Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Freedom of Expression in USA.

Freedom of expression in USA.


It is a bit amusing to read the remark made by the President of the Princeton University, Christopher L.Eisgruber that his university would allow students to commemorate Osama bin Laden ( Indian Express.March 17 & March 19) He was responding to the comment by the Union Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu who asked whether US would allow students to celebrate the martyrdom of Osama bin Laden. Eisgruber said that people would be angry but the university would not discipline somebody for that. Public memory is proverbially short but it is not that short. Indian people still remember the opposition to the participation of Narendra Modi in a seminar on India organised by the Harvard University, and the invitation was eventually withdrawn by the University. People also remember that Dr.Subramaniam Swamy, who did his PhD in the University, and later regularly  took summer classes in the same university, was not allowed to lecture after his views on Muslims was published in a newspaper in India. We know Harvard is not Princeton, and may have different views or interpretation of 'freedom of expression'. Fact of the matter is, USA is not a paradise of freedom of expression in the world. Remember Senator Joseph McCarthy and his crusade against intellectuals ?     


http://epaper.indianexpress.com/751596/Indian-Express-Mumbai/17-March-2016#clip/9159303/771da0cd-2f0e-48a6-abd8-abfac30aa42e/179.66666666666666:284.5387840670858


http://epaper.indianexpress.com/753675/Indian-Express-Mumbai/19-March-2016#page/14


March 22,2016.


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