Limits to Press Freedom?

Women in Hijab. Photograph: Flickr

Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, tolerance. All can be found on the list of the fundamental characteristics of the British society. But which are the limits of these freedoms? When can the freedom of the press become defamatory for a religion like Islam or a community like the Muslim one?

The BBC offered last Saturday £30,000 and an apology to the Muslim Council of Britain after airing a programme where a panellist, Charles Moore, accused the council of failing to condemn attacks on British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The programme was aired in March and the council reacted then saying that Moore’s claims were not true. The council also provided evidence of having condemned Muslims’ attacks on British soldiers in the past in a national newspaper.

Some might say that this is another defeat for the freedom of expression. I disagree. Expressing your opinion is fine but stating a fact as true when it’s not is a journalistic misconduct, which becomes even more important when it concerns an organisation representing approximately 500 Islamic bodies in the UK.

Another example of media covering issues about the Muslim community is an article regarding women wearing full hijabs in London. Full hijabs cover all of the body and the face of a woman except for the eyes. The article, which was published recently in a national newspaper provoked controversy among its readers.

It commented on the fact that more women are seen with full hijabs in East London than in Damascus, Syria. The author added that the coverage of the face is not a religious requirement but a cultural feature. The writer went on claiming that wearing a full hijab is culturally inappropriate in the UK and it may be offensive or disturbing to Londoners, although Muslim women covering their faces may not be aware of that.

Is this piece of copy insulting? Has it surpassed the limits of press freedom? To my mind, it is fine as far as it is expressed as a personal opinion. The fact that the author uses the overgeneralisation of saying that the coverage of the face is disturbing in Western European societies is the only thing I could blame the writer for. This is not censorship but factual accuracy. As a member of a Western European society, I do not find the full hijabs neither disturbing nor scary.

I believe that the fear of the media world that freedom of expression is being limited by political correctness is an overreaction. Of course, we need to preserve press freedom but we also need to respect others’ beliefs and cultures. Otherwise we misuse our right to express ourselves.

So, check the facts, avoid overgeneralisations, express your personal opinion freely.