You can view and download the .pdf file here: OR318

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Follow her on Twitter: @ZinaSaunders

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In our advocacy for freedom to express our ideas, we should also exercise caution. Because with freedom (in any form) comes responsibility (ours) and respect (for others).

I strongly believe in freedom of speech but I also understand that for all of us to enjoy freedom, there must be guidelines that we set ourselves – not to rabble rouse but to win people over with thought, restraint and sane arguments.

I believe that while passion helps us promote a cause, respect for others would help us understand why they do not agree with us. Another sane point of view, given freely, without abuse, would go further to helping a cause (whatever it might be).

I believe that freedom to express should come after we have explored, understood, and distilled our thoughts before expression.

I believe that keeping an open mind is the best expression of freedom.

I’ve always been a strong supporter of censorship, primarily because people don’t understand that with freedom comes responsibility. I have also believed that censorship was created for the good of society.

But when those controlling the content are responsible for societal turmoil, censorship turns into tyranny.

Many nations in the Middle East control Internet content, and in many ways it’s not wrong. But when a YouTube video or a blog post is the cause of deportation, or in  Omid Reza’s case, legal murder, a line needs to be drawn.

In 1857, there was an Indian Military Revolt that took place under the British Raj that is widely debated as the first organized revolution against the British government. This resulted in the British government creating laws to curb the freedom of the people in India, which was a catalyst to a chain reaction of Mutiny throughout.

Just like that, if revolution has taken a new form online, it is bound to be shot down over and over again. And just like any revolution in the past, it doesn’t die on punishment. As a matter of fact it escalates.

Those who control content anywhere, be it online, broadcast or print, must know that their primary function is the good of the society. And if they themselves are the biggest problem of the society, they won’t survive for long.

But you say it anyway.

You start addressing something that is so wrong, that you have no choice but to stand up and talk about it, even though you don’t want to.

But you say it anyway.

You know these things you say may get you into a whole lot of trouble. Trouble you would prefer to stay out of.

But you say it anyway.

The fact is in life, we are forced to do things we don’t want to do, but do them despite our negative feelings. Because the NOT doing these things is so much worse. Because any rational person knows that watching something so terrible and wrong and not doing anything about is just as bad as doing the monstrosity itself. And though you are not contributing to this monstrosity, you do become an integral part of its existence. One of the many cogs that make the mechanics of this monster move on.

We look onto this mechanical monster and say to ourselves “That is terrible. But if I leave it alone it won’t harm me.” And we move on with our lives. Keeping a faint memory of something that monster did, and how terrible it was. And then we take comfort that it didn’t hurt us. “We did the right thing.” Then one day we find somebody we love being gnawed and crushed by this monster’s teeth and cogs. And that is when we realize that we have become one of the cogs that keeps this machine alive. We are now one of the cogs that are crushing our loved ones.

Step back and take a look at that picture. Tell me that is a picture you would want to see. Tell me that stepping up to that monster is something you actually look forward to. You don’t.
But you will summon up the courage to walk up to that monster, and think up what you have to say. And though you know the monster may very well crush you.

But you say it anyway.

People usually ask me what my online name means, “what does Fangpyre mean? And I usually shy away from explaining what it means thinking people may not understand it to its full extent. But today, I’ll say it anyway.
But before I go into that, I will explain how I came to see this name as something important.
It was an Eid and I was watching a butcher get ready to slaughter the sheep. And the sheep were cornered off calmly while he gets his things ready. But all of a sudden a bunch of the sheep were able to break free and started running down the street. So the butcher franticly ran after them, and then took the biggest sheep by the horns and dragged it towards where he had them cornered off. And this sheep was trying to pull away from the butcher, but wasn’t able to. It simply was no match for him. This by itself is an image that isn’t so strange. But what came next was what struck me. The rest of the sheep that had escaped were still following the biggest sheep, only now it was being dragged against it wishes to its dooms. And though this sheep didn’t want to follow the butcher, the rest were content in doing that.

And that is where the moniker Fangpyre came to be.

It means “Don’t be a sheep. Don’t lay your fangs to the pyre”.
Because the moment you give in and you no longer stand up for the things you believe in, is the moment you really die.
So you summon up the courage to say what you feel is right. And you can feel this crushing fear inside your gut about what will happen when you start talking.

But you say it anyway.

A term that weighs different on the scales of every individual. Be it invisible fetters that hold back tears, or physical restraints that gag your right to scream. Be it the dread of a tyrant’s wrath, or the fear of thoughts out loud breaking that bubble of denial.

We all have our own hurdles to overcome, our own liberties to fight for. For freedom is most valued and most dear to the ones for whom it is forbidden. For only the shackled truly get to taste in full effect the sweetness of liberty.

Now I’m no polical blogger; preferring instead to take the more cushioned route of broadcasting a few select whimsical musings. Not because I fear for my life, but solely because I’m not passionate enough about a subject to give political science the justice it deserves.

But for those who do; for those who choose to assert their hypotheses/ideologies onto print or online realms, more often than not they do so at the risk of their own lives. Knowing very well that they are provoking the ire of the government they’re resisting or the influential figure they oppose.

As human beings we have a societal duty towards the one another. When two people are in danger, they’re in it together. When a whole community is in peril, they all fear with each other. When an entire nation has a crisis, every single individual is at risk.

So when made aware of a potential threat, will you not warn your neighbour? When informed of impending danger, will you not signal the others?

In most Western nations, anti-regime blogs aren’t given a second glance; the governments preferring instead to ignore the opposition and in some (very rare) cases make an actual effort to  resolve the existing conundrum. But in countries with high sensitivities, a passionate anti-administration blogpost is quite literally (and rather cliche’edly) a matter of life and death.

With media censorship causing a serious problem in the relaying of information, most reporters resort to blogging or other online forums to get their message across. To inform the public of what they have learnt, but cannot be said ‘out loud.’

It is incumbent however, that in spite of the licenses bestowed on us by online forums, it is our moral obligation as bloggers, tweeters and purveyors of information, to tread responsibly. In factual reportage to make sure our sources are verified, and in the expression of opinions to ensure that our viewpoints are not baseless’ly declared.

We all have a responsibility towards the leaders that govern us, and to the parliament we represent.

Having said that however, but what if they disappoint? If a friend (let alone a foe) does something to displease, will you not let it be known? If your meal was unsatisfactory, will you not reflect that in your review?

And when it boils down to the voicing of opinions or feelings being emoted, no one (technically) has the right to tell you you’re wrong. Quashing an individual’s right to speech is on par with nullifying thought. Synonymous even, with the censorship of expression as a whole.

The principal questions still linger. How far does the horizon of the term ‘freedom’ take us, and who allocates these boundaries? Who are we responsible for (putting Divinity aside), and who is it that has the right to stop us?

Is expressing dissatisfaction a crime punishable by law? Deserving of the death sentence even? If so, how is it then that the punishment delivered for the articulation of a personal viewpoint is on level with the charge doled out for the assassination of a human life?

The March18 movement was created in memory of Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, an Iranian blogger and journalist who died in Evin Prison in Tehran on the 18th of March 2009. The movement intends on commemorating this day to highlight the risks taken by bloggers around the world, when all they want to do is tell their story.

Omid was the first blogger to die in prison. Let him also be the last.

For afore-mentioned whimsical musings visit Chronicles of a TestTube

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– Taken from ‘Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy’

A snippet taken from a play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, so simple, yet so true.

The internet has been the greatest invention of modern time; definitely the greatest invention of my generation. As the internet evolved through the years, a digital revolution took place and people started exploring the possibilities of this strange yet wonderful arena. “What can we do via this medium?” they asked, and they still do. This is the beauty of the internet – like the open skies, it has no bounds.

Amateur writing began in notebooks, scraps of paper lying around; some of these were protected via a lock on the book, and the loose sheets were stored at the back of a closet in an old shoe box. However, some of these pieces of writings did make it out; newspapers, magazines etc published these personalised writings which highlighted opinions within a community, fraternity or region. Blogging is an example of such an activity. With the digitization of almost all media, we are finding a greater number of online journals, personal blog and focused writing groups airing their two pence worth to whoever is willing to cast their eyes on them.

The pace at which people have embraced online writing over the last decade could not have been predicted. The strength of the words laid out sentence after sentence have had a huge impact in communities. Newspapers use our words as direct quotes when they report on events, and that in itself highlights the significance of the strength of the average Joe and their words. There is however, one single element which digital writing has failed to embrace “properly” – responsibility.

You see, there are 2 distinct sides to this coin – any and every blogger has to keep the impact, that his words may cause, in mind. Barack Obama may be one of the better orators of our time, but the words which he speaks are that of Jon Favreau. The spoken word may not be Favreau’s forte, but the measure of impact when his words are spoken demonstrates an energy which is completely off the scale. Simillarly, bloggers have the ability to deliver words which can cause a change to any network that they believe, can perform better under another leadership. This is the power of “free speech”, via the internet, through the power of the written word. The other side of the coin, belongs to the eyes which read these words. Democracy has a set definition on paper, but is implemented based on opinions. In a democracy, one has the right to have their views known, but the interpretations of powerful words can cause an amazing impact in a fragile or volatile scenario.

As in any currency, the value of the coin will exist only when it has two faces – two VALID faces on the coin. Even neutral opinions lean, albeit slightly, to one side of the argument. However, any opinion has to be made with some level of responsibility. The actions and intentions of writers has to fit some level of acceptability criteria. Ofcourse, this doesnt mean a standardised set of opinions, but it does mean transmitting opinions with an understanding of the impact which their words will cause. Simillarly, the eyes, ears and authority in which these opinions are aired need to have an open mind in terms what is being aired. A valid opinion is rarely recognised without a fight, but it is the responsibility of both the writer and the person who reads it to approach with a level of responsibility which can be acceptable to both sides.

This leaves us with 2 questions which have to be asked -
“Is there justification for the detention of the bloggers who have tried to pass a message, or raise a question on certain ‘authority’ – did they maintain the right sense of responsibility in their approach?”
“Did the ‘authority’ understand the points which were being made – have they ignored their responsibility in allowing an opinion being made in an open and free society?”

What do you think?……

I would be the cookie monster, and you can follow the trail of crumbs to “It’s as simple as putting the biscuit in the basket“.

Protests are so passe.

(Plus with the country’s stringent laws on protests, we don’t want to be stepping on anyone’s toes here.)

Everybody deserves the right to freedom of speech so long as it doesn’t turn into slander or libelous accusations.

In order to honor the death of Omid Reza, the Iranian blogger who was killed in Evin Prison under the pretense that he spread propaganda against the country, I was thinking of organising a tweetup (location to be confirmed) and arranging for a community-made art piece for the Movement on Thursday, 18 March.

The art piece would comprise of a large canvas where supporters of the movement can gather and express what freedom of speech means to them. They can use any conceivable medium – pictures, drawings, poetry, or even a plain ol’ simple “I want free speech. kthxbai” scrawled across the canvas to convey their messages.

All of us at OR318 are hoping to send the finished canvas to the same prison where Omid was killed.

Twtvite and RSVP here
Facebook event and RSVP here

If it takes off, this could very well be done globally in the coming years.

I’m still looking for a decent location, a few photographers, and a cameraman. Money and Rupert from Twitter have been kind enough to help get a location — although finding one is still proving difficult — so if anyone has suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

All photos and videos will go up on the March 18 website.

Contact me if you have any ideas:
uzma@mideastyouth.com
@Lhjunkie on Twitter

• Step 1:  Right click on the above image and save it to your computer hard drive. Save it where you can easily find it again. For example: your desktop.

• Step 2: Click on ‘settings’ at the top of your Twitter page.

• Step 3: Click on the ‘design’ tab.

• Step 4: Select ‘Change background image’

• Step 5: Browse and find the image which you saved in step 1.

• Step 6: Remove the check mark from the ’tile background’ check box.

• Step 7: Design Colors for this background:
  Background – #d7d7d7
  Text - #555555
  Links - #527396
  Sidebar - #eaeaea
  Sidebar border - #555555

• Step 8: Click ‘save changes’ and you should now see your new Twitter background.