WhatsappWhat are the essential dangers of radical islamist ideology in this world? Should there be any limits on what is said or preached in public? Absolutely.
Radical Islamist ideology spreads – quickly. How does it spread? Ayaan Hirsi Ali claims that Dawa is much more than an introduction to Muslim ideology. She claims that it is a movement that is all about supremacist ideology, and against religious freedom and women’s rights. In a nutshell, it stands diametrically opposed to almost all Western values. She believes that there are multiple groups that are all involved in trying to make fundamental changes in the social structures of the Western countries they live in.
Should we be tolerant to anti-tolerant ideologies?
This is of course a tricky question. The Clarion Project has taken a strong stance on this. They believe that this movement is endangering the Western world as we know it. I think this is true – but we need to be careful. Free speech is indeed a central value that must be safeguarded. The problem is when free speech leads to hate speech. Or, as in this case, when free speech leads to promoting ideologies that do not support free speech.
A Recipe for Safe Free Speech
This is not a simple matter. Therefore, in my opinion, the key is not to silence these ideologies as much as it is important to expose them. We need to make it clear to the masses that there are threats out there that must be dealt with. That there are ideologies that threaten the very ground that we are on. In that way, we won’t have to be as worried about the negative impact of dangerous ideologies. People will simply reject them.
