"Freedom of expression, however, is not a carte blanche for slander." Depends!

Shahram Akbarzadeh: Freedom is not a right to abuse
The publication and reprinting of the Mohammed caricatures have been out of order
Freedom of expression, however, is not a carte blanche for slander. Legal safeguards against racial vilification, for example, are designed to set limits. Mature and patient responses to editorial misjudgments are the best way to dispel misconceptions about Muslims and help redefine the parameters of freedom to suit the realities of multicultural/multifaith societies.
[Shahram Akbarzadeh is a senior lecturer in global politics at Monash University and co-editor of Islam and the West (2005).]

Earlier: freedom of speech