Great sheikhs
Time for a tribute to one of the most progressive and able members of the UAE leadership, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan. Oxford-educated Sheikh Nahyan has been radically upgrading the country's education system, since being appointed to head the merged ministry - formerly split between higher and lower education - late last year.
Now it appears he has joined the fight for freedom of information:
"We live in an age in which people should be supplied with all kinds of information through different media.
"All people have the right to choose and select information and are wise enough to make that choice. No book should be banned and no information should be withheld from the public in this day and age."
More importantly, Sheikh Nayhan appears to indicate he is in favour of an uncensored internet - can we at last begin to sound the death knell for the much-reviled, regressive proxy?
"We should leave it to the people to decide what to read and what not to, what is to be seen and what not to. The most important thing in this information age is that we don't restrict the availability of any kind of information to the public, be it through the electronic media, satellite channels, Internet or books."
Now it appears he has joined the fight for freedom of information:
"We live in an age in which people should be supplied with all kinds of information through different media.
"All people have the right to choose and select information and are wise enough to make that choice. No book should be banned and no information should be withheld from the public in this day and age."
More importantly, Sheikh Nayhan appears to indicate he is in favour of an uncensored internet - can we at last begin to sound the death knell for the much-reviled, regressive proxy?
"We should leave it to the people to decide what to read and what not to, what is to be seen and what not to. The most important thing in this information age is that we don't restrict the availability of any kind of information to the public, be it through the electronic media, satellite channels, Internet or books."
Labels: censorship, internet
2 Comments:
Whoa! That sounds like a major thing!
It's strange how the citizens of this country are treated like children; the UAE is one of the most dystopic societies I've come across.
Whores are plentiful, no restrictions on the dress code for the expatriates, alcohol isn't prohibited but on the flip side, we have the moralists who censor the internet and control the press and media.
*I think I'll do a naked dance on the streets of Muraqqabat if they stop censoring the internet*
*Sorry, I crossposted this - I can't think of any other insightful things to say*
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