‘Both
Ways’: The former president took to Twitter to decry the ‘absolute corruption’
of unhindered free speech
Jakarta Globe, Erwida Maulia, Jan 14, 2015
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| Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former Indonesian presidentFrench police carry the coffin of officer Franck Brinsolaro, who was killed at Charlie Hebdo, during a ceremony to pay tribute to the three members slain in last week’s terrorist attacks. (EPA Photo/ Francois Mor) |
Jakarta.
Former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono weighed in on the
sharpening debate between absolute freedom of expression and a limited one,
calling the latter necessary to prevent the world’s war against terrorism from
growing into a war between Islam and the West.
Yudhoyono
said on Wednesday he was worried that the declaration, “we are at war” voiced
by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday would be perceived as a war
between the secular West and the Muslim world rather than against terrorism, as
Valls intended.
He
suggested that this may happen if Western leaders and the press insisted they
would exercise their right to unlimited freedom of speech no matter what, even
at the expense of offending Muslims, the majority of whom are moderates and
also condemn the deadly attacks in Paris last week where 17 people were killed
by Islamist extremists.
The attacks
had been triggered by the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet
Muhammad by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo — considered offensive by
many, if not most Muslims.
Yudhoyono
said he regretted that the magazine chose to print so many copies of its latest
edition with another cartoon of the prophet on the cover.
The BBC
reported that five million copies are being printed, as long queues were seen
on Wednesday morning at French newsstands, many of which immediately sold out
while others reported reservation requests.
The cover
of the latest edition portrays the prophet weeping while holding a sign saying
“Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) — the message of support for the magazine and
freedom of expression.
“Although
the [declaration of] war is intended to fight terrorism, not Islam, eventually
it may be perceived as a war against the Islamic world,” Yudhoyono said in a
series of tweets on Wednesday morning. “I understand the rage over the murder
of the cartoonists in Paris. Don’t get me wrong, I also condemn the murders.
But I’ve been thinking what we should do to prevent [similar incidents] in the
future.”
He said he
believes respecting each other’s beliefs was key and that the world’s societies
must not force their values and beliefs on one another.
This should
work both ways, Yudhoyono said. Muslims must not resort to violence if they are
offended by attacks on Islam and their religious identity by the Western press
in the name of freedom of expression.
The West,
on the other hand, should respect Muslims’ beliefs, which consider any
depiction of the prophet a taboo and blasphemy.
“There are
very fundamental differences [between Muslims and the secular West]. There are
‘clashes of values’ and ‘clashes of perceptions.’ But this must be addressed,”
Yudhoyono said. “We must understand and respect these different perceptions. We
must exercise tolerance. Otherwise there will be a high price to pay.”
He called
on Muslim leaders to play more active roles preventing violence staged using
the name of Islam, even in reaction to attacks on the religion.
“Religious
leaders must dare say terrorism defies the religious teachings. Don’t stay
silent and let [terrorism] be,” Yudhoyono said.
On the
other hand, he added, Western leaders must take the responsibility to prevent
the abuse of freedom of speech to degrade Islam and Muslims.
“I believe
in the view that there should be a limit to freedom. I think this is in line
with the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” Yudhoyono said.
“It’s not only power tends to corrupt. Liberty too can corrupt. Absolute
liberty can corrupt absolutely.”
The former
president called on the world, Muslims and the West, to unite against
terrorism, to together prevent the growth of extremism and radicalism.
“All over
the world, Muslims also should not feel defeated and humiliated. They should
feel equal wherever they are,” Yudhoyono added. “On the other hand, Muslims
globally also must represent the peaceful face of Islam. Because Islam is
supposed to be a blessing to all creation.”
Clash of
civilizations
Indonesian
Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra calls on all Muslims to stay calm, to not be
confrontational and emotionally react to onslaughts against their beliefs, let
alone resorting to violence.
“When a
minority group of Muslims commit violence, eventually those who will suffer are
the Muslims themselves; the larger number of Muslims who are moderates,” said
Azyumardi, the former rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University.
“It’s getting harder now for moderate Muslims to prove that Islam is not what
is carried by the terrorists; violence and all.”
Azryumardi
said a clash between Islam and the West was nothing new, citing the Crusades by
Christians against Muslims during the Middle Ages.
“That had
been more bloody, and lasted for hundreds of years,” he said.
He
acknowledged that a perceived clash between the two civilizations had been
renewed since the Sept. 11 attacks, followed by Madrid and London bombings by
the Islamist terrorists, and now the Charlie Hebdo tragedy.
However,
Azyumardi said this was no simple matter of different beliefs. Social and
economic factors play major roles, with the surging number of immigrants in
Europe — many of them Muslim — and Europe’s economic slump that contributed to
widespread unemployment.
“The
economy is tumbling in Europe … willing or not, this affects the people,” he
said. “And to immigrant Muslims who aren’t able to integrate, who have been
alienated, a longing is growing for utopian, romantic [Islamic] ideals, such as
a caliphate, which they think can solve their problems.”
But Azyumardi
emphasized that what’s going on in particularly Europe right now was not a war
between Islam and the West.
“This is a
conflict between two extreme sides: those who are putting freedom above
everything else and extremist Muslims who think everything can only be solved
with violence.”
Related Articles:
“ .. Do Not Despair
There's too much information to give you in one channelling, in one sitting, so I refer to past messages for you to better understand and reference the information in order to get the bigger picture. So I wish to remind you of something I also told you in a recent channelling called Do Not Despair. You're winning! It's because you're winning that the dark consciousness on this planet is feeling it, and the humanity that represents darkness is pulling out everything it has to survive.
It Has Always Been There
Let's look at it, because it's all over the news. Are you shocked at the sudden existence of the organization that will remain unnamed [for this channelling]? Where did it come from? How could it be so organized? How could it be so well funded? This organization could have its own country soon! They might as well name it, “The Old Energy Dark Country”, for that's what it will represent.
The barbaric past of humanity comes forward to show its face. It has always been there, hiding under the rocks and between the cracks of civilized humanity. It couldn't show itself until now, but now it has to. It's ugly and it's not for the faint at heart, is it, dear ones? Seeing evil personified in Human action is abhorrent. It is so ugly and so dark that you cannot look upon it with a gentle heart. God is not a part of it and this is obvious.
You're winning! Light is winning! The uprising of dark consciousness would not have shown itself with this strength, or this quickly, if this were not so. This is exactly what I told you to look for, and it is proof that those representing this dark consciousness are in trouble. Dear ones, dark consciousness has always had a tried-and-true system. It lurks in the shadows and influences all the power places of the planet - government, commerce, finance. Suddenly, it can't hide there as well anymore and it's out in the open.
Where is the funding coming from? It is coming from a storehouse that has always been there, dear ones. It uses income that has been generated from low consciousness acts, collected for a very long time. Funding didn't just appear. It has been stored, waiting to be used in order to spread fear and darkness to save what they believe is their way.
Who Will Win?
Dear ones, they haven't got a chance! But it looks like they do, doesn't it? Everything that they are doing is calculated to scare you into submission. Are they winning? Now, that's a question I want you to take from here and examine every day.
Fear is black. If you're in fear, there is no light. You can be the grandest Lightworker, or even be the channeller, but if you're in fear, it doesn't matter how many years you've done light work, or how much light you've accumulated personally. It all goes away with fear, and then they've won the battle for your mind. Do you understand this?
The Strength of the Old Soul - YOU
Old souls, Lightworkers reading this, the experiences you have had over lifetimes and lifetimes are incredible! The old soul knows fear. I don't want to be too graphic, but I want you to understand! What was it like when you put your head in the guillotine because you talked about God in a way that was inappropriate? What was it like to be bound hand and foot when they lit the match at your feet? Old soul, that's fear! You carry those experiences in your Akash.
I want to tell you they haven't got a chance to scare you! You absolutely know what fear is, and they haven't got a chance as long as you cling to that part of you that is the strength of God. You've been through it all. That means you've got the weapons of truth, wisdom and light. Don't forget it. Don't forget who you are!
Do you see how fast they assembled? It seemed like only yesterday that there was no organization at all. Where did they come from? Have you noticed a certain hesitancy to fight them? Why is it that the citizens of the lands that they are invading are hesitant to fight them? Instead, these leaders are calling on others to help. Why is it that the others are also hesitant? I want to show you that there are some anomalies of logic that are not making sense, because this is a battle you have never seen before on this planet. We've expected it, but you haven't. It's about consciousness, not land or resources.
How to Win?
We gave you the secret before of how to defeat them without taking even one life: Simply take away their funding. They cannot exist without their funding. The funding has to be organized, stored, and distributed. It has to be generated in such a way that it must also go through institutions. Did you hear that? All you have to do is stop the system. Winning won't be done with bombing. It's going to be done with intelligence, clever thinking and financial forensics. It's time to get smart on some of these things and not to be afraid to look at this puzzle differently than you have before. Do not apply the energy they are using in order to fight them, because you won't win. Figure it out. It's the last bastion of organized darkness and evil thinking on this planet coming together to try to survive the assault of your light. Don't be afraid to look at the funding trail, no matter where it takes you.
Fear is Their Weapon
I want you to know something as you look at your news. It may appear that you are unable to stop them. In many places, they will gain strength as they create fear. The fear is easily created in those who are not old souls and who don't know fear like you do and who don't have the armor of your spiritual experiences. This puts you in the front line, dear one. Did you realize that? But you don't have to go fight them on their terms. All you have to do is broadcast light. High consciousness will beat fear any day.. .”
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)
“. New Tolerance
Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.
Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."
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