In Freedom of Speech and Islam, Erich Kolig promises the reader a diverse range of opinions, reflections and academic scrutiny of ‘an issue that is as difficult as it is urgent’ (p xiv): the relationship between the Western understanding of freedom of speech and Islam – in particular, the Islamic conceptions of blasphemy, heresy and apostasy. Given the ongoing debates in the United Kingdom regarding religious extremism, tolerance, diversity and so-called ‘British values’, the book could not be more timely.
Kolig summarises the crux of the issue as follows: ‘is the right to offend more important than the right not to be offended; and can and should a truly free society, and globalised world, protect its people against intellectualised (i.e. non-physical, verbal or symbolic) assault?’ (p 9). He later explains why this issue is particularly pertinent to the West, noting that ‘The West has yet to learn that insulting Islam means insulting (devout) Muslims and is tantamount to an infringement of personhood and an act of personal defamation’ (p 116).
Sporting eight essays from an impressive collection of scholars, who approach the topic from various perspectives, the book seeks to saturate the reader in a nuanced, multi-faceted conception of the issue at hand. Approaches that focus on a theoretical, idealistic analysis of the conflict between Islam and ‘the West’ are starkly contrasted with detailed case studies of recently publicised controversies such as the ‘Rushdie affair’, or the backlash that followed Charlie Hebdo's printing of Muhammad cartoons in 2012.
The structure offered to us by Kolig in his introduction is a discussion about orthodox Islamic theology, Western jurisprudence and a theoretical analysis of their relationship. This is succeeded by a situational study on how this relationship has played out, followed by a dialogue on a critique of the Western perception of freedom of speech and the nuances that are to be found in Islam itself.
As with many books that are comprised of a collection of essays, the eight essays are not tightly bound together in this structure and there is a slight disconnect between the chapters. An example of this disconnect is found in the first two essays. Christopher J van der Krogt opens the book with a refreshing, historically nuanced explanation as to why insults to the prophet Muhammed and Islam have a deep impact on Muslims, and sheds light on the potential theological justifications of violence towards apostates and blasphemers. The reader is exposed to Islamic historians, jurists and scriptures woven together in this narrative of ‘speech’ in Islamic culture. In direct contrast, the following essay, by Ghena Krayem, discredits all violent expressions of Islam, and gives the legitimate voice for Islam to the peaceable, under-represented Muslims. This is done without any allusions as to why the violent expressions are discounted, which would have been necessary following the previous chapter. Kolig recognises the question ‘which version of Islam represents the legitimate voice for this religion?’ in his introduction; however, it is not answered throughout the rest of the book.
Perhaps this is excused by the quality of the crowning piece in the collection, written by Kolig himself. Comprising almost a third of the entire book, his ‘Muslim sensitivities and the West’ is an incredibly detailed and substantive analysis on the clash between Western postmodernism and Islam, and their different approaches to freedom of speech. Kolig traces the jurisprudential history of freedom of speech from the Enlightenment onwards, and offers textual exegesis from the Qur'an to show the various interpretations and ambiguities it can produce. He goes on to argue that it is impossible to achieve cultural pluralism and moral universalism, and any call for the ‘privatisation of religion’ would be a false move. Achieving diverse cultural co-existence without change to the culture is discounted: achieving pluralism requires adaptation by everyone. However, his conclusion does not necessarily follow his previous points, as he calls for utilitarian reasoning of compromises, free from ‘deep religious and metaphysical values’ yet predicated on a ‘universal maxim’ of religious tolerance (pp 122–123).
It is a shame that the normative analysis is not carried over into the subsequent chapters examining the Rushdie affair and the role of fatwas, both very worthy essays which could have benefited from having Kolig's theoretical analysis interwoven into them. Similarly, Tibi and Hache's appeal (chapter 8) to separate Islam, the religion, from Islamism, the forceful and intolerant political ideology, is weakened by their failure to delegitimise the violent political ideology in the light of earlier chapters. However, their piercing analysis of the concept of ‘Islamaphobia’ is a sobering realisation of the Islamist (not Islamic) agenda. They argue that ‘Islamaphobia’ is a term coined from propaganda of the Islamic Republic in Iran, and its primary function is to silence critical objections to Islamism from non-Muslims and Muslims alike, by using language similar to that used in the human rights movement.
As with many essay-based books, Freedom of Speech and Islam provides an eclectic mix of strong essays that do not engage with one another as much as we would wish. Nevertheless, we are provided with a high level of insight and analysis into a problem that appears to grow rather than diminish. For that reason the book is both timely and important.
