Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that freedom of expression does not justify such blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as was committed by the Charlie Hebdo newsmagazine in France. He was addressing his annual press conference in Moscow on Friday. As he pointed out, Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state, with a large Muslim population, mostly ethnic Turkic and Caucasian minorities. Of course, the writ of the state must be maintained as he did in two Chechen Wars earlier this century. However, his recognition that the freedom of expression does not justify blasphemy, is a salutary recognition that an act of blasphemy can set off a chain reaction that might not have an end.
As Mr Putin said, the ordinal blasphemous cartoons by a Danish newspaper led to riots, then Charlie Hebdo decided to reprint the cartoons, with a resulting attack on its offices, killing 12. A teacher showed the cartoons to his class, was beheaded, and then the French President expressed his sympathy with the teacher. This led to calls in Pakistan against theFrench embassy, which led to the deaths of protesters and policemen in the riots. The tearing down of Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan posters led to the killing of a man by a mob. The account stops here, but only for now.
Mr Putin may well have geopolitical aims in his statement. Indeed, it would be uncharacteristic if he did not, for he is dedicated to making Russia a superpower again. His statement won praise from both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Mr Khan in particular has been trying to convince the West that Islamophobia, which is reflected in such support for blasphemy in the name of freedom of expression, is counter-productive. Freedom of expression is not a sacred principle, and European states themselves are clamping down on Holocaust denial, no matter how much it is defended as academic discussion. It seems odd that the feelings of 15 million people must be considered, which is not even 0.2 percent of the world’s population, while of 1.9 billion people, or just under a quarter of the world’s population, are not. Mr Putin’s remarks may be the first sign of an overdue change.
