The danger of padlocking a paper in Baghdad

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 10:26am

After two days, I remain even more disturbed by Bremer's decision to silence the Shiite paper Al Hawza. Reading a couple of the letters in today's TIMES brought it into even starker relief. One letter, from NJ, startled. The author opined that Al Hawza, the radical weekly was "a propaganda sheet" and not a real newspaper; therefore, stopping it was key. Excuse me, since when is stopping the flow of propaganda in sync with anyone's idea of democracy? Another letter opined that the publication is the jouranlistic equivalent of shouting fire in a theater. Fire is shouted daily in post-Saddam Iraq. Stopping one hate-mongering rag won't stop that; the sentimets behind it must be addressed. I fear for the world, and even more for our soliders (the saving of whom was used to justify this ham-fisted action) if these attitudes toward free speech prevail.

All American-determined actions in Iraq now play on a world stage, and become emblematic, whether we want them to or not. It's shocking how Bremer and company didn't weigh the impact of this, seemingly oblivious to the SYMBOLISM of stopping any paper. As the Times states, such opinions will only find their way into other publications, and the Iraq perception that America wants *total control* of "...the hearts and minds..." has been enhanced. Even if the paper disseminates lies -- hello, welcome to the free world. Lies are sold daily, folks. In the press and all over TV.

Has the administration so readily failed to heed what Donald Rumsfeld said, famously, after the insurgency began: "Democracy is messy." Indeed, and curtailing any aspect of it with swift, stiffling acts has consequences. Perhaps dire ones.

Updated On: 3/31/04 at 10:26 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 10:38am

auggie, iraq is not america and the press there cannot be equated to ours. al hawza repeated called for the death of americans and printed outright lies aimed at inciting violence againts not only the coalition but any iraqis who would help try to stabilize their country by working with the coalition. there are limits to free speech even in the united states. it is for example illegal to shout "fire" in a crowded theatre. i suggest that any paper that outright calls for murders to be committed and offers the balm of religious backing for them has abandoned its right to freedom of speech.

lies are sold daily, auggie, but it's one thing to say that the coalition is after iraqi oil and another to call for mass murder on religious grounds. that kinda speech is not protected anywhere. just as i would be censored and possibly removed if i continually called in thread after thread for someone to kill you, i expect no less for those who would call for americans to be killed. just because an imam says it's right don't make it so.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 10:45am

At least five more Americans were killed this morning.
The victims were then hacked apart with glee and burned.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 10:57am

Papa, I respect your opinion immensely, but I was dismayed to read that you used the fire-in-the-theater argument, as if I hadn't cited that in my post (and at least attempted to deconstruct its usage as a parallel). Makes me wonder if you read all I wrote before firing up your response. Now my feelings are hurt!

I do not deny that the rag was dangerous, its words incendiary. But Iraq is dangerous, period. Anti-American -- and pro-violence -- sentiments will not go away simply by keeping them out of print. The fact that thousands took to the street (figures quoted on Fox, even) to protest the action speaks volumes. I repeat: our actions have symbolic weight. And what do Bremer and company think will happen after we leave? That we will have "taught them how to behave?" Even if I strongly agree with you in principal -- murder-inciting prose is intolerable -- stopping one propaganda sheet is a thin bandaid over a far bigger "hearts and minds" problem.

Updated On: 3/31/04 at 10:57 AM

[orion59]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 12:40pm

Updated On: 3/31/04 at 12:40 PM

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 1:12pm

I believe of the five dismebered and burned only one of them was American. They were private contractors with the American government in a strongly pro-Saddam area. There was also American soldiers killed when their vehicle drove over a bomb...Correct me if I'm wrong...

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/31/04 at 1:43pm

auggie, my apologies, i was wound up about this from something else and allowed myself to tee off on you without reading your full post. my apologies. that was insensitive and unfair. i will work to avoid that in the future, but cannot alwats promise to live up to my extraordinary potential.

it coulda been worse, padlocking the rag is better than they would have gotten 18 months ago when a paper that made statements about the previous ruling authority could expect to have its writers tortured to death in front of their families. moqtada al sadr is a poisonous fanatic who represents the very worst that not just islam but humanity has to offer and i defend anyone who shuts him and people like him up. anyone who uses the name of god to incite people to kill or be killed has no right to continue to breathe.

i think it's a question of tolerance vs. freedom. are we to be tolerant of someone who daily calls for us to be killed? would you defend so quickly an american newspaper that daily led off its headline with "god commands you to kill the all the heathen faggots whose poisonous existance is an affront to all men of faith?" i mean, defending freedom of speech is one thing, but defending hatred intolerance and incitement of murder is wrong.

as far as hearts and minds, one imam can draw a thousand people into the streets. but just as in america you can see 100,000 protesting the war, opinion polls taken during that same time showed americans to be overwhelmingly supportive of it. those who scream the loudest seldom represent the majority. if they did, they would not need to scream so loudly to make their voices heard.

there is a great deal of work to be done, but silencing one voice of hatred is a start.