US comedian Bill Maher and Dutch standup Hans Teeuwen are some of the few Western artists left to defend free speech. They understand that the right to criticize ideas is central to the values of the Enlightenment. A right is the inherent freedom to act. There is no right not to be offended.
Muslims interrogating comedian Hans Teeuwen about insulting Islam. No one can be offended without his consent.
In a recent newspaper interview (source) Teeuwen has admitted that free speech has already been forfeited. "Like film producers in dictatorships we're working around the censor in trying to find ways to say what we want to say without getting murdered". Teeuwen is admitting that since Theo van Gogh was slaughtered by a Muslim Jihadist, he is exercising self restraint. Even before then Salman Rushdie had to go into hiding. It's not a new phenomenon. But the feeling has grown over the years. "An artist poring pig's blood over a Koran has a huge problem". Teeuwen thinks it is important to point this out. "There are those who are trying to diminish the importance of free speech. That's even worse. That means that terrorism has an influence over how we think". He says that the risk of "accidents" has become too great. In your face jokes of the past are no longer possible today. We have to recognize that free speech has been lost. It's become really difficult to create a song or a sketch that isn't offensive to Muslims. There are none on his new CD.
' is the story of the man who achieved international attention by taking on the mainstream press. He knew the media from the inside and upended them whenever he could. He therefore found himself repeatedly the target of opponents and of those who hated him for his success.