Letters to the Editor: We must protect freedom of speech

 Author Salman Rushdie: We mustn’t let the vile attempt on the life of a gifted and courageous writer to deter us from giving expression to our own creative energies.

The attack on Salman Rushdie serves as a stark reminder that freedom of speech is a right we dare not take for granted.

The fact that a work of literature may contain elements that some readers find offensive surely doesn’t entitle critics to ban others from reading it, and certainly doesn’t justify passing a sentence of death on the writer, whether in his/her presence or absence.