Laughter---Very Healthy

Ottawa Imam Imtiaz Ahmed has stated that cartoons of religious leaders should be illegal. Although that thinking may be well-intended from his point of view, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as it relates to "freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression" trumps that notion. Introducing restrictions simply based on a fear of not wanting to offend a person's learned religious beliefs can never be allowed. Although a free and democratic society will permit its citizens to have their own religious or non-religious beliefs, if a government creates laws and rules for governance that are non-secular in nature it simply creates conditions that will lead to an erosion of basic freedoms. While Ahmed may opt to pursue his life by ingrained religious ideology, he must also accept that his perspective on what is right or wrong is not necessarily shared by everyone. Even though some people may gravitate to a religion as way of life, they should also consider how laughter can contribute to their wellbeing.