It is a bit of irony that the English words "The pen is mightier than the sword" first written by
novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play
Cardinal Richelieu, is being used to response against the recent Paris massacre.
While majority of the Muslims around the world condemned these as an act of terrorism and against Islam, many sees the chosen words used to response to defend the free speech fail to see the grievances of many Muslims and that the West has chosen to see this unfortunate event but to support a war against Islam.
It has been always known to these cartoonists that while you can write against the religious concept of Islam as a religion, you should learn how to respect their believes but not portraying a caricature of 'Prophet Muhammad' with the purpose of mocking up a dead man with sole reason of insulting the Muslims .
While the Muslims always had no means of hitting back with a caricature of Jesus, Moses and all the other prophets, which against the religion of Islam this act of using caricatures to portray any Prophets or Religious Heads should not be allowed at all, merely because no Muslim can control over the extremists who will get seriously offended. How can you reason with an amuck running guy?
If extremism can be equate with unstable followers of a cult, why choose to argue with a mad person after all.
A Malay proverb says it all , "Kenapa mahu bergaduh dengan orang gila? Memang cari pasal" (Why would want argue with a mad person, you would only be looking for trouble,
Sendir buat sendiri tanggung. In the first place, one must learn to self control. Free Speech is not entirely free. It may costs you your life.
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Tribute cartoons to the journalists
at Charlie Hebdo compare pencils with guns, writers with fighters - it's also
why some demonstrators are holding pens and pencils in the air. Many assert that
"the pen is mightier than the sword". But where does this idea originate?
The English words "The pen is mightier than the sword" were first written by
novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play
Cardinal Richelieu.
Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him,
but as a priest he is unable to take up arms against his enemies.
His page, Francois, points out:
But now, at your command are other
weapons, my good Lord.
Richelieu agrees:
The pen is mightier than the sword... Take away the
sword; States can be saved without it!
The saying quickly gained currency, says Susan Ratcliffe, associate editor of
the Oxford Quotations Dictionaries. "By the 1840s it was a commonplace."
Today it is used in many languages, mostly translated from the English. The
French version is: "La plume est plus forte que l'epee."
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