FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION


FREEDOM OF SPEECH / FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used [United Nations, 1966, 1976]. The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law [United Nations, 1966, 1967]. Freedom of speech, or the freedom of expression, is recognized in international and regional human rights law. The right is enshrined in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights [Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold, 2005; Kumar, Ambika, 2006].

In Islamic ethics freedom of speech was first declared in the Rashidun period by the caliph Umar in the 7th century. In the Abbasid Caliphate period, freedom of speech was also declared by al-Hashimi (a cousin of Caliph al-Ma'mun) in a letter to one of the religious opponents he was attempting to convert through reason.

According to George Makdisi and Hugh Goddard, "the idea of academic freedom" in universities was "modelled on Islamic custom" as practiced in the medieval Madrasah system from the 9th century. Islamic influence was "certainly discernible in the foundation of the first deliberately-planned university" in Europe [Boisard, Marcel A., 1980].

* Selected REFERENCES / Sources:

Amnesty International: Annual Reports: URLhttp://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aireport/index.html Andrew Puddephatt & Hodder Arnold. (2005). Freedom of Expression: The Essentials of Human Rights. United Publishers. Boisard, Marcel A. (July 1980), "On the Probable Influence of Islam on Western Public and International Law", International Journal of Middle East Studies 11 (4): 429–50. Goddard, Hugh. (2000). A History of Christian-Muslim Relations. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Kumar, Ambika. (2006). ‘Using Courts to Enforce the Free Speech Provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Published by Chicago Journal of International Law. Summer 2006. URLhttp://www.allbusiness.com/corporate-governance/4082846-1.html United Nations: ‘International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.’ Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI) of 16th December 1966: Entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49. URLhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm (United Nations) Wikipedia. (2010). ‘Freedom of Speech.’ Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. URLhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_expression

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20 January 2010

Racism in Australia, the Indians and HDI


Comment:

There now you got it, you got everything (evidences) need to define the situation a racist problem. There is the statistics and studies by Prof Dunn (University of Western Sydney), and there are the confessions of top police officer(s), BUT the real issue here is, ‘What is the Australian Government going to do about it?’

The actual fact is that, its not just about racism against the Indians, but also the Asians in Australia, the Arabs, etc. This does not even include religious discriminations that occur in Australia.

Australia has been quoted as the Top Five countries with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) stated by United Nations. I think its about time United Nations re-consider listing Australia as the Top Five countries with high HDI... Or rather the HDI be re-evaluated and given another concept (terminology) and/or yardstick (measurement).


Sources:

Human Development Index: What it means?

List of Countries by HDI:
URLhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index

Human Development Reports Website (UNDP, United Nations):
URLhttp://hdr.undp.org/en/
(Accessed on 12th January 2010)

Quotes:

“Forty per cent of Australians believe some ethnic groups do not belong in the country with one in 10 having outwardly racist views, a new study shows.”

“It's too high, isn't it?" Prof Dunn said. "We've got to bring that (figures) down.”
(Prof Dunn, University of Western Sydney, 2008)

Source: URLhttp://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=638470
(Accessed on 12th January 2010)

Source:
URLhttp://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/6699207/indian-attacks-a-known-problem-police/ (20th January 2010)

Indian attacks a known problem: police
AAP January 20, 2010, 10:45 am

Victoria's top cop has admitted police realised two years ago there was a problem involving crime against Indians. Indians are over-represented in robbery statistics and there is a racist element to some attacks, Police Commissioner Simon Overland says.

"There is no question, regardless of the motives, Indian students have to a degree been targeted in robberies and that is not okay," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.

"We recognised this problem a long time before it hit the public.

"We have known for two years that there has been this issue and we have been working away, at a number of levels around engaging with students, trying to make them understand the risks and how they keep themselves safe."

Mr Overland said police had detailed data on attacks involving Indians and said that while Indians were over represented when it came to robberies, the same could not be said for assaults.

About 50 per cent of assaults on Indians occurred in their workplace, mostly involving taxi drivers and convenience store clerks, he said.

Mr Overland said some of the attacks were racist. "I have said from day one undoubtedly some of these attacks have a racist motive or there is racist elements to these attacks," he said.

"Regardless of who they are, what they are, what colour they are, what occupation they are, my job is to make the state as safe as I can for everyone."

The comments come after a number of attacks on Indians, including the stabbing murder of student Nitin Garg in Melbourne earlier this month. In the latest incident, an Indian taxi driver was bashed in Reservoir on Saturday.



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