I wish to comment on the letter The nation stands behind Namewee .

I also am a supporter of Namewee not because I agree with his ideas but because I am a firm believer in freedom of speech. I believe a person's opinions are sacred and everyone is entitled to their opinions and no one should be arrested or charged for expressing his opinions.

However, I am puzzled as to why people like Namewee are chastising others for expressing their opinions while championing their own right to free speech. Freedom of speech works both ways.

Some people may find Namewee's videos offensive because they use a lot of profanities and vulgarities but I believe in his right to freedom of speech. In return, Namewee should also respect the rights of others to freedom of speech whether by Siti Inshah or Perkasa or whoever he personally finds repugnant.

Freedom of speech must be fair. We do not want hypocrisy such as what happened in Europe with Muslims being told that the offensive cartoons of Muhammad are part of freedom of speech while Holocaust deniers are put on trial for expressing their opinions.

Or in France where Muslims are barred from wearing the headscarf because the French government claims that France is secular country and the display of religious symbols is prohibited but Muslims feel discriminated against when they see the Christmas trees, lights and decorations put up during Christmas.

Or when Muslims are reminded of the horrors of Sept 11 on an annual basis but no one dares to remember the horrors of the illegal invasion of Iraq for fear of being labelled a terrorist supporter.

Freedom of speech is an alienable right of the human race. You cannot impose your opinions on others using force or threats or intimidation.

You can engage in healthy debate in order to try to change another person's opinions or you can express your ideas through dialogue or print. Let us be civillised.