The blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten in
September 2005 which received worldwide publicity in January 2006, caused a storm of protest all over the Muslim world. It also started a debate on the right to free expression regarding religious personalities, particularly Islamic. The debate has assumed considerable importance in the present international environment, which owing to 9/11 and ensuing events is full of tensions. It has also acquired overtones of the ‘West versus Islam’ and ‘clash of civilisations’ syndromes.In South Asia, which is home to millions of Muslims, the reaction was, not unexpectedly, very strong. There were demonstrations, calls for boycott, demands for death penalty for the cartoonist, violations of diplomatic immunity and riots. The anger against the blasphemous cartoons, in many places, appeared to correlate with the frustration against poverty and joblessness.In the contemporary globalise world, it is important for the Muslims to comprehend the European social order based on individualism, which espouses the right to freedom of speech as absolute and the West, on its part has to make an effort to fathom the Islamic social form which is community-based, with emphasis on collective interests and deep reverence for religious faith and its sacred personalities and symbols.The task of the media and the scholars in a shrinking world in such conflictual areas is to serve as a bridge between the two sides and to convey with all sincerity to their respective societies, the historic-cultural experiences, traditions and backgrounds of the other side, which have given birth to the different systems of law and cultural norms.The second consecutive conference jointly organised by Goethe Institut, Karachi and the Area Study Centre for Europe, University of Karachi was an attempt to discuss these issues on a single platform. Various journalists and scholars of Muslim and non-Muslim organisations from Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Germany were invited in the seminar titled ‘Dialogue versus confrontation: Different Perceptions on Freedom of Expression and Respect for Religious Sensibilities’.One of the keynote speakers was Dr Khalida Ghaus, who is currently serving as Managing Director, Social Policy and Development Centre. She discussed the issues of culture identity in her speech. “The changing nature of security concerns particularly regarding the issues of cultural identity and religious extremism have generated new threats which have an element of fear prominent in them,” Dr Ghaus said.“The obvious divide, existing between the developing Muslim world and the developed West has added new dynamics to these security-related issues,” she added.Dr Kai Hafez, professor of International and Comparative Communication Studies at a German university threw light on difference between the West and the Muslim world. He said that in the West many remnants of anti-blasphemia laws protecting Christianity do exist and can be re-activated, in the US as much as in Europe. In the Muslim world religious prohibition was never as strict as it seems, and there is an undercurrent in today’s Muslim societies that seeks for more freedom of speech in religious matters. “The main problem is not the incompatibility of cultures, but the hegemonic perception of other cultures – Islamophobia as much as Anti-Westernism – and the instrumentalisation of cultures for political purposes on both sides,” he mentioned.Mr Ghazi Salahuddin, a senior journalist and President of the Karachi Press Club was also among the key speakers, who spoke on empowering liberals in the Muslim world. “What we confront in Pakistan is an instructive reflection of the global concern with Islamic radicalism. A deadly tussle between Islamic extremists and moderates who subscribe to democratic ideals is still unresolved,” said Mr Salahuddin. “The imperative for a rational debate is widely recognised. Butthis debate is only possible within the parameters of freedom of expression and tolerance of opposing views. In western societies, host to a large number of Muslim immigrants, serious attempts have been made to understand the rise of Islamic militancy and engage the Islamists within their democratic framework. “In addition totalking to Islamic clerics, it is more important for the west to establish linkages with the liberal opinion in Muslim countries and strengthen them in their pursuit of a truly democratic dispensation,” he clarified.The conference comprised two sessions and besides above mentioned scholars, various other speakers including Mr Javed Jabbar – Honorary Chairman of the International Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Islamabad, Mr Bekir Alboga – a Turkish scholar, Dr Mehmet Gormez – Professor of Hadith in Turkey, Ambassador Kazi Anwarul Masud and Mr Stefen Weidner – editor-in-chief of Goethe Institut journal; discussed different issues related to the freedom of expression and religious sensitivity.