Suchergebnisse

Multiculturalism gives preference to group rights over individual rights. This may challenge democratic values. This paper focuses on the Amish denial of education from their adolescents. Criticizing Wisconsin v. Yoder (Wisconsin v. Yoder 406 U.S. 205 (1972)), the paper analyses the power of the Amish community over its members. The main questions are: Is it reasonable to deny the Amish adolescents' standard American education? What are the limits of state interference in norms of illib-eral communities who invoke separatism as a mechanism of cultural and religious preservation?

This study discusses the issue of offence to sensibilities as possible grounds for limiting freedom of expression. This issue is constantly brought to the public agenda, as for example, in the limitation imposed in Israel on the playing of Richard Wagner's music by Israeli orchestras. The proposed thesis is as follows: The Offence to Sensibilities Argument will take precedence over free expression only in cases where profound and direct damage is inflicted upon the sensibilities of individuals or a target group, undermining their dignity, especially when the speaker's intentions are to offend the target individual/group under circumstances in which the individual or target group cannot avoid. In every case, it is incumbent upon those who wish to limit expression to examine the content of the expression and its manner, the duration and intensity of the expression, the frequency of the offence, the speaker's intentions, the circumstances and the likely consequences of the offensive speech. Psychologists should be consulted concerning the severity of each offence.

The word "circumcision" comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and caedere (meaning "to cut"). Cultural and religious justifications are employed to convince members of the community as well as outsiders that circumcision is reasonable and just. The purpose of the discussion is to suggest some cardinal changes to the practice of male circumcision in order to make it more humane and less painful to its subjects. Balancing between group rights and the rights of the child, it is essential to avoid unnecessary suffering. It is one of the liberal state's obligations to protect the best interests of vulnerable third parties. The article opens with some preliminary data about male circumcision and then explains its importance in Judaism. It examines the medical reasons for male circumcision and the risks involved in the practice; subsequently, it discusses the critique of male circumcision. The article also highlights the points of agreement and disagreement between those supporting and opposing the ritual and insists that male circumcision should be performed by using anesthesia. The final part of the article includes a proposal for humane male circumcision that considers religious sentiments and the rights of the child, aiming to strike a reasonable balance between competing interests. I hope the proposal will be debated in parliaments in the western world.

© 2021 Indiana University. All rights reserved. The article records my interview with Track Two Palestinian peace negotiator Hussein Agha. We discussed his own involvement in the peace process; the Oslo Accords; the Stockholm channel; the Beilin/Abu Mazen Agreement and Camp David 2000. We also discussed the qualities of the two Palestinian leaders who chose him for different assignments, Arafat and Abbas; the use of violence as a political weapon; Palestinian internal rivalries; the merits of Track Two negotiations, and the Palestinian Right of Return. The interview assesses the positive and negative lessons and implications of the peace process.

This study discusses the issue of offence to sensibilities as possible grounds for limiting freedom of expression. This issue is constantly brought to the public agenda, as for example, in the limitation imposed in Israel on the playing of Richard Wagner's music by Israeli orchestras. The proposed thesis is as follows: The Offence to Sensibilities Argument will take precedence over free expression only in cases where profound and direct damage is inflicted upon the sensibilities of individuals or a target group, undermining their dignity, especially when the speaker's intentions are to offend the target individual/group under circumstances in which the individual or target group cannot avoid. In every case, it is incumbent upon those who wish to limit expression to examine the content of the expression and its manner, the duration and intensity of the expression, the frequency of the offence, the speaker's intentions, the circumstances and the likely consequences of the offensive speech. Psychologists should be consulted concerning the severity of each offence.