Protesters: Execute Teddy bear teacher
Conservatives make a reasonable argument when they say that liberals fail to show sufficient outrage at excesses in the Muslim world. In the spirit of multiculturalism, we are insufficiently critical of cultural practices that oppress women, allow the domination of reactionary religious authorities in society, and of groups that would replace dialog with violence.
Conservative Muslims in Sudan want to execute a British school teacher for having the temerity to allow her students to name the classroom stuff animal "Mohammed." This kind of violently intolerant response is simply unacceptable in today’s world. And while the Sudanese, of course, should have the right to live under laws and norms of their own choosing, we ought not behave as if that right were unconstrained. Just as countries cannot simply choose to commit acts of genocide without the rest of the world becoming involved, there are also cases where we have an obligation to actively promote and defend our fundamental values.
If we believe in democracy, separation of church and state, free speech, women’s rights, gay rights, social justice, economic opportunity, etc., we can’t just say our beliefs end at water’s edge. These are our values, and I will put them up against those held by the "family values" folks any day of the week. But we lose credibility for our values when we turn a blind eye to their violation at home or abroad.
We don’t have to defend our values always by force of arms, and we need not seek to impose our beliefs at gunpoint. But we need to have the moral clarity to say what we believe in, even if it risks offending others.
Bernard I. Finel
www.bernardfinel.com