French Academician Fired over 9/11

You will hardly find the news above on any Western, English language news website.

Ali Bulaç
What is the West moving away from?
Tuesday, 03 March 2009 07:53

The Zaman daily's Paris correspondent Ali İhsan Aydın recently reported an interesting piece of news from Paris: Aymeric Chauprade, an academic, was fired because his interpretation of the Sept. 11 attacks diverged from the generally accepted account of what happened.

As you may know, a variety of opinions still exists on what happened during the terrorist attack on the twin towers in New York City on Sept. 11. In his book, the French academic implied that the Sept. 11 incident might be a conspiracy plotted and sponsored by Israel and the US; because of this, he was fired from the French Joint Defense College (Collège interarmées de défense), where he had been working for years.
Chauprade, who was working at the Joint Defense College as an expert on geopolitics, evaluated counterarguments suggesting that the Sept. 11 attacks might have been plotted by the Israeli and American authorities rather than the al-Qaeda terrorist organization in his book "Chronique du choc des civilisations" (Chronicle of the Clash of Civilizations). Before the publication of the book, French Defense Minister Hervé Morin asked for Chauprade's removal from his job at the Joint Defense College. Saying the author was trying to present Sept. 11 as an Israeli-American conspiracy and that this was unacceptable, Morin added that Chauprade was not allowed to set foot on the college's campus. Even though the French academic said he was not defending the counterarguments but only presenting them, he further noted: "I certainly have doubts. They are based on what I have heard from the French intelligence service." (Zaman, March 1, 2008).

It is only unusual that something like this happened in France. The French academic was making an analysis. Based on what he heard and what he found while conducting research, he simply stressed that there may be other factors behind the Sept. 11 attacks. These doubts may or may not be justified. What matters is being able to express these views, not whether they are right or wrong. Freedom of expression is a sine qua non in democracies. Where there isn't freedom of expression, it is impossible to speak of democracy.

It has extensively been discussed what views and opinions cannot be expressed. Insults, degrading statements, inciting hatred, racism, violence and war are out of the sphere of freedom of expression. Some even argue that these sorts of views cannot be restricted as long as there is no imminent threat associated with such views or opinions.

We are actually pretty familiar with what I have just said. However, something unusual is taking place in Europe. It is as if the West is moving away from freedom of expression and gradually embracing a totalitarian style. This is obviously not good.

Anti-Semitism is outlawed in almost all European countries. And, of course, this is understandable as long as there is hatred and enmity against Jews. But where anti-Semitism starts and where it ends is not clear. For instance, the argument that the Nazis burned 6 million Jews in furnaces is a belief held with certainty by Jews. This is also the universally accepted standard and opinion. If someone argues that the actual number was smaller than this, he or she may be prevented from exercising further "freedom of expression." For instance, if an academic argues that 5 million instead of 6 million were murdered and that this is also a crime of genocide, he is assumed to have committed the crime of anti-Semitism. Because he raised a scientific doubt with respect to this, French philosopher Roger Garaudy was prosecuted and convicted.

Likewise, some countries define denial of the "Armenian genocide" as a crime and initiate investigations into those who express a different view on the matter. However, this is a controversial issue. Turkey holds counterarguments. If someone is prosecuted simply because he denies Armenian genocide claims considering the Turkish theses, this cannot be properly described as freedom of expression. Again, criticizing the sexual orientation of gays is regarded as a crime. However, being critical of the choices of individuals should be under protection just as these preferences are.

Even though these examples look innocent, freedom of expression is restricted at every stage -- and the West is moving toward totalitarianism.

Today's Zaman

http://www.worldbulletin.net/author_article_detail.php?id=1949