Holding My Tongue

I've practiced avoiding slander and backbiting, and I'm pretty good at that--not perfect, but not too bad. I've never been a name caller--I was the kid who was called names in grade school--and I don't make a practice of arguing loudly (though, if you ask my kids, they may admit that I'm capable of such a terrible act.) I try to control my tongue. I don't always succeed.

My greatest challenge comes when I see injustice. It's Ramadan, and my husband has told me once already that he only wants to hear about good things this month. He was right, but that was hard. And when I saw that video yesterday it became impossible.

There are rumors floating around (backbiting, anyone?) about the character of Andrew Meyer and whether he deserves any sympathy for being Tazed. That is entirely beside the point. He is a human being who had something to say. If some people think he was annoying, well, so what? Can you imagine arresting people just for being annoying? There wouldn't be anybody left.

The point is that someone's freedom of speech was violated. Freedom of speech is an essential right--an inalienable right--which cannot be or should not be taken away. In the United States of America, people are not to be arrested and electronically shocked simply for stating unpopular opinions. Without the freedom of speech, the USA will become just another police state.

I will restrain my tongue when I need to. I will not accept the right of anyone else to restrain me.

We have freedom of speech in Islam too, by the way. I can choose to backbite, slander and call names. I just have to be ready to live with the consequences, in this life and, most importantly, in the next.