• Madison420@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yes, and the limits installed have to be carefully devised. In this case you say you can’t burn a Muslim holy text. Can I burn a Jewish one, Buddhist? What if Heinlein is my religion and someone burns a stranger in a strange land, is it the same, different? How so?

      • As I said in my original comment, consider the context. There is no noteworthy discrimination against followers of Heinlein, if such people exist, and as far as I know it’s not a religion recognized by any country. There is extreme discrimination against Muslims in the West. There’s also discrimination against Jews. For Buddhists, it would likely be less of a problem since it’s not a prominent religion in the West, but it could also lead to further escalation.

        Even if we analyze this without context, what kind of expression is the state silencing by not allowing public book burning? We’re not talking about someone burning a Quran in their home, where nobody else can see it. Do you believe it should be legal to stand in a public place and shout ethnic slurs into a megaphone?