Principles of Islam
11. Freedom of Expression
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Man is a thinking creature. Of necessity he forms
opinions. If curbs are placed on the independent
expression of his views, the content of his thought
may remain unchanged, but his ideas will never
find expression in his speech and writings. Curbs of
this nature, imposed by a community or a state, will
ultimately produce a society of hypocrites. No
sincere person can ever flourish in such a repressive
atmosphere. It is only freedom of thought and
expression, which can save man from hypocrisy.
Moreover, intellectual freedom is directly related to
creativity. A society with freedom of thought will
produce creative human beings: a society which
places curbs on freedom of expression will
necessarily witness intellectual stagnation; it will
stop producing creative minds, and its development
will come to a standstill.
In matters of criticism or expression of differences,
the right approach is for people to end unnecessary
sensitivity to it instead of attempting to put an end
to criticism and differences. This is the demand of
Islam as well as of nature.
