Apparently, the world should now choose between freedom of expression or the freedom to practice religious belief without being insulted. Egypt's Foreign Minister told the General Assembly a few days ago that speech is “being used to incite hatred based on religion.” His full statement before the 63rd session of the General Assembly can be found here. In essence, Ahmed Aboul Gheit argued that there should be a rejection of the repeated attacks on religions as part of the so-called “legitimate exercise of the freedom of expression.” The goal is to balance freedom of expression with the personal “sentiments” of others. His aim was to explain how attacks against religion have led to greater cultural tension throughout the world.
