There was recently a court interdict which was sought in the attempt to stop a Muslim man from burning bibles in the library gardens in Johannesburg. This story follows a report from the United States of America, where Pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn the Quran. In a country where democracy and equality are severely entrenched, what is the explanation for this behaviour?
Mr Karl Konar of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities said the following; "People fail to differentiate between embracing and tolerating one another's diverse backgrounds and beliefs." He also stated that because each citizen has rights of their own, it is difficult to draw the line of how far each person can practice their rights without infringing on the rights of another. When asked about incidences where the freedom of expression and religious freedom were threatened, Konar said, "we try to avoid such incidents by educating the public. It is important that each individual consider the rights of others when exercising their rights and freedoms."
In response to the question, 'what are the limits of religious freedom', Donovan Grigg of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, said that in some instances they cannot practice their religious beliefs fully as they seem to contravene the accepted norms. For example, from Friday evening until Saturday evening, is a holy day of worship and rest, referred to as the Sabbath. However, being at an institution like Rhodes University where exams and tests are often given at this time, it poses a challenge of how far one is able to go in enjoying their religious freedom. A student who requested to remain anonymous, said that his freedom of religious belief is not fully guaranteed or protected in Grahamstown because Christianity is the centre of all things. He cannot freely continue in his disbelief of God because Grahamstown is saturated with Christians who impose their God on him at every end. In response to the same question, Sheiraj Batiste, an Imam from Cape Town said that the truth of the matter is that you are only as free as your surroundings allow you to be.
How free then, is religious freedom, if you are either forced to believe something, or rejected because you don't? How can we all exercise our religious freedom if in order to do so we need to persecute the religions of others?
Good points.
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