The jihad of the word erupts in Denmark yet again

Dixon

It has to get worse before it gets better. I am already figuring out how I would go about seeking political asylum in another country's embassy if I am ever charged with speaking my mind. Well, the US is out of the question. Maybe Russia? The one country that has declared itself willing to use tactical nuclear weapons preemptively to protect itself from "rogue" states. Now that is really cause for hope (and, no, I am not being ironic).

Robbo

How can criticism of Islam ever be construed as racist? Islam is a religion not a race. Seems to me that Europe is now a lost cause with the US the 'Last Man Standing'. Grim.

Stephen Gash

You mention the Mohammed cartoons. How about this for a giant irony. Anders Gravers and Stop Islaisation Of Europe - SIOE, are the only ones to be sued by Kurt Westergaard for using his cartoon. It is alleged it was used on a SIOE demonstration staged to support free speech in Denmark and Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist. The reason for the suit is copyright violation.

MikeF

Are they 'deluded' liberals or knowing authoritarians who, in their hatred and contempt for their own origins, are quite deliberately seeking to make open debate an impossibility?

Joe Strummer

Dodgy as he may be, but were Nick Griffen's words about Islam so different than the above in Denmark when he was arrested, charged and then to face a Court of Law on " hate crimes". ?

Andrei

This I do not understand. Are there to be no hate laws against anti-semitism? Or only anti-Muslim? Or every thing except anti-semitism?

Augustus

All over Europe Islam is making fools of us all. Are the citizens of the West nothing more than trained monkeys, incapable of grasping concepts, incapable of defending their own culture? What kind of evil ideological force enslaves it own people, denies everyone and anyone freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, and even freedom of
love?

AY

Augustus - what West needs is less relativism, and more resolve.

Info starts appearing about Karen Woo, and one shoud only say she was extraordinary person.

Here are the names of British divisions that should have been sent to AfPak after 7/7 - with clear orders, to ram these beasts to dust.

Circle Line
Liverpool Street
Aldgate
King's Cross
St. Pancras
Liverpool Street
Hammersmith
City Line
Aldgate East
Russell Square

maybe I missed some. If Government did it, Karen Woo would be alive today, as well as countless other victims of terrorists.

But maybe there will be "Karen Woo" battalion, at least?

DougS

Robbo's made the key point here.

How can anyone be charged with racism against a religion?

Frank95054

When I hear the name Denmark, the first thing that comes to mind is, they are just like us. Western culture, freedoms, peaceful. But, the Denmark of today is none of these. Fascism is running rampant.

Drakken

This is going to turn real ugly real fast. What these leftists are doing is pushing the average Joe and Jane into the camp of the right and when it becomes to much and it will there will be hell to pay.

Andy

Sigh....
Islam is NOT a race
Does a muslim's race change if he changes his religion?
Stupid PC/MC crowd.

maddy1

One can see clearly now how Hitler got in to power!

Mike

I guess its even a hate law in many Muslims eyes to discuss the stoning to death of that poor Iranian woman found guilty of adultery. Problem is, even so called moderates have given a deafening silence to this barbaric act and so the atrocities of this faith continue.

Daibhidh

Even antonyms are being scewered in favour of protecting Islam. It seems that criticism (at least when applied to protecting Islam)means the same as hatred (or fear), and that hatred is an antonym of tolerance rather than love (or boldness?). Goes to show that anything liberalism touches it destroys.

Kiwi

And lest we forget, the Wilders trial resumes in October, with a verdict due 2nd November. A guilty verdict should confirm it's 'all over, Rover' for Europe as we know it. Islamists, lefties, and useful idiots should start polishing their dancing shoes now, just in case; running shoes for all others!

MaryJ

"Seems to me that Europe is now a lost cause with the US the 'Last Man Standing'. Grim."

--No, it's just as bad in the US. We don't have formal "hate speech" laws, but the overall repression of any criticism of any non-Western culture, people, or belief system is just as totalitarian as it is in Europe. You can't be sent to jail in the US for "hate speech" -- yet -- but you WILL lose your job, your reputation, and your friends. That is, unless your "hate speech" is directed toward Christians, white people, or Western culture in general. Then it's all a-okay.

philo101

Oh of course, the "hate speech" laws don't apply to the Koran itself. We should take out the hateful passages of the Koran (and Bible too, just to be fair) because it is "hate speech" too.

Hadrian

Great how all these 'liberals', 'pluralists' and 'multiculturalists' all pay lip service to Voltaire's maxim of defending to the hilt the right of an opponent to say something they utterly disagree upon, yet in practice they go all out to criminalise traditional freedom of speech.
As for the U.N., what a sheer waste of money and resources on a bureaucratic lumbering bull in a china shop that can only damage the valuables and is incapable of protecting the truly innocent.

Tomas Kierstein

Dear Melanie Philips; thanks a lot for supporting us danes by standing by Lars!
You mention Jesper Langballe. When the idea of introducing such an article into danish law was first brought up around 1970, one of the first to publically oppose it was Langballe`s cousin, Mr. Soren Krarup (also an MP for PPD, then a Vicar).
Along with stating the obvious; that it`s a legal slope, which can lead to people being convicted for telling the truth, he also pointed out that it was the first time the concept of race was mentioned in danish legislation. As Krarup noted: "Nothwithstanding the claim that it is based on so-called "anti-racism", introducing the term "race" into danish legislation constitutes the implicit recoqnition of a nazi paradigm; that man is a racial being, and thus primarily viewed as belonging to a group, instead of being viewed as a responsible individual!"
Krarup was spot on. The leftwingers talk about protecting minorities but they fail to see that the real minorities are always individuals. A girl from a Muslim family, who is bullied into wearing a Niqab against her will, is a real minority - not the Imams and those among her relatives who force her to live as they - not she - see fit.

Marek

We all remember the close governmental and diplomatic connections between Israel and South Africa during the closing years of apartheid.

steve mann

Marek
August 11th, 2010 2:20am

"We all remember the close governmental and diplomatic connections between Israel and South Africa during the closing years of apartheid."

What has this got to do with the subject-
Are you attempting to divert the interest from the right to criticise Islam without being prosecuted?

Dick Newton

Get in to your head Melanie - WESTERN LIBERALS ARE TOTALTARIANS.

.......and any two Totalitarians have more in common with each other than either has with anyone interested in personal freedom.

blue_&_white_avenger

MAryJ -I read someone that the US is particularly bad in one aspect: where a powerful Moslem organisation has taken a party that offends them (by saying something true but incendiary) to court and where they can bankrupt the opposition by the fees - whether they win or lose. Basically, with the financial backing of Saudia, Obama's friend, nobody dare say anything to offend them.

gareth

What we need is more Fabians, Fenians, Stealth Jihadists and Alinskyites - and a resurgence of old-style Union Bloc power.

The only way PC thinking will change is when people reap its reusllts fully and learn to be discriminating again - as a necessity to avoid further disaster.

John.

And yet Muslim handouts and propaganda throughout the West say the most vile, slanderous, lying and obscene things about the Jews - and, to some extent, about Christians - and not one word is said about it! Are these enthusiasts for outlawing "hate speech" totally unable to read? And, if so, what are they doing being employed to do what they do!

Jason

I'm a lefty and am as disgusted by laws like this. Shackling speech in this way does nothing to protect the rights of a minority but instead fosters a festering of underground hate and intolerance. Being from the U.S. and prior Army, I think that the world would do good to adopt American standards for freedom of speech. Britain would be wise to reform its ridiculous libel laws too.

Eddie

Jason - bearing in mind the USA has a problem of racism, intolerance, bigotry and extremism WAY more than any in the UK, I think we should most definitely NOT try to emulate the US - in fact that is the reason we have this mess: political correctness, identity politics and concepts of multiculturalism came here from the US, actually - and what chance is there of any predident being (or admitting to being) an atheist eh? The last head of the US atheist organisation was murdered for her beliefs!

Agree about the UK libel laws though. But is a US-style anything-goes approach the best one? Anyway,the US is hyper-sensitive and obsessed with using inaffoensive and banal, PC language. If many Americans, white and black, said what they thought about people from other races in the workplace or the street, they'd soon learn where free speech gets you (on welfare eh!).

Also, you have far fewer muslims and the ones you do have are usually middle-class, educated and much wealthier than UK or European Muslims, many of whom are from village pakistani/bangladeshi backgrounds: the socio-economic context is crucial here.

Ganpat Ram

To be fair to the Muslims, the Koran is no more full of virulent denunciation of unbelievers and misbelievers than the Bible, particularly the Old Testament - though there are many ferocious passages in the New Testament, too.

David Holbrooke once wrote a very enlightening essay pointing out that Westerners' bibiolatry had generally blinded them to how horrific a book of lethal threats and denunciations the Bible actually is.

The great difference between the Westerners and the Muslims is that over the centuries, drawing on the heritage of Graeco-Roman pagan culture - far more free in its tendencies - Westerners largely liberated themselves from the tiny, gloomy, totalitarian world-view of the Bible. The Muslims did not have that luck. They remain in the Middle Eastern mindset.

As I always say, had the Jews not been exiled, Israel would today be no more liberal than Saudi Arabia.

Drakken

Sorry Gunpat when you try the moral equivlance argument that is not going to fly. Christians do not commit suicide by flying planes into buildings or blow up trains, muslims do.

AY

"..As I always say, had the Jews not been exiled, Israel would today be no more liberal than Saudi Arabia.."

Honestly, that looks to me like "bike is not four-wheeled, but a transport".

john

Perhaps it will be the US which rides once again to the rescue: the Ground Zero Mosque furore lighting the fuse.

decora

its funny. the HUAC was also started by self described liberals to go after the 'fascists' of the business plot against roosevelt. only took a decade or so for it to become Nixon's platform to rise to the vice presidency during the red scare.