opinion

Letters to the editor, Jan. 18: Religion and free speech

Professor espouses ignorant opinion on Islam

Dr. Swain’s Jan. 16 opinion piece, “Charlie Hebdo attacks prove critics were right about Islam,” was both ignorant and offensive. As one who also works at Vanderbilt, a university that has done significant work in recent years to elevate the principles of religious diversity and inclusion, I am sickened by the broad-sweeping generalizations and accusations directed at those who practice Islam.

One of the benefits of working at a higher-education institution that also boasts a world-renowned medical center is the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals from all over the world who represent many rich cultures and religious traditions.

I am saddened for our Muslim community in Middle Tennessee who will read such inflammatory words about something they hold central to their identity, and who will perhaps feel the need to defend themselves for crimes committed across an ocean by people they did not know.

I am particularly saddened that Muslim faculty, staff and students who may encounter this piece will know that such a prejudiced opinion piece was written by someone who is also a part of the Vanderbilt community.

As a proud Nashville resident, it is my hope that Nashville will embrace the growing religious and cultural diversity in our city.

To this end, I sincerely hope that The Tennessean will give strong consideration to publishing future opinion pieces from Dr. Swain and others who attack groups of people, and not issues.

Rev. Lillian J. Hallstrand

Nashville 37208

Muslims live among us peacefully

We need to remember that every morning, multiplied millions of Muslims wake up, feed their children and get them off to school, go out and earn a living, shop for groceries and clothes, clean house, do the laundry, cook and take out the trash.

Just like the rest of us, nurturing family is their main activity, and dreaming of a better life for their children is the central hope.

Sadly, our commonalities are buried by the highly successful strategies of Osama bin Laden’s ilk to inflame the passions of all of us against each other.

In recent days a million Europeans demonstrated against terror created by fewer than a dozen fanatics.

The enemy is terror, not Muslims. We need leaders who are wise as serpents and harmless as doves to cut out the cancer of terrorism while uniting the family of man.

Harry Marsh

Gallatin 37066

Religions at odds with freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is clearly a topic of great interest since the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

The Pope has now spoken and said, in essence, that freedom of speech should never be infringed unless it involves his religion. This is, of course, laughable.

The problem with religions is that anyone can start a religion and hold to any beliefs at all.

So, for example, if we agree to not show pictures of Muhammad to appease the Muslim, does that mean we must never show pictures of L. Ron Hubbard so that the Scientologist will be happy?

Maybe there is a sect somewhere that believes in the holiness of a Coke bottle?

Should we worry about pictures of spaghetti so that the believers in the Flying Spaghetti Monster will not be offended?

Since no one religion can possibly prove that its beliefs are more valid/better/holier than another’s, we can never allow ourselves to be controlled by whatever happens to offend any particular (or group of) religion(s).

The only free speech that is worth protecting is always the speech that offends someone, and generally that that offends the most. So to eliminate that is to destroy the entire concept.

Wendell Henry

Nashville 37220