Iván Jiménez Aybar, a lawyer who specializes in immigration matters and religious freedom, visited the UIC on Tuesday, 18 December 2012, to give a lecture on the possible consequences of the cartoons published in the magazine «El Jueves», and whether or not they violate the religious beliefs of the Muslim community.
Jiménez
Aybar, an expert on
the legal status of Islam in Spain, was hired by Muslims to defend their
interests in the cartoon case. Therefore, during his speech, the lawyer put the
facts into context and attempted to respond to the questions raised regarding
the limits on freedom of speech and to what extent those limits form part of
the right to religious freedom protected by the Spanish Constitution.
During
his lecture, Jiménez Aybar analysed the case and explained how Spanish law
defends such cases. He said, “The crime of blasphemy does not exist in the
Spanish Penal Code as it does in places such as Pakistan. We're talking about
issues relating to morality and religion”. He went on to explain, “So, although
no actual crime was committed, the boundaries of freedom of speech were
crossed. Was it really necessary to publish derisory images when a simple
question such as ‘Has anyone seen Muhammad?’ may have sufficed?”
Following
the lecture, the comments and questions from the students gave rise to a very
lively, fruitful debate.
