Freedom of Thought
Freedom of Speech

DEFENDING FREEDOM

I think I first saw Fred Litwin when I attended an event with a speaker from Norway. Fred was the person who had brought her in - all the way to Canada, all by himself.

The speaker was Hege Storhaug - a fabulous speaker who has written an excellent book, And the Greatest of These is Freedom, on the situation in Norway in regard to Islam, and especially on the situation there of Muslim women, where there is a massive amount of arranged first-cousin marriage. (Hege is, by the way, also being interviewed for this series).

Fred was a smiling presence, mainly in the background - including at the back of the room with piles of books for sale, from Hege and a number of other authors.

I didn't know, when I heard that Fred Litwin had brought in the speaker, that he had actually sponsored her coming. (I'm glad the event was well attended. I don't know if Fred's expenses were covered.)

Later I heard of the film festival Fred was putting on - The Free Thinking Film Fest. The event was over 160 km away (over 100 miles away). I went anyway. Very worth it.

Who is this man?

Fred remembers himself, as a child, as being very different from how he is now - quiet and shy.

He's had to get past the shyness. Now he organizes and introduces.

Fred hasn't focused entirely on Islam, by the way. His interest is the larger one of freedom - freedom of thought and speech, and freedom of action unless we harm others. The films at the festival he set up were on topics as varied as global warming (Cool It), our right to drink unpasteurized milk, and the prison death of a man who refused to stay silent about corruption in Russia.

Though far from being Fred's only interest, Islam is a major issue for him, since there's massive pressure against freedom of thought and speech coming from powerful parts of Islam.

Fred himself can't be neatly pigeon-holed. For example, he's a gay conservative - while most gays in Canada are much more to the left politically, and many conservatives have reservations around gay issues, like gay marriage.

Fred Litwin, a friendly helpful man, determined and serious, intelligent and concerned - a true activist, meaning someone who acts.

Click here for more on Fred Litwin's
Free Thinking Film Festival


Click here for the interview with Fred Litwin
    






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Fred Litwin of the Free Thinking Film Fest.
A free thinker, believing in
freedom of thought, speech, expression,
and freedom of action.
A man of action.

WORLD TRUTH SUMMIT

Personal Journeys Toward Difficult Truths:
Understanding Islam, Understanding the West








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