Free Thinking : The nation

From the UK, philosopher Jonathan Rée

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1. Freedom, truth and progress

   • Jonathan Rée
   • 8 Aug 06, 01:19 AM

   I’ve been losing sleep the past few weeks, not just from the tropical weather here in Massachusetts, but because of a couple of stories about censorship and freedom of speech that have been buzzing around and refusing to settle down.
   The one that’s made most noise over here (and in the Arab wiorld) is about an American called Kevin Barrett, who propagates the view that the attacks on America on 11 September 2001 were carried out not by militant Islamists but by agents of George Bush. He is a part-time teacher of Islam at the University of Wisconsin, and when the authorities there threatened to suspend his contract the American free-speech industry leapt to his defence.
   The other story is about an Iranian called Ramin Jahanbegloo, a wonderful, multi-lingual, multi-cultural philosopher who returned to his native country a few years ago, was arrested on 27 April, and as far as I know has not been heard from since. (He was recently intervewed by the jounralist Danny Postel.) Why on earth is there not a bit more fuss about Ramin Jahanbegloo? World powers, especially the US, have tried to bring Iran to heel by calling the regime evil and spreading rumours about post-diplomatic sanctions; how about a bit of effort to support the opposition instead, starting with Ramin Jahanbegloo?
   But as I’ve said before, you can’t talk much about freedom without bringing in politics and patriotism and national rivalries too.
   

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