My Impressions From The Inventing Freedom Book
Inventing Freedom
Writing Assignment 1
After reading this novel, I feel the prospects of liberty reaching Non-Western countries is certainly achievable, however unlikely. With that being said, what even is liberty? Basically it means freedom from oppressive commands of authority on one’s life, behavior, or political views. So in a sense, are any of us liberated? Whether we live in Britain, the United States, or even Saudi Arabia, we all must follow some sort of law. I understand, however, that many areas distribute more freedom when compared to other regions. There are several factors that play into the likelihood of gained freedom; each unique to the individual country.
Since I am from Saudi Arabia, I feel I am more equipped to speak about the freedom there compared to other non-western countries. Personally, I have encountered several debates about topics such as this. Woman’s rights, being the most popular by far. In comparison Saudi Arabia and the United States are polar opposites. Governments are run completely different along with societal norms. I’ve had several Americans inquire about why women are unable to drive and also why they must dress the way they do. I feel the best way for me to go about answering such questions, would be first to explain Islam and its beliefs.
In Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries, we do not implement a government separate from religion, as many liberated countries do. Every aspect of life is based upon Sharia law, which goes hand in hand with what is taught in the Quran. This by far is one of the most extreme differences found globally. Sharia law is what is expected of everyone, whether you are a true Muslim or atheist. All the people of the land are expected to follow these guidelines at home, work, and in public. Religious freedom is unheard of. These ideas may seem somewhat silly to an outsider. But justice is always served to those who do not conform.
The very fact that religious freedom is not granted alters an array of restrictions to the inhibiters. The reasoning I claim this is because no one is able to make up their own minds on what faith to believe. Even before birth, are religious beliefs are predetermined for us by our parents. And since every aspect of one’s life is based on such faith, there is absolutely no room for freedom in such cases.
Sharia law states several guidelines in which we are taught at an early age. We are taught the proper way to dress (men and women alike), act, and praise Allah, along with more detailed restrictions of course. Amongst these laws, are that which limit women from several activities in life. Women are expected to have permission from either their husbands, or a male family member to do just about anything. This includes leaving the house and even studying abroad. Allah justifies each throughout the Quran, although many people cannot wrap their heads around these instances. Most of which are done to protect the woman, but appear to be a tad outdated in my opinion.
Many people are familiar with the strikes that have appeared in the news most recently. Women feel outraged with the new president and claim they are losing privileges and so forth. To me, I feel that this is a joke. Women in America can choose their own religion, wear whatever they please, drive, work, and marry whoever they desire. These are all freedoms that are not granted throughout the world. These women have no idea how privileged they truly are compared to the women of my country.
Saudi Arabia has been following the same guidelines since the coming of Prophet Mohammed. These restrictions are rooted so deeply in all aspects of life, that it would certainly take a miracle to see any change. Despite the great efforts of many women and men both native to the country and not. Several other countries have tried fighting this battle and still continue to do so, but have fell short.
There are certainly other countries, other than my own that face similar deprivations of freedom. North Korea being a major country left with little freedom. The reason I claim this, relies heavily on the ideas of censorship within its country. The Confusions model of social order was eliminated while an authoritarian communist model was employed throughout the country. Which led to create the deepest information void nationally. Basically, this means that the government controls all domestic medias. Whether its television, radio, or newspapers, it must first be approved by King Jong 2.
Although the limitations of freedom differ from country to country, they are certainly present everywhere. In Korea, the freedom of knowledge or globalization is completely altered in a negative way. The citizens of this country are left ignorant to what is really going on in the world. They are limited only to what is deemed acceptable. This creates a whole realm of limitations of freedom. Globalization is compromised when you are unable to watch or read what you wish. It’s almost as if uniqueness is limited. With an authoritative leader, there is no room for rebellion. Expectations are clear cut and punishments can be extreme in cases such as this.
When I use to hear the word freedom, I naturally would associate it with the United States, as would many others. But after living here, I see that even restrictions are noticeable in.” the land of the free”. The declaration of independence, is what granted many Americans this idea of freedom. It granted life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I’ve studied these ideas before, and discovered something quite interesting. The Declaration states: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
This made me realize several things. For starters, if so many people are opposed to the current scheme of government, why do they not change it? I mean clearly it is stated that the governed community is able to overrule an unfair government. That not only is it their right, but their job to do so if things are not just. So why aren’t Americans doing anything about these problems? The reason is because they are not truly as free as they would like to think. I can guarantee most Americans feel uninformed and cautious of what’s going on in their country. I feel many are not happy with how things are being run in D.C. But can you imagine a time when the governed were actually in charge of what happened in a political sense? When did the people choose on going to war? When did they choose to give nuclear weapons to Iraq? Did everyone cast a vote on these topics? The answer is No, these decisions were made by the president and legislative branches. Only a few of the people have that right to make decisions for this country.
Although America promises some freedoms that my country does not, they still are withheld from making important decisions or even being a part of their government. So what exactly is freedom if you cannot alter the decisions of the higher up? No matter what, liberty in every single place is limited. This is not that of personal opinion, but it is the cold reality of the world we live in.
I believe that as time runs in course, every country will only become more and more deprived of the rights deserved. I feel that it is very likely, that nearly every aspect of our lives will be controlled to the point of having no free will at all. So I would certainly say with great confidence that non-western countries will not receive more liberty, and western countries will lose some freedoms.
In “Inventing Freedom”, Hannan describes which factors led to the promotion of liberty in Britain. Amongst these, the most significant, certainly would be his claim that is was done so by Anglosphere. Freedom, parliamentary democracy and equality before the law were all the products of the English-speaking civilization. The author goes to great lengths to explain how America brought the greatest influence to Britain. American and Britain shared many political views, ways of life, and most importantly, the same language. By not having a language barrier, communication was done with ease and left people with little confusion. America was certainly on Britain’s side.
Customs and values were very similar in both areas which certainly help to develop Britain’s new found liberty. America was basically a model for what Britain achieved to do as well. Since so many other things were identical, the government adopted the same system of rights as well. Britain became a democracy and realized that people have rights to which they are entitled to.
Many landmarks victories also contributed to this development. For example, the Magna Carta, English civil war, the Glorious Revolution, and the US Constitution were leading forces in this. Historically, several so called leaders in our world have failed us. Citizens were becoming angry and wanted a more substantial place in government. I feel rebellion was feared amongst the government, which is why we were granted all these freedoms first in America.
When the author speaks about English speaking people he does not do so in regards to race. What he actually is referring to is natural civic stances of this civilization. Noteworthy, is the fact that not all English speakers were however free. Slavery was found in both Britain and England, along with several other areas throughout the world as well. Some of these slaves spoke English.
Mass media helped Britons see the changes happening globally. Britons were viewing first handily what rights were given to English speakers are desired these same rights. They learned about personal and property rights and these ideas felt satisfying and safe. These ideas became the future of Britain.
It certainly was not easy for these liberties to be gained. Many people lost their lives and dignity to preserve these rights. Rights that many of us take for granted. Without the abundant similarities that Britain shared with other counties, these efforts would most likely have failed. This is certainly why many countries to this day are still not granted these rights. Saudi Arabia for example. We are completely different from America, and have a unique outlook on structure and order. Although possible, it is very unlikely that we would conform as Britain did.
Many factors play into freedom. I hope through my explanation in this paper, what I mean by that is revealed to audiences. Location, gender, age, and religion all play a leading force in determining one’s way of life. This book helped me to understand how things work in the world a little more clearly. I understand that we should all be granted the same rights worldwide. Also that we are closer to one another than appears. We are all on this Earth for a purpose. We should all work towards helping one another and intruding when necessary. We need to stand against the cruelties of the world together, not separately.
