SASKATOON – Some members of Saskatoon’s Muslim community say there is no true right to free speech. Holding signs that said “Freedom of speech has limits” and “Insults aren’t freedom of speech,” the group rallied Sunday outside of city hall.
While they say they condemn the recent attack in Paris against the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing depictions of the prophet Muhammad, rally-goers said the magazine’s cartoons went too far.
“We have to stop it, and we have to come to an intellectual debate,” said organizer Mustafa Mustaan.
“Whoever defends this insult has to know that they are accepting intellectual defeat because we, as human beings, are not to insult, but to intellectually debate each other.”
The group says Islam continues to face an unfair onslaught of insults daily.
“The insult is when my beliefs are made fun of, that’s when I’m insulted,” said Mustaan. “Insults in general are not allowed for anyone and should not be accepted for anyone.”
READ MORE: More than a million march for unity in Paris after terrorist attacks
Over a million people took to the streets in Paris on Jan. 11 in a rally for unity and freedom after two terrorist attacks left 17 people dead.
The attacks in France and the publication of Charlie Hebdo last week have also sparked violence, protests and polarization around the globe.
READ MORE: Afghans burn French flag in rally against Charlie Hebdo
With files from Amber Rockliffe
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