I've not read Charlie Hebdo. My
French is inadequate for satire. I've not seen their cartoons either. Last week
in Paris, I asked my French publisher, Marie-Pierre, for her opinion. She was
fiercely dismissive, calling the magazine crude. She was angry too. Twelve
people were killed in January. One, a friend, was visiting the magazine that
fatal day. He died too. For what? She asked. A cartoon of Mohammed. The
magazine was irresponsible in taunting Muslims.
Last month, American
PEN, awarded Charlie Hebdo its
“freedom of expression courage award”. It split writers. Rushdie and others
supported PEN's choice. Rushdie wrote: "It is quite right that PEN should
honour [Charlie Hebdo’s] sacrifice and condemn their murder without these
disgusting ‘buts." Peter Carey, Teju Cole, and others, condemned it for
'cultural intolerance and Islamophobia.' PEN responded, praising “their (Charlie Hebdo)
dauntless fortitude patrolling the outer precincts of free speech.”
I agree with PEN. What
distinguishes a democracy from a totalitarian state is the freedom of
speech. The freedom to think
imaginatively and to give expression to these thoughts. Freedom of speech
cannot be neatly hedged by 'ifs' or 'buts'. It either exists or it does not. Unfortunately, irresponsibility comes with
the package. Charlie Hebdo insulted
many aspects of French life, including attacking the extreme right wing Le Pen
political party. The party did not respond with machine guns. Islamist
extremists did.
People can be as
insulted by mocking their political beliefs, sexual preferences, social
positions, history, race. Name it, there's an insult to someone out there. As
the world opens up, the minds close. People are frightened by the swift
changes. And to new thinking. If we all
picked up guns, it would not be a revolution but bloody mayhem. Guns are for
those who lack the intelligence to counter the insult or even make a comment
with their own words. A few days ago,
ISIL executed 30 Yazidis. I wondered how they had insulted the Prophet.
Annually, fifty to sixty
journalists, writers or artists are killed because of their work. Many more imprisoned. I admired their courage to express their
thoughts in mostly these despotic nations. They were aware of the dangers.
Sometimes, even a Tweet was their death sentence. Words and drawings frighten
the State, as they do extremists of any kind.
India teeters between
democracy and despotism. Recently, leaning more to the latter. The State has
banned books, the list grows longer daily. Publishers retract; they cannot
afford long court cases. The writer abandoned. Two Tamil writers were driven
from their homes by extremists. Tragically, one stopped writing. Art is
dangerous. Films are tripped up by State appointed censors. If the film passes
(with cuts), others lie in wait to attack it.
Or storm the theatres, forcing it off the screen.
Anyone can rush to court
and take out an injunction against a book, a writer, an artist if his or her
"feelings are hurt". There are 1.2 billion possible feelings to
hurt. Every writer and artist faces this
minefield daily. Some self-censor their thoughts. The State did nothing to
defend or protect our most famous artist, M.F. Hussein. He died in exile. The
writer, Shobha Dey, mocked the Maharastrha government's edict on Marathi Films.
She was summoned to the legislature.
At times, India is
beyond satire. Charlie Hebdo would
have a field day here. For a day or two at least, before our home bred
extremists burned it down.
