over words, Muslims will have no objection. And when Muslims respond to it, it should also be paid attention to. Otherwise, it means that the criticism has been done with wrong intention and destructive tendencies. Such offensive criticisms should be stopped and misunderstandings should be resolved through mutual dialogue.”
Goswami Sushil Ji Maharaj called upon the people, especially religious leaders to ‘strive together to ensure that freedom of expression is not violated’. “We should raise voice in a united manner,” he pleaded, adding that this debate should not remain confined to discussion table or screen, rather it should be acted upon.
In this webinar, Jamaat’s Vice President Mohammad Jafar, JIH Dawat Department Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Mulla, Delhi Minorities Commission Chief Nodal Officer Hardit Singh Gobindpuri, CPI National Secretary Atul Kumar Singh Anjan, senior journalist Dr Bal Mukund Sinha shared their views. All the respected speakers highlighted the need and importance of balancing freedom of expression with limitations. They affirmed that targeting the beliefs and thoughts of another group by using abusive language is a heinous act which should be stopped.
JIH Vice President Mohammad Jafar underlined the need for striking a balance between use and misuse of freedom of expression. Sharing his views, DMC Chief Nodal Officer Hardit Singh lamented that social media is being used rather misused freely. “People post comments irresponsibly; their posts often disturb peace.”
The webinar was organised by JIH Dawat Department.