A lawyer was recently quoted, in a local newspaper, as saying that “religions deserve more respect”.
This is a self-serving notion of religious people themselves. They’ve accorded themselves this special “privilege” which is not recognized by those who don’t share their beliefs.
Far from deserving “more respect”, religion is “a divisive blight” and “poisons everything”.
The forces of Catholic reaction are working hard to undermine freedom of speech.
The Archbishop equates criticism of Catholic beliefs with “insults”. Catholic correspondents are now freely using the word “vilification” whenever anyone dares to criticize their beliefs. In a long-winded write-up in a local newspaper, Tonio Borg used the word “vilification” 14 times!
In its editorial of 2nd September, Times of Malta joined in the attack on freedom of speech by branding criticism of religion as “an invitation to provocation”.
This smacks of the obscurantism that would prefer to stifle debate on Catholicism’s irrational beliefs.
It seems that we have the right to criticize anyone and anything, except Catholic beliefs, because Catholics have bestowed on themselves the privilege not to be “provoked”.
As the European Court of Human Rights ruled in Handyside v United Kingdom, freedom of expression “is applicable not only to information or ideas that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive but also to those that offend, shock, or disturb the State or any sector of the population”.
John Guillaumier
St Julian’s