The Burning of Books: An Unacceptable Assault on Tolerance and Respect

• Raven Ruma
• . July 27, 2023
• . Update: July 27, 2023 7:50 pm
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Throughout history, burning books has been a dark omen, foreshadowing greater atrocities and suppression of ideas. Where they burn books, they will eventually burn people, as Heinrich Heine disturbingly predicted, which still rings hauntingly true today. Recent events in Sweden and Denmark have shown that some people disregard Heine’s advice and view book burning as a legitimate form of free speech. However, we must vehemently oppose this erroneous perspective and acknowledge book burning as a hate crime and an extreme form of incitement that jeopardizes the foundation of our multicultural societies.

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Religious literature was burned in both cases with the intention of upsetting and demeaning particular religious groups. These communities’ fundamental beliefs and identities were maliciously attacked by the burning of the Qur’an during Eid Al-Adha and the threat to burn the Torah in front of the Israeli Embassy. Such behaviours are neither genuine expressions of opinion nor appropriate topics for discussion. Instead, they attack what is precious to others and play a part in marginalising some religious and cultural communities.

Unfortunately, right-wing, anti-migrant politicians and activists have increasingly exploited book burning as a political tactic to gain attention and advance divisive agendas. It is incredibly dishonest to use freedom of expression to support burning books. Although it is a fundamental right, the ability to express oneself freely should never be used as a justification for inciting hatred or violence against others.

In multicultural cultures, it is essential to instil tolerance and respect for different worldviews at a young age through instruction and socialisation. However, given the challenges of increasing diversity, legal measures to combat hate crimes, including book burning, have become necessary. Criminalising such behaviour aims to protect the values of mutual respect, understanding, and empathy in our cultures rather than stifle freedom of expression.

Burning books does not erase their ideas; instead, it attempts to silence them. According to historical evidence, the burning of books is frequently followed by the burning of individuals because the repression of ideas increases aggression against those who hold them. Book burning has been a tactic employed by authorities to quell opposition and maintain social control from the time of the ancient emperors and religious inquisitions.

Book burning has become a popular tool for opportunistic people looking to take advantage of fear and division in our current political context when polarisation and dissension are rampant. Such actions promote xenophobic agendas, which blame people from other nations or who practice different religions for society’s problems.

A comprehensive response is required to stop this harmful abuse of the right to free speech. It is necessary to take legal, political, and social action to declare book burning illegal and remove it from the political conversation. By doing this, we safeguard the delicate equilibrium of intercommunal interactions in liberal democracies and uphold the principles of tolerance, respect, and unification that serve as the cornerstone of peaceful coexistence.

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As a result, book burning is a severe act against respect and tolerance and signals increased animosity and division. Heine’s warning must be heeded, and we must understand that permitting such crimes to continue endangers the fundamental foundation of our civilisations. We must embrace our varied cultural and religious roots while vehemently opposing any attempt to stir hatred or denigrate the beliefs of others to promote understanding and empathy. We can only create a more inclusive, caring, and harmonious world for everybody if we embrace the values of respect and compassion.