Restraining Speech

During Ramadan, Muslims are reminded to practice self-restraint in terms of their speech. Gossip, backbiting, arguing, and other harmful speech is discouraged. In fact, the fasting from food and water has little effect if someone cannot control his or her tongue.

This is a good reminder. Gossip and backbiting are harmful, and sometimes very easy to fall into. The fasting person has an extra incentive to speak only what is good and practice self-control in terms of the rest.

Muslims must control our own speech. That's a very different concept from controlling the speech of others. It's one thing to remind a child to use good manners when speaking. It's another to enforce a ban on speech because of politics.

At the Emmys, Sally Fields made a strong anti-war statement. I listened to that part of her speech as it was aired on Canadian TV. Americans weren't allowed to see it. Her speech was censored.

In Florida, a university student asked John Kerry why he conceded the 2004 election so quickly. (I was in Massachusetts in November 2004 and I've always wanted to know that too.) Police suddenly appeared and began leading the student away. He struggled, of course. Who wouldn't? More police came. Eventually he was tasered into temporary submission.

Backbiting and gossip are banned. Not free speech. Since when did anti-war statements and questions about fair voting practices become illegal? In the United States of America?

Self-restraint is good and admirable. Government restraint is tyranny.