Government & BusinessIndividual Rights
Free Speech and the Danish Cartoons, a Panel Discussion
The Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad have sparked a worldwide controversy. Death threats and violent protests have sent the cartoonists into hiding and have had the intended effect of stifling freedom of expression. The reaction to these cartoons raises urgent questions whose significance goes far beyond a set of drawings.
Recorded on April 11, 2006 at the University of Southern California, this unflinching discussion, which includes an unveiling of the cartoons, addresses key questions, including:
- Why is it so important to hold events like this?
- What is freedom of speech? Does it include the right to offend?
- What is the significance of the worldwide Islamic reaction to the cartoons?
- How should Western governments have responded to this incident?
- How should the Western media have responded?
(Recorded April 11, 2006.)
