Freedom is never absolute. Even in America where personal freedom is held in the highest esteem, there are still definable limits. Freedom of speech does not include, in the words of a noted jurist, the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, unless of course there is a fire.

Freedom is not the power of doing what we like, observed Lord Acton, but the right of being able to do what we ought. And we ought to work and create, he continued, for in so doing we serve humankind. An eloquent hadith (saying of our prophet) has it that we serve god best by serving fellow humans. And we serve fellow citizens best by remaining answerable and accountable to them.

There will always be limits o­n freedom; the pertinent question is where and how those lines are drawn and the role they play in the ordinary lives of the citizens. An analogy will clarify my point.