“One of the misconceptions that muddle the debate in the West over Islam and free speech is the idea that people should be totally free to insult. Free speech is never that absolute. Even - or perhaps especially - in America, where citizens are protected by the First Amendment, there are certain words and opinions that no civilized person would utter, and others that open the speaker to civil charges,” writes Ian Buruma in yesterday’s Herald Tribune.
The article is worth reading.
Too many people mistakenly believe that there is anything wrong with remaining silent. Silence after all might be the purest expression of free speech.