Islamic Censorship in America

Free speech is a fundamental right all Americans have in the United States. The first amendment states:

 “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of expression.”

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the legal definition of freedom of speech is:

“The right, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, to communicate ideas and opinions without government intervention.”

The United States is known to be “the land of the free”; Americans value this right to be able to speak out against anyone and anything without having to worry about repercussions.

Christopher Hitchens states: 

“It’s not just the right of the person who speaks to be heard, it is the right of everyone in the audience to listen and hear, and every time you silence somebody, you make yourself a prisoner of your own action because you deny yourself the right to hear something.”

Speech is a rational process -  

“It may persuade or fail to persuade, offend or amuse; but its effects are the result of our thinking.”

Television shows are meant to provide entertainment to their viewers. When the government steps in and censors this right to freedom of speech, the shows lose their right to amusement and pleasure.

Today, this fundamental right is being threatened through the use of fear and threats of violence. Freedom of speech allows us to be free - critically thinking individuals and maximizes our ability to learn.

Newman, Stephen L. "Liberty, Community, and Censorship: Hate Speech and Freedom of Expression in Canada and the United States." The American Review of Canadian Studies (2002): 369-390.