Analytical Study of Islamic and Western Perspective on Freedom of Expression and Contemporary Media Practices

اسلامی اور مغربی تناظر میں آزادی اظہار رائے اور عصری میڈی اکی سرگرمیوں کا تجز یاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

Freedom of expression is a universally accepted human right. Freedom of expression includes freedom of press, freedom of speech and media freedom. In today’s world freedom of expression is considered as a major issue and the media industry serves as custodian of this freedom. No doubt, free media is essential to flourish democratic environment, as it facilitates open discussion and debates. However, ethics and morals are fundamental for a healthy social environment and cannot be denied. Islamic perspective on freedom of expression is based on Qur’an and Sunnah and emphasizes various ethical, moral and legal bindings, whereas, western perspective on freedom of expression exists on legal restrictions only. New media technologies have triggered the content produced by the media and accelerated the public participation in almost all local and global affairs. Access to a wide range of media platforms, enabled the public to hear different voices from the world and increased public dependency on media. Thus, in the backdrop of freedom of expression a huge amount of media content is being produced which is harming and ruining Muslim societies. Therefore, in this paper efforts are made to explore the Islamic and Western perspective on freedom of expression and examine contemporary media trends and practices.