The murder of Theo van Gogh in 2004, the Danish cartoon crisis of 2005 and Charlie Hebdo: over the last few decades, freedom of speech in Islam has become a much-discussed topic. Razi Quadir, theologian at VU Amsterdam, did research on the existence of freedom of speech in islam and on when said freedom is restricted in both Islam as well as liberal democracies.
Quadir concludes that there is not as big of a difference between the two parties as is often assumed. “In both Islam and liberal democracies, freedom of speech is seen as a contributor not only to the welfare and self-development of the indivual, but also to the development of the (core values of) society.”
Even the West limits freedom of speech
Quadir also concludes that certain ideas about freedom of speech, in both Islam and liberal democracies, are biased and unfunded: “For example, countries with a Muslim majority believe that freedom of speech is unrestrained in liberal democracies. But that image is incorrect; people can't say everything they'd like in liberal countries. Just like in Islam, European judges impose limits on the freedom of speech.”
