Fair

From One Extreme to Another
The banning of a debate on "Islamization" raises questions about academic freedoms
The hall was booked and student David Rektorys was eager to hold the long-awaited debate, which would certainly be a lively one. He and his fellow students at Prague's University of Economics (Vysoká škola ekonomická - VŠE) had decided to add a bit of excitement to an otherwise quiet academic year by holding debates on controversial issues. They prepared a series of discussions, the first of which was called The Danger of the Islamization of the Czech Republic. It should have taken place last Monday but it didn't.
Only a few hours before the debate was to start, the university staff called David Rektorys to tell him the debate couldn't take place. The reason? The panel's guests were harsh critics of Islam and Muslims. The school’s management had judged that the debate wouldn't be held in an objective manner and could incite anti-religious feelings, so they decided to ban the event.
The students couldn't find an alternative venue for the panel so they cancelled it at the last minute, which made them angry. Political correctness had again triumphed over freedom of speech, they said. According to the students, freedom of speech should be given the highest priority in the academic realm. The advocates of the ban, on the other hand, praise the school for not giving its blessing to one-sided anti-Muslim propaganda.
"I admit that we selected our guests with some biases," says Rektorys. "Blame our lack of experience." His student group, Cashflow, had previously organized debates solely on issues relating to financial investments. Topics other than economics were new territory for him and his fellow students. One of the guests was to be Roman Joch, who was chosen because he had warned against "the radical wing of European Muslims". Joch also claims Europe should adopt tough counter-measures against radical Muslims.
Whom to invite
Rektorys and his friends had no idea who else to invite for the debate, so Rektorys searched the internet for the others. There he came across Valentin Kusák, an anti-Islamic activist and a campaigner against the construction of mosques in the Czech Republic.
Kusák recommended two more guests: former Muslim convert Béatrici Radosa and Islam "expert" Martin Konvička of the South Bohemian University (Jihočeská univerzita). Konvička appeared to have only lay knowledge of the subject; being an entomologist, he only studied Islam as a hobby. Kusák and Radosa regard every Muslim in the world as very dangerous. Despite this, Rektorys didn't find their views extreme enough to warrant finding panelists with alternative viewpoints. Rather than scientific accuracy, he admits he was looking for strong opinions. "The audience could have been the ones who could have opposed [them]," he argues.
The suggestion of anti-Islamic propaganda within the academic world has provoked anger. Bronislav Ostřanský, a scholar of Oriental Studies at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Akademie věd ČR) wrote a letter of protest addressed to the VŠE rector. The letter warns against "inciting hatred with the help of demagoguery" in Czech universities. "All these people do is attack the Muslim world aggressively, which shouldn't be allowed by a university," Ostřanský writes. Savina Finardi, VŠE's coordinator of university activities, agreed with Ostřanský and, after consulting with the school's management, the debate was banned.
Just to be cautious
It is the first time Finardi has been forced to take such a measure. She herself admits the ban was on the fringes of legitimacy. "A school shouldn't support a black-and-white perception of the world," she says, explaining why she opted for the ban.
Most Czech universities take a cautious approach when dealing with similar matters. Ten years ago, the Faculty of Philosophy at Charles University in Prague withdrew seminars on extremism because the lecturer invited representatives of anarchists and right-wing extremists to talk to students. Czech schools also don't allow political representatives to attend debates in the run-up to elections, fearing one-sided political campaigns (despite the fact that in most Western countries politicians are given a platform in schools).
VŠE's decision to ban the debate on Islamization raises the eyebrows not only of anti-Islamic activists but of some students as well. Jiří Nantl, a former student representative who now heads the Education Ministry’s universities department, argues that the debate should have gone ahead. “The ban gives the impression of useless, preventive censorship,” says Nantl, who wrote a thesis on academic freedoms. The problem would be if the anti-Islamist activists were given a platform every month and there were no opponents. “One debate can’t be harmful,” he adds. “The audience would be adult and intelligent people.” David Rektorys is planning a new debate in November. To shake off accusations of being one-sided, this time he wants to invite a real expert on Islam.
Video on YouTube
Related articles
-
A Day Trip To Some Of The Best Castles by Shaun O'Banion
The results are in and the most popular Czech castles (based on the number of visitors) have been announced by the Czech state.
-
The upcoming TEDxUNYP event: Inspiration in a complicated world by Paul Lysek
What is TEDxUNYP? Who is invited? Why would one attend? These were the various questions going through my head when I spoke to Mark Anderson , TEDxUNYP Organizer & Licensee.
-
Films to Watch at this Year’s One World Festival by Brad McGregor
-
HBO’s The Sleepers Takes You Back to Prague 1989 by
If you’re familiar with award-winning HBO’s Chernobyl, then you will love HBO’s new mini-series The Sleepers.
-
JOJO RABBIT, shot in the Czech Republic, receives six Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and six BAFTA nominations! by Shaun O'Banion
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the best in cinema for 2019 and among the nominees was Taika Waititi’s JOJO RABBIT which stars Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, newcomer Roman Griffin Davis, and Thomasin Mackenzie.
-
WATCH: Hungarian PM Victor Orbán Booed at Reopening of Prague State Opera House by Caroline Marcela
On Sunday Evening, Hungarian PM Victor Orbán was received with jeers and boos from protesters as he attended the reopening of the State Opera House gala event. Protesters shouted out ‘hanba’, meaning shame in Czech as he exited his private car.
-
'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night by Ryan Keating
Movie Barf and Edison Filmhub are thrilled to present 'Movie Barf Monday' - a weekly English friendly film night dedicated to screening a diverse variety of award-winning contemporary and classic films in the new Edison Filmhub cinema and bar located in Prague's old town.
-
The Prague Orgy - a new Czech film in English in Czech cinemas by Michal Kráčmer
LESS LIBERTY, BETTER FUCKS
-
Festival 4+4 Days in Motion by Eliška Míkovcová (4+4 Festival)
Festival 4+4 Days in Motion to start in Desfours Palace, this year’s slogan is Nobody Has Anything
-
Lunchmeat Festival 2019—Dark Stars on the Horizon by Tony Ozuna - (Photo Lunchmeat Festival)
Lunchmeat Festival returns to Prague at the end of September as the leading arena for cutting-edge electronic music and with more audio-visual punch than ever before. Their new motto is a challenge to the mainstream: “obsessed with audio-visual mindf**cks— & those who question the status quo.”
Facebook comments
Best Irish Pub in Prague
Authentic Italian cuisine in Prague
Enjoy Prague from a different view
Discover the history of Prague’s famous Charles Bridge
Trabant Museum @ STK Motol
Armádní muzeum Žižkov
Národní památník hrdinů heydrichiády

Prague’s # 1 source for Czech news in English…
.png)
Digital lifestyle magazine platform promoting life in Prague.