Free Speech and Social Responsibilities

The cartoons of Prophet Muhammad have outraged muslims all over the world. I have been wondering if I should discuss this issue at all. To me the whole thing sounds ridiculous. In principle I agree with the point of view that we have to protect the right to free speech at all cost. But like everything in life, nothing is that black and white. Did the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, really want to have a public discussion on this subject? I am not so sure. How is depicting Prophet Muhammad’s turban having a bomb promote free speech? I think we have to draw the line when it comes to dealing with sensitive issues. We, in India, have a course in high school called “Social Studies” and one thing that is grilled into our heads is that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. I think the Danish cartoonist had every right to publish these cartoons but he did not act in a responsible way. The foundation of free society should be “responsibility” towards each other. And any form of free speech that disrupts the social fabric and leads to public disorder or violence has to be considered irresponsible. We live in a world where the traditional walls (social, religious, and racial) are crumbling and commerce is truly global. There are so many important issues we have to think about and discuss – WTO, AIDS, global warming, poverty/economic disparity, education, WMD etc. And a bunch of cartoons drawn in bad taste adds very little value in this climate of distrust and socio-economic tensions.