Free Mojtaba and Arash!
Sending people to jail for expressing their opinions is wrong. In the west we’ve understood why it was wrong since John Stuart Mill wrote On Liberty. So please, for the betterment of Iran, and the entire world:
Mojtaba and Arash are Iranian bloggers jailed for their ideas. What ideas is almost not relevant. Even if they were saying disgusting things like “Osama is a great guy,” (which would probably get them a medal in Iran), they should be allowed to speak, so that others can counter their false ideas.
(My prior post on Fighting Terrorist Ideas also mentions Mill.)
Hi,
This is in reference to the following comment:
“…(which would probably get them a medal in Iran)”
The vast majority here in the west perceive this as an accepted and unquestionable truth about Iran and the middle-east in general. While I liked your sympathy for the two jailed iranian bloggers, I found your comment quite alienating and disappointing from a seemingly above-the-average-informed person like yourself.
No Sir, saying disgusting things like “Osama is a great guy,” wont get them a medal. Go visit Iran to see for yourself. What would you lose?
Thanks for your comment–I think there are truths about the Iranian government, which include its support for the fatwah against Salman Rushdie; its ongoing support for Hezbollah, and its stated policy of exporting the Islamic revolution. There are longstanding, well documented ties between Iranian intelligence and Al Qaeda.
The Iranian people may or may not agree with the policies of its government. However, the Council of Guardians makes those democratic choices less relevant.
Ongoing Iranian government policies are what they are, and I think that’s a shame.