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| US President Barack Obama while addressing UN General Assembly [PHOTO: UNifeed] |
New York: United States President Barack Obama told the United Nations
General Assembly today (25 September) that "given the power of faith in
our lives, and the passion that religious differences can inflame, the
strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is more
speech."
In his address to the Assembly, Obama described the attacks
on United States diplomatic outposts over the past weeks as attacks not just on
America, but on the ideals of the United Nations. He sought to highlight the
common values of the vast majority of the world's population, saying that
"for every angry mob that gets shown on television, there are billions
around the globe who share similar hopes and dreams".
Obama denounced the content of the amateur video that
sparked the protests and resulted in the death of the American Ambassador in
Libya earlier this month as "an insult not only to Muslims, but to
America", which was a country that welcomed people of every race and
religion. He stressed that the US government "had nothing to do with this
video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common
humanity".
However, Obama said he would "always" defend the
right of freedom of speech, even on views that he strongly disagreed with. He
said "the strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression, it is
more speech" by "the voices of tolerance". In any case, "the
notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete" when
"anyone with a cell phone can spread offensive views around the world with
the click of a button".
Acknowledging that some of his counterparts might disagree
with this understanding of free speech, he nonetheless urged them to agree on
one thing: that "there is no speech that justifies mindless
violence".
On Iran, the President said he still saw time for diplomacy,
but that "time is not unlimited". He painted a picture of a nuclear-armed
Iran as a challenge that can not "be contained", as it would threaten
to eliminate Israel, endanger the security of Gulf nations as well as the
stability of the global economy, possibly trigger a nuclear-arms race in the
region, and unravel the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The United States
would "do what we must" to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear
weapon.
On Syria, he said the Syrian government's
"massacring" of its own people was "a cause that cries out for
protest in the world today, peaceful protest". He promised "sanctions
and consequences for those who persecute" and "assistance and
support" for those working towards a united and inclusive Syria.
On the Middle East peace process, he called for "those
who thrive on conflict, and those who reject the right of Israel to exist"
to be left behind, adding that "the road is hard but the destination is
clear – a secure, Jewish state of Israel; and an independent, prosperous
Palestine". -UNifeed