The other morning when I turned on my computer and opened up my internet browser, one of the Yahoo News pop ups caught my eye. The headline read 2010 “Year of the Bible” I double checked the date to make sure my eyes were not fuzzy because based on our discussion in class last week, one of the founding principles of the United States is separation of church and state and the freedom to practice (or not) the religion of your choice.
I followed the link and found this article on the Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/22/paul-broun-gop-congressma_n_206631.html Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia introduced a bill asking President Obama to:
"The president is encouraged ... to issue a proclamation calling upon citizens of all faiths to rediscover and apply the priceless, timeless message of the Holy Scripture which has profoundly influenced and shaped the United States and its great Democratic form of government, as well as its rich spiritual heritage, and which has unified, healed and strengthened its people for over 200 years."
Lawmakers who opposed the bill believe that it violates the First Amendment’s separation of church and state. Others also oppose on the grounds that the Bible does not encompass all religion making the government favoring one faith over many others.
The other thing that struck me about this story is that “According to GovTrak.us, “the resolution is among the most-blogged-about pieces of legislation, with most posts less than complimentary in nature.” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22832.html While there are many American who do not agree with the resolution, one thing they do have is Freedom of Speech. Freedom of Speech is another fundamental right in the United States. Americans have the ability to publically voice their opinions about lawmakers and many do so everyday on public blogs. As witnessed by Professor Casey, it takes only minutes to set up a blog. Blogs are a modern expression of Freedom of Speech, at least in the United States. Would this proposed legislation stir such controversy Iran. Even if people in Iran did not agree with it, would they have the freedom to publicly say so?
Jen S
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ReplyDeleteAfter obtaining our syllabus, Carol recommended a book called “We Are Iran”, by Narin Alavi for our critical book review assignment. It’s a book about how the weblog phenomena opened up a whole new world for many Iranians.
ReplyDeleteCredited with being “the ’Godfather’ of Iranian blogs”, Hossein Derakhshan was a young journalist who set up the 1st weblog in Canada “with the modest aim at giving other Iranians a voice”. However, Jen is correct that such a voice has not come without price. Iran became the first government to take action against bloggers in 2003. Many have been imprisoned. For those who have fled Iran, arresting their family members is a silencing tactic used by the government. Prisoners are forced to confess to crimes they didn’t commit (in some cases, they face stoning). For safety reasons, some bloggers are now “anonymous”, but at least they can voice their opinions. Taken from the book “We Are Iran”, below are 2 examples of Iranian blogs.
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17 November 2004
I keep a weblog so that I can breathe in this suffocating air . . . In a society
where one is taken to history’s abattoir for the mere crime of thinking, I write
so as not to be lost in my despair . . . so that I feel that I am somewhere where
my calls for justice can be uttered . . . I write a weblog so that I can shout, cry
and laugh, and do the things that they have taken away from me in Iran today .
. .
lolivashe@yahoo.com
www.lolivashaneh.blogspot.com
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20 July 2003
Has everyone noticed the spooky absence of graffiti in our public toilets since
the arrival of weblogs? Remember the toilets at university we used to call our
‘Freedom Columns’?
Email: pythonir@yahoo.com
http://python.persianblog.com
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Kudos to all those Iranians who also feel that freedom of expression should be “a fundamental right”.
Joann L.
I'm getting a headache about who decides how separation of church & state rolls out in the US. Believe me, I love religion, it's a beautiful thing. (But when I get e-mails detailing what the founders thought to be the "right" religion, I just say "quoi?")
ReplyDeleteLast time I checked, God takes in everybody, despite interpretation of professed religion. But we sure are givng her a run for her money!