Excellent
Caution: Muslims
easily inflamed. Absent from this blame exchange is any recognition that many Muslims
can be incited to violence by anything or nothing. It's as if they live poised for outrage.
Muslims
refuse to use alcohol-based hand gels over religious beliefs. Some Muslims have refused to use
alcohol-based hand gels to combat the spread of swine flu because they claim it is against their religion.
Some of those employed by St Albans Council in Hertfordshire have complained about the antibacterial
lotion, which is considered a key strategy in containing the virus.
The Editor says...
Attention all Muslims: Are you aware that gasoline contains alcohol? You'd
better stop using it.
Queen's
medal of honour scrapped... because it's too Christian for Muslims and Hindus. A medal
personally established by the Queen is being withdrawn after it was deemed offensive to Muslims and
Hindus. The honour — known as The Trinity Cross of the Order of Trinity — has
been ruled unlawful and too Christian.
Saudis ban lewd
licence tags — including 'USA'. Saudi Arabia has banned auto licence tags whose Arabic
characters spell out offensive words when romanised, with the list of banned combinations including "USA", Al-Watan
newspaper reported Sunday.
Dunkin'
Donuts operator gives up franchise in pork battle. An Arab-American owner of a Chicago-area
Dunkin' Donuts store has to give up his franchise after he lost his long-running legal battle with the
restaurant chain over his religious objections to selling pork products. A lawyer for Walid Elkhatib
said Tuesday that his client is in the process of removing Dunkin' Donuts signs from his Westchester outlet,
but apparently not fast enough for the company.
Muslim chef refused to
cook pork. A Muslim catering manager in Britain refused to cook sausages and bacon because he
feared he would be splashed with pork fat, he told an industrial tribunal overnight, alleging religious
discrimination. Hasanali Khoja, 60, from London, said he felt he was at risk of contact with pork
products even if he wore gloves and used tongs to cook.
Muslim extremist firebombed home of man who published book on Prophet
Mohammed. A Muslim extremist has been found guilty of firebombing the home of the publisher
of a controversial novel about the Prophet Mohammed and his child bride.
Alfred E. Obama is
Not Funny!! Prophets and messiahs are not to be laughed at. They are deadly serious.
Laughter brings a sense of sanity and perspective to their pompous pretensions. That is why radical
Muslims murder people who laugh at the Prophet Mohammed. Start laughing at this 7th century desert
bandit and the whole thing starts to look like a joke. We can't have that. Kill them. Today
in Canada, if you poke fun at Muslim terrorists, like Mark Steyn constantly does, they will bring you up on
Kangaroo Court charges.
Muslim organization revives Minnesota
branch. After a string of recent incidents, the Council on American-Islamic Relations is opening
a St. Paul office. … Some Muslim taxi drivers who refuse to ferry alcohol and dogs are awaiting a
ruling on the issue from the MAC [Metropolitan Airports Commission]. And some Muslim store clerks have
refused to scan pork products.
[A question for all Muslims: If our culture is so repulsive to you, why are you here?]
Worldwide Hate
Speech Laws? Especially since 9/11, Islam has been publicly scrutinized, criticized, and
sometimes ridiculed in the West to an extent never seen (or permitted) in Muslim lands. Many Muslims
feel deeply offended by this, as well as troubled by the violent responses the criticism has sometimes drawn
from Muslims — riots, death threats, even murders. Their leaders' solution is to try to halt
the cycle by demanding an end to criticism of Islam, even in private speech. For the past decade, the
Saudi-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has pushed the U.N. to adopt a universal ban on
defaming Islam. This measure would aim to curb the freedom not only of Danish cartoonists but also of
scholars, writers, dissidents, religious reformers, human rights activists, and anyone at all anywhere in the
world who criticizes Islam.
The Editor says...
Even if I end up in the United Nations Sharia prison camp, I will not stop telling others the truth about
Islam. Silencing me will not change the facts. Ten thousand years from now, we'll all know
whether Islam had any merits.
Blind man's guide dog barred from restaurant for offending Muslims.
Alun Elder-Brown, a recruitment executive, said he was left feeling "like a piece of dirt" after being barred
from bringing the animal into Kirthon Restaurant in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on religious grounds. ... It follows
a series of successful prosecutions of Muslim taxi drivers who refused to carry guide dogs in their cars
because they considered them unclean on religious grounds.
Prison
bans chapel crucifix to avoid offending Muslims. A prison's new chapel will not contain a
crucifix to avoid offending Muslim inmates, it emerged today. Bosses at HMP Lewes have been told the
traditional Christian symbol, featuring Jesus nailed to a cross, must not be used in the Grade-II listed
Victorian jail's 'multi-faith space'. The room — part of a £1million new
block — has been split in two, with one half featuring heated foot baths so Muslim worshippers
can wash their feet before prayer.
The Editor asks...
Is it a prison or a hotel?
Salvation Army's rattling collecting tins might offend other religions.
For 130 years they have been part of Christmas, filling the air in towns across the land with music and carols.
But one thing is missing from the repertoire of Salvation Army bands this year — the percussion of
rattling tins. Members have been forbidden to shake their charity tins — even if it's done
in time to the music — in case it harasses or intimidates people. One said she had been told it
might also offend other religions.
TV show
leads to divorce. A Saudi man divorced his wife for watching alone a television
programme presented by a male, an act he deemed immoral … [He] ended his marriage on the
grounds his wife was effectively alone with an unrelated man, which is forbidden under the
strict Islamic law enforced in the ultra-conservative kingdom….
Bahrain Charges US Teacher With Insulting
Prophet. An American teacher has been charged in Bahrain with insulting the Prophet Muhammad for
displaying pictures of Islam's founder to university students, a spokesman for the tiny Gulf nation's general
prosecutor said Friday. The spokesman, Nawaf al-Maawdah, said the pictures showed the prophet in ragged
clothing. Most interpretations of Islam forbid any depiction of Muhammad because it is seen as encouraging
idolatry — one of the biggest sins in the religion.
Broadcast angers
Muslims. Muslims and interfaith leaders in Metro Detroit are asking a local radio station owner to discontinue
broadcasts in which, they say, a Coptic priest has repeatedly defamed the Prophet Muhammad over the past year.
Mickey
Mouse must die, says Saudi Arabian cleric. Sheikh Muhammad Munajid claimed the mouse is
"one of Satan's soldiers" and makes everything it touches impure. But he warned that depictions of
the creature in cartoons such as Tom and Jerry, and Disney's Mickey Mouse, had taught children that it was
in fact loveable.
Mohammed
teddy row sparked Islam murder plot. Terror suspects tried to kill a British diplomat in revenge
for a teacher letting kids name a teddy Mohammed, it was revealed yesterday. The unnamed diplomat escaped
unhurt when he disappeared into a crowd on the day the five men were to execute their plot in the Sudanese
capital Khartoum. Details of the would-be assassination came out during the trial of five men accused
of killing a US diplomat in Sudan when police general Abdul Rahim Ahmed Abdullah said the five were Islamic
fanatics seeking revenge for the teddy bear incident in Khartoum.
Sniffer dogs to wear 'Muslim' bootees.
Police sniffer dogs will have to wear bootees when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence. Guidelines
being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs
to search for drugs and explosives. The guidelines, to be published this year, were designed to cover mosques but have
been extended to include other buildings.
Muslims
may not have to undergo sniffer dog checks in UK. Muslim passengers may not be touched by sniffer
dogs of the British Transport Police after complaints that the practice is against Islam. According to
the religion, dogs are deemed to be spiritually "unclean".
Cabbies fired over guide
dogs. Some Muslim taxi drivers are refusing to carry blind and disabled passengers with guide
dogs — because their religion tells them the animals are "unclean". Brisbane's Yellow Cab Company
has been forced to sack drivers over their conduct towards passengers with assistance dogs.
Muslim cabbies lose
round in court. Muslim cab drivers whose religious beliefs go against driving passengers who
carry alcohol have lost another round in court. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday [9/9/2008]
against the cab drivers' attempt to block penalties for refusing service.
Fear of
giving offence is killing our culture. A week ago The Sunday Times reported that some Muslim
workers in Sainsbury's are refusing to check out purchases of alcohol on the debatable ground that it's against
their religion. Whenever the sinful stuff is presented by a customer at the till, the Muslim expects an
infidel colleague to hurry over and sully his or her hands with the transaction instead.
Iranian official warns
against importing Barbie doll. A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the "destructive"
cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys. Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali
Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the Western toys was a "danger" that
needed to be stopped.
The Editor says...
I will concede and stipulate that Barbie dresses like a whore. But here's how the problem is handled in
free societies: If you don't like Barbie, leave her on the shelf at the toy store.
"Sharia
Creep" Around the World. In Australia, Muslim students (mostly Saudi citizens) asked Melbourne
universities to adjust class times to fit in with their daily prayers. … Closer to home, Harvard University
announced new women-only access times at the student gym, to "accommodate religious customs that make it
difficult for some students to work out in the presence of men." … News stories like these have multiplied
exponentially during the past few years. Hardly a day goes by without similar reports, such as Muslim
nurses in the UK refusing to roll up their sleeves to scrub up before surgery, claiming that sharia modesty
rules trump concerns about contamination.
Sherry Jones (eventually) finds a publisher with a backbone
You Still
Can't Write About Muhammad. Starting in 2002, Spokane, Wash., journalist Sherry Jones toiled
weekends on a racy historical novel about Aisha, the young wife of the prophet Muhammad. Ms. Jones
learned Arabic, studied scholarly works about Aisha's life, and came to admire her protagonist as a woman of
courage. When Random House bought her novel last year in a $100,000, two-book deal, she was ecstatic.
Random House pulls novel on Islam,
fears violence. Publisher Random House has pulled a novel about the Prophet Mohammed's child
bride, fearing it could "incite acts of violence." "The Jewel of Medina," a debut novel by journalist
Sherry Jones, 46, was due to be published on August 12 by Random House, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, and
an eight-city publicity tour had been scheduled, Jones told Reuters on Thursday [8/7/2008].
Fearing Muslim backlash,
Random House scraps novel. Nearly three years ago, Iraq held historic parliamentary elections.
Millions of Iraqi voters shrugged off the threat of Al-Qaida suicide bombers and pro-Saddam reactionaries.
They headed to the polls in heavy number, proving their courage and commitment to democratic values. Sadly,
both qualities were absent in Random House's decision last May to cancel publication of "The Jewel of Medina," a
novel by journalist Sherry Jones.
Book Based on Prophet Muhammad's Child Bride
Yanked At 11th Hour. A racy, historical novel based on the Prophet Muhammad's child bride A'isha
was supposed to hit book stores in the U.S. Tuesday [8/19/2008]. But in a rare case of self-censorship
to preempt possible violent reaction by Muslims, one of the world's largest publishing houses pulled the plug
on the book just before its release date.
Serbian
publisher withdraws Jones book after protests by Muslims. 'We did not wish to provoke
anyone and we apologize,' the publisher, Beobook, said in a statement. The book describes the
Muslim Prophet Mohammed's relationship with his favourite wife, Aisha.
Random
Error: Alas, the spirit of liberty needs reinforcement at one distinguished American book publisher.
Random House has canceled publication of "The Jewel of Medina," American writer Sherry Jones's romance novel about the
prophet Muhammad and his wife Aisha. The publisher says it feared a repeat of the death threats from Iran that
greeted Salman Rushdie's book "The Satanic Verses" — or riots such as those that broke out in the Muslim
world after a Danish publication printed cartoons of Muhammad.
The latest:
Controversial
book about Mohammed and child bride to be published. A controversial novel about the
prophet Mohammed and his child bride that was pulled by Random House over concerns that it would anger
Muslims is to be printed by another publisher. Gibson Square, known for having sold other controversial
books, such as Alexander Litvinenko's "Blowing Up Russia", said it was "imperative" that "The Jewel of
Medina" by American author Sherry Jones be available to the public.
Mohammad wife novel released early.
A controversial novel about the Prophet Mohammad's child bride has been rushed to US stores, nine days ahead of
schedule, after the office of the book's British publisher was attacked. Beaufort Books picked up The
Jewel of Medina by journalist Sherry Jones after it was dropped by Random House in May because of concerns
it could incite violence.
How the West was lost
for free speech: Twenty years ago today, Salman Rushdie published The Satanic Verses.
Four years in the making and supported by a then almost unheard of advance of $850,000 from his publisher,
Penguin, Rushdie had hoped the work would cement his reputation as the most important British novelist of his
generation. The book certainly set the world alight, though not quite in the way it was meant to.
Muslim gang firebombs publisher of
Allah novel, Martin Rynja. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorist command yesterday foiled an alleged
plot by Islamic extremists to kill the publisher of a forthcoming novel featuring sexual encounters between the
Prophet Muhammad and his child bride. Early yesterday [9/27/2008] armed undercover officers arrested
three men after a petrol bomb was pushed through the door of the north London home of the book's publisher.
Chirpiness that'll
be the death of us: My correspondent's unceasingly cheeping bird was Islam. He was fed up
waking every morning and reading of the latest offence taken by the more excitable Muhammadans. If memory
serves, this exhaustion was prompted by a Muslim protest outside Westminster Cathedral demanding the execution
of the Pope. It was organized by a fellow called Anjem Choudhary, who argued that "whoever insults the
message of Muhammad is going to be subject to capital punishment." But then again it might have been some
other provocation entirely — say, the chocolate swirl on the top of a Burger King dessert carton
that an aggrieved customer complained bore too close a resemblance to the Arabic script for "Allah".
Muslim threats force out disabled teacher
with dog. A Muslim high school student's intolerance for a service dog needed by a student teacher
with a disability has reportedly prompted the student teacher to abandon the last 10 hours of his scheduled
assignment at Technical High School in St. Cloud, Minn.
Dunkin'
pulls Ray ad over headscarf. Dunkin' Donuts, based in Canton, Mass., has pulled an advertisement
after a scarf worn by pitch woman Rachael Ray was compared to a Muslim headscarf. … Dunkin' Donuts said
the resemblance between Ray's scarf and a keffiyeh was unintentional.
Rachael
Ray, Dunkin' Donuts and the Keffiyeh Kerfuffle. The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional
scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad. Popularized by Yasser Arafat and
a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been
mainstreamed by both ignorant (and not so ignorant) fashion designers, celebrities and left-wing icons.
Muslim women:
Dress code violates faith. Mission Foods, a New Brighton tortilla maker, is accused of religious intolerance
for requiring six Muslim workers to wear uniforms that include pants they say are too revealing.
Coach loses job amid Muslim-Christian
concerns. A high school principal in Dearborn, Mich., has dismissed a longtime wrestling coach after
complaints from Muslim parents that the coach's former assistant — an evangelical Christian pastor —
was trying to convert Muslim students into Christians. … Imad Fadlallah, head of Fordson High School, decided this
month not to renew the contract of Marszalek, who has coached wrestling at Fordson for 35 years.
School
Apologizes to Muslim Student Over Graduation Held in Church. A Muslim student who sued
because his public high school graduation ceremony was held in a Baptist church has received an apology
from Newark's school district and assurances that it will not hold future events in houses of worship.
When free speech offends Muslims.
Canada's Human Rights Commissions (HRC) are government agencies, not courts. They were set up, starting in
the 1960s, to fight job and housing discrimination — offensive acts, not words. Borne of good
intention, some argue they have paved a path to politically correct hell. Those behind the creation of
the commissions maintain they were never meant to impede free speech — a right guaranteed under
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms — and that "thought crime" cases represent a fraction of
the commissions' work.
Ontario
Human Rights Commission is out of control. But recent changes, and the way they are being
implemented by Commissioner Barbara Hall, are pitting human rights protection against our fundamental rights to
freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Hall, a former Toronto mayor, appears to have gone completely
over the top in her comments on an article by journalist Mark Steyn, "The future belongs to Islam," that
appeared in Maclean's magazine.
Idiot's Guide
to Completely Idiotic Canadian 'Human Rights' Tribunals: 'Freedom of speech is an American
concept, so I don't give it any value." — Canadian "Human Rights" Investigator Dean Steacy,
responding to the question "What value do you give freedom of speech when you investigate?" This is
the way free speech ends, not with a bang but as the result of an administrative hearing in a windowless
basement in Vancouver, Canada. At least that's where a "Human Rights Tribunal" is taking place this
week that will further solidify the Canadian legal position that the right not to be offended by something
you read is more sacred than the freedom of the press.
Geert Wilders and Fitna
YouTube
Warned to Remove Koran Film. The government of the world's most populous Islamic state says
YouTube has two days to take down a Dutch lawmaker's provocative film on the Koran or it will block access to
the popular video-sharing Web site. The warning by Indonesia came as the U.N.'s primary human rights
watchdog ended a month-long session amid allegations by Western member-states and non-governmental
organizations that Islamic nations are working to curtail free speech.
Blasphemers,
Unite! Fitna isn't the only recent movie hard-line Islamists hope to squelch beyond their
own borders. The other is Persepolis, an animated film based on Iranian author Marjane Satrapi's
graphic novel of the same name about repression under both the Shah Reza Pahlavi and the Ayatollah Khomeini.
General Wafik Jizzini at Lebanon's Ministry of the Interior banned it because, he said, Shia officials
(read: Hezbollah) said it was offensive to Islam and — you guessed it — Iran.
The Left
and Fitna: I think Fitna is done very cleverly. It lays the full blame of
Islamic atrocities to the fount of Islam, the Koran. Anyone viewing this short movie will have no doubt
that the Islamist terrorism is the result of the Koran in action. Geert Wilders has demonstrated very
precisely what has plagued the world for many years and why the Jihadists are doing what they are doing.
The cost of
criticizing jihadists. Geert Wilders — a film producer and also a member of
parliament in the Netherlands — is facing a prison term there for "insulting" Muslims. His
short film "Fitna" in 2008 juxtaposed verses from the Koran with scenes of violence committed by jihadist
terrorists. The Dutch appellate court refused a free-speech defense because the insults were so
egregious. If convicted, Wilders faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Said the
defendant: "I lost my freedom already four and a half years ago in October 2004, when my 24-hour police
protection started because of threats by Muslims in Holland and abroad to kill me."
The International War
on Free Speech. Geert Wilders is a member of the Dutch Parliament and a documentary film
producer; not exactly the person one would expect to find on the front line in the battle against both
radical Islam and the Islamist assault on free speech. Yet, that is where the 45 year-old founder
of the Party for Freedom stands.
Caving
in to Islamists. Last Wednesday [1/21/2009], a Dutch court ordered the prosecution of far
right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims in his film, Fitna.
The three-judge appeals panel said: "The instigation of hatred in a democratic society constitutes such
a serious matter (that it is necessary) to draw a clear boundary in the public debate."
Can
the Koran be compared to 'Mein Kampf'? Last week the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruled that the
attorney-general should bring a case against Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. This leader of the
right-wing Freedom Party has made a number of extreme remarks about Islam and Muslims, such as calling the
Koran the "Islamic Mein Kampf" and referring to "fascist Islam." The Amsterdam court contends that these
and other such statements "affect the dignity of Muslims." The attorney-general's office had previously
concluded that these and similar remarks were not punishable.
Geert Wilders
and the Fight for Europe. Britain has just witnessed the spectacle of a duly elected
parliamentarian from another EU country, Geert Wilders of the Netherlands, being denied entry to the
country because he constituted "a threat to public policy." ... His crime is maintaining that Europe's
civilization is rooted in the values of Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, and the Enlightenment -- and
not in Mecca, Baghdad, Andalusia, and al-Kods. He fights for Europe's independence from the
Caliphate and for its endangered freedoms. He had received serious death threats even before
Fitna was released.
Free Speech is Dead in England.
Freedom of speech no longer exists in the nation that gave the world the Magna Carta. It has been
replaced by Islamist tyranny. I wish I could put it less bluntly, but the facts are against me.
The British government — my government, unfortunately — has just sent a message to the
world that no longer will it stand up for First Amendment-style principles. From now on, if you don't
like what someone has to say, our surrender-monkey government is quite happy to ban them from saying it.
Provided, of course, you happen to be a Muslim.
Banning
Wilders: As everyone knows by now, [Geert] Wilders made a short film called Fitna (Struggle),
arguing in a powerful rhetorical way a causative connection between certain verses in the Koran and brutal acts
of modern terrorism. The film is uncompromising, to put it mildly; and whether or not Mr. Wilders'
interpretation of the verses is correct, few could deny that at least some Moslems have taken it to be correct.
A broad front for free
speech. Geert Wilders ... has just been denied entrance to the United Kingdom on the grounds he is an
"undesirable person." What rendered him so is his documentary, "Fitna," that lifts lines from the Koran and
cites them as the sacred justification for acts of Islamic terror. Mr. Wilders is also being prosecuted for
"hate speech" in the Netherlands on account of "Fitna." Supposedly his documentary offended the religious
sensibilities of Muslims, which is enough to get a work of intellectual expression banned in Europe.
Always be an England? Who is Geert Wilders and why should we care what
happens to him? He's a member of the Dutch parliament and a vehement critic of Islam who really knows how to rouse the
rabble. A kind of George Wallace with intellectual and artistic gifts. In short, an agitator par excellence.
Naturally his political party has grown in popularity as his countrymen react to the crimes committed in Islam's name, and
to the general wave of Muslim immigrants throughout Europe. But rather than trust to the marketplace of ideas to
counter those Mr. Wilders promotes — like a Europe without mosques — Dutch prosecutors have accused
him of "hate speech," a relatively new and conveniently elastic category of the criminal code. Shut up, they explain.
Kyl hosts
anti-Islamic Dutchman. Republican Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona is hosting a film screening at
the Capitol for a far-right Dutch lawmaker who claims that Islam inspires terrorism. Mr. Kyl is
sponsoring the Thursday event for Geert Wilders, who was denied entry to London earlier this month because
British officials said he posed a threat to public order. Mr. Wilders' 15-minute film juxtaposes
verses from the Koran with images of violence by Muslims. Mr. Wilders has called the Koran
a "fascist book" and says it should be banned.
The Next Stage. While Europe has
a high degree of tolerance for intolerant imams, it won't tolerate anyone pointing out that intolerance.
It is not necessary for Minheer Wilders to be either jailed or forced into exile to conclude that the
Netherlands, like many of its neighbors, has already conceded the key point — that Muslims now
have the exclusive right to set the parameters of public debate on Islam. And, given that they don't
regard it as debatable at all, that means that the remorseless Islamization of Europe will continue and
accelerate while the deWildered political establishment stands mute.
I Will Defend to the Death Their
Right to Silence You. According to Shariah law, it is a crime to engage in speech or writings that 'defame'
Islam or otherwise offend its followers. It is a crime, not only in Muslim states, but in Western democracies, and
may soon be coming to a city near you unless we stand up to the worldwide attacks against free speech. It appears
that some brave souls, including a U.S. Senator, are pushing back against the global effort to stifle our freedom of
expression.
Holland's Geert Wilders Fights For Free Speech.
Geert Wilders landed at London's Heathrow Airport last February 12. He was removed from a British Midlands jet
from Amsterdam that afternoon, his arms gripped by two border agents. Wilders was whisked to a holding area, confined
for three hours, and denied access to a British legislator waiting to welcome him. That evening, officials placed
Wilders on a Holland-bound jet and booted him from Britain. So, is Wilders a Guantanamo alumnus? A fugitive
financier? An Ebola-virus carrier? Hardly.
A Dutch Hero Comes to Warn Us, Seek Our Support. "I have come to warn
you of a great threat. Free speech is no longer a given, we must now battle for our birthright. We are looking
at the end of democracy, the slavery of women, the death of gays. While there might be moderate Muslims, there is no
such thing as moderate Islam. Islam is not a religion, it is a political and totalitarian ideology." Some would
say that these are fighting words. Indeed, Dutch parliamentarian, Geert Wilders, is fighting for Western liberty and
Western values, as rooted in the legacies of "Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem."
Geert Wilders, a controversial leader for an intolerant
time. In a small room in Washington's National Press Club, a tall man with bright blond hair
stands flanked by grim-faced security guards. He is here to screen a short documentary
movie — a movie that has caused him to be charged with three counts of hate speech
in his native Netherlands and to be forbidden entry into the United Kingdom only two weeks ago.
Wilders'
Defense of Free Speech. Beaumarchais' Marriage of Figaro, written at the close of the
18th century, included [a] freedom of speech monologue in Act V, Scene 3. ... Sadly, today,
over two centuries later, Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders' free speech rights are under attack in
an effort to appease the same irredentist Muslim attitudes?attitudes which are devoid of self-criticism,
and violently opposed to any criticism of Islam by non-Muslim "infidels."
Geert
Wilders leads Dutch polls. Britain's controversial ban on the anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders has
pushed his Freedom Party into the lead for the first time, according to Dutch opinion polls. Mr Wilders
has benefited from the publicity provided by Dutch and international headlines that followed a decision last
month to ban him from showing his anti-Muslim film, Fitna, in the House of Lords.
Islam Needs to Prove It's a Religion
of Peace. The film "Fitna" by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders has created an uproar around
the world as it linked violence committed by Islamists to Islam. Many commentators and politicians —
including the British government, which denied him entry to the country last month — reflexively
accused Mr. Wilders of inciting hatred. The question, however, is whether the blame is with Mr. Wilders,
who simply exposed Islamic radicalism, or with those who promote and engage in this religious extremism.
Free Speech vs.
Islam in Europe. Free speech is no longer a given in Europe. What we once considered a natural
element of our existence, our birth right, is now something we once again have to battle for. To exercise free
speech has become a dangerous activity.
Frank
Talk About Islamic Law? Blasphemy! This month, American-liberated Halabja made headlines
as the site of the court that sentenced a Kurdish author in absentia to six months in prison for blasphemy:
namely, for writing in a book that Mohammed had 19 wives, married a 9-year-old when he was 54, and
took part in murder and rape. (These points, Robert Spencer notes at jihadwatch.com, "can be readily
established from early texts written by pious Muslims.") The author, Mariwan Halabjaee, who has
asylum in Norway, says there's also a fatwa calling for his death unless he asks forgiveness.
Islamist
terrorists rebranded as 'criminals'. Islamist terrorists have been rebranded as "criminals" in a
new guidebook for ministers and civil servants to help them talk about terrorism without offending Muslims.
The book has been issued to all government departments and says that people should no longer refer to Islamist
extremism or jihadi fundamentalism. Instead, they should refer to violent extremism and criminal
murderers or thugs to avoid any implication that there is an explicit link between Islam and terrorism.
Muslim medical students get
picky. Some Muslim medical students are refusing to attend lectures or answer exam questions on
alcohol-related or sexually transmitted diseases because they claim it offends their religious beliefs.
Some trainee doctors say learning to treat the diseases conflicts with their faith, which states that Muslims
should not drink alcohol and rejects sexual promiscuity. A small number of Muslim medical students have
even refused to treat patients of the opposite sex.
CAIR Views
Conservative Commentary as 'Incitement'. An Islamic advocacy group is urging its supporters to
call a Washington, D.C., radio station to "express your concerns about the Islamophobic attitudes" expressed by
conservative columnist and author Cal Thomas. In a commentary on news-talk WTOP radio Monday morning,
Thomas discussed the car-bomb terror attacks recently thwarted in the United Kingdom. The eight Muslims
arrested in connection with the plot include several physicians.
LAPD plan draws ire from Muslims.
A counterterrorism project in Los Angeles that would collect information about Muslim neighborhoods is drawing
outrage from Islamic groups and civil libertarians who say it unjustly singles out residents based on faith
and could lead to unconstitutional police tactics. The groups complain that the Los Angeles Police
Department's "community mapping" project, which aims to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism,
unfairly brings suspicion on Muslims.
Indonesian Muslims banned
from practicing yoga. Muslims in Indonesia are banned from practicing yoga that contains Hindu
rituals like chanting, the country's top Islamic body said Monday, echoing concerns by some religious groups
elsewhere about its effect on their faith. Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely
adhere to the ruling because ignoring a fatwa, or religious decree, is considered a sin.
The yoga
fatwa. Recently I read that Indonesia's top Islamic body has banned yoga for the country's Muslims,
claiming that the ancient Hindu practice could corrupt the purity of the faith. Similar rulings were handed
down in Malaysia and Egypt last year. As strict religious edicts go, banning yoga isn't up there with honor
killings or acid attacks. But it sure is another reason to love America.
Gillian Gibbons and the teddy bear named Mohammed:
British Teacher Faces 40 Lashes for
Naming Class Teddy Bear 'Muhammad'. A British primary school teacher arrested in Sudan
faces up to 40 lashes for blasphemy after letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear
Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested at at Khartoum's Unity High School
yesterday [11/25/2007], and accused of insulting the Prophet of Islam.
Update:
Teddy
bear teacher found guilty. A British teacher was found guilty Thursday [11/29/2007] of inciting
religious hatred for allowing her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear Muhammad. Gillian Gibbons,
54, could have been sentenced to 40 lashes or six months in jail. But the Sudanese court instead
ordered her to serve 15 days behind bars.
Teacher Hidden As Sudan
Mob Urges Death. Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums,
burned pictures of a British teacher Friday and demanded her execution for insulting Islam by letting her
students name a teddy bear Muhammad.
Thousands in Sudan Call for British Teddy Bear
Teacher's Execution. Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday
[11/30/2007] in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam
for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."
Teddy Bear Case Exposes
Failure of American Feminist Leaders. During the past 14 years at
least, … we've all been exposed to the literal madness of Islamic fundamentalism.
We've seen the curtain pulled back on how craven American leftists can be as well. Yes,
it took a teddy bear to highlight more clearly than ever the psychosis of the enemy, and the
failure of the feminist establishment. There has been appropriate international outrage
over the treatment of [Gillian] Gibbons, from virtually everyone except American "feminists."
Of Teddy Bears
and Cartoons: [Scroll down] The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, has been pardoned by Sudan's president
(after initially being sentenced to 15 days in prison) and sent home to England. Yet that happy
ending doesn't erase the reaction in the streets of Khartoum. The tired story behind irrational anger in
much of the Muslim world remains the same. Watch out if Westerners somewhere are judged blasphemous to
Islam when they draw a cartoon, write a novel, make a movie or discuss history.
Dutch
cartoonist arrested on suspicion of violating hate speech laws. A Dutch political cartoonist was
arrested this week on suspicion of insulting people because of their race or religion through his work,
authorities said Friday [5/16/2008]. The cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot,
was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of violating hate speech laws….
British Teacher Jailed for
'Muhammad' Teddy Bear Leaves Sudan. A British teacher jailed for insulting
Islam after she allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad flew home Monday after
Sudan's president pardoned her, a British embassy spokesman said.
The
teddy-bear teacher and Labour's spineless response to a rogue state: The case of
Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in Sudan after her pupils named their class teddy-bear
Mohammed, has shown up once again the spinelessness of the Foreign Office which has turned Britain
into an international laughing stock.
Sudanese
teddy saga lays bare Islamic inferiority complex. That the British teacher Gillian Gibbons
required a presidential pardon to avoid 15 days' imprisonment in Sudan for blasphemy over the naming of a
teddy bear surely represents the high watermark of absurdity in relations between the Muslim and Western
worlds. Even Samuel Huntington, as he theorised of an impending clash of civilisations late last
century, could not have foreseen an odyssey so surreal.
A
Lash of Civilizations: Why Sudan Could Not Bear Gillian Gibbons. When Gillian Gibbons set
out to have her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear I am certain that she did not have in mind seeing the
inside of a Sudanese prison. Yet this is precisely what happened to Ms. Gibbons when her class named the
bear Muhammad and then wrote a journal about him. When the children told their parents about the
assignment they were aghast and reported Ms. Gibbons to the authorities. Never mind that those same
parents saw fit to name their sons Muhammad.
Why
Does Islam Fall Prey to Radicalism? Apparently not satisfied with last year's worldwide riots
over the infamous Muhammad cartoons and the multiple videos of Islamist beheadings — not to mention
the genocide of non-Muslims that is still being perpetrated in the Darfur area of Sudan — the radical
portions of the Muslim word are at it once again. As these types of extraordinarily brutal, sadistic
and bizarre behaviors do not occur within the Jewish or Christian communities of the world, I believe that I
must ask: what is it about Islam that encourages such a radical interpretation of its teachings?
First, they
came for Piglet. Just for the record, it's true that Muslims, like Jews, are not partial
to bacon and sausages. But the Quran has nothing to say about cartoon pigs. Likewise, it is
silent on the matter of whether one can name a teddy bear after Muhammad. What all these stories
have in common is the excessive deference to Islam. If "The Three Little Pigs" are
verboten when Muslims do not yet comprise 10 percent of the British population, what else
will be on the blacklist by the time they're, say, 20 percent?
Outlawing
the Pig: The practice of political correctness may soon be tallying another casualty: the pig.
Increasingly, as America and the rest of the Western world continue accommodating Muslim religious demands, pork
food products are being singled out for removal from dining tables and pig-related trinkets banished from the
desks of office workers.
The appeasement continues ...
Hospital
Defends Plans to Turn Patients' Beds to Face Mecca. A hospital in northern England is playing down
media reports saying that nurses have been ordered to stop normal duties five times a day to turn Muslim
patients' beds so that they face Mecca.
FBI's release of ferry
passenger photos resented. The FBI's release of photographs of two men of unknown origin, who
the agency says were observed acting suspiciously aboard as many as six different Washington ferry routes in
recent weeks, is creating new worries in the community. Muslim- and Arab-American leaders are upset that
the FBI didn't consult them — as it has done in other instances — before releasing the
photos on the Internet and to news organizations.
Debate Swirls
Around 2 Men on a Ferry. Earlier this summer a concerned crew member of a Washington State ferry
boat snapped pictures of two men who had raised suspicions on several ferry rides by asking questions about
structural details and entering areas of the boats that are off limits. Now, after the Federal Bureau of
Investigation released two photographs of the men to the public with the goal of identifying them, a debate
has erupted over alleged racial profiling….
Violence fear
over Islam film. The Dutch government is bracing itself for violent protests following the
scheduled broadcast this week of a provocative anti-Muslim film by a radical right-wing politician who has
threatened to broadcast images of the Koran being torn up and otherwise desecrated.
[Newspapers occasionally point out a "right-wing" politician, but somehow they never
see a "left-wing" politician.]
Anger Rises Over Rumors Of School Nixing
Halloween. Parents in Oak Lawn sounded off Tuesday night [10/2/2007] about what they see as an
assault on traditional American celebrations. At issue is whether Halloween and Christmas celebrations
are insensitive to school children who are Muslim.
Christians
Under Attack by Government School Bureaucrats. Oak Lawn, Illinois, school kids are going to have
to do without Halloween, Christmas and Easter activities thanks to the sensitive bureaucrats who fear offending
Muslims. The schools' administrators claim they've received a number complaints that the activities are
offensive, particularly to Muslim students. … Observers say they expect that this latest announcement is
going to increase the tension that has been building since school officials agreed at the start of the school
year to adjust the students' lunch menu to exclude items containing pork to accommodate the Muslim students.
Bringing home the
bacon-controversy explanation. If there is no directive against touching pork, then why in the
world is a Muslim cashier refusing to scan a package of bacon? … Handle the package of bacon by the
shrink-wrapped, double-sealed, triple-glazed hermetically encapsulated cardboard corner and
slide it across the scanner. There. The price gets registered, and you haven't
touched any pork. … This is America. We get inventive. And we get inventive in order
to keep things moving along. That's the way we do business. Please join us.
Twin Cities / Target transfers
Muslim cashiers. Muslim cashiers at some local Target stores who object to ringing up products
that contain pork are being shifted to other positions where they don't need to, the discount retailer said
Saturday [3/17/2007].
Muslims draft complaint
against Swift meatpacking plant. Tension came to a head at a Grand Island meatpacking
plant in June, when Jama Mohamed said his desire for 10 minutes to pray at sunset was met
with shouting. After he left the production line and began praying, Mohamed said, supervisors
took his prayer mat, pulled him up by his collar and sent him crying to a lead supervisor, who
fired him.
Muslims
get the Last Laugh at Swift Plant. This appears to be what is the final follow up on the story of
the Muslims at Swift Plant who demanded extra break times to pray for the month of Ramadan. After a back
and forth struggle which saw about 100 Muslims being fired, Swift will be paying the Muslims hundreds of
thousands of dollars. They were even fined for having Muslims sign a contract saying that they would be
willing to handle pork, which is considered haraam in Islam or forbidden. So now we see that employers
cannot even defend themselves in advance by asking Muslims if they will handle pork.
Flying Imams Revisited:
[Minneapolis Airport's] Muslim cabbies refused to transport any passenger fares who had packed sealed alcoholic
products in their luggage. Other Muslim taxi drivers at the airport also refused to transport passengers
with dogsÑincluding guide dogs. Muslims consider not only pork to be unclean, but dogs also.
Cabs refusing blind
passengers. Taxi drivers are regularly refusing to carry blind passengers with guide
dogs — including Australia's Human Rights Commissioner. … He has been told on a number of
occasions that it would be against a driver's religion to allow a dog in the cab.
Lamest excuse ever:
Stereotyping
is leading to terror, says first Muslim Miss England. The first Muslim to be crowned Miss England
has warned that stereotyping members of her community is leading some towards extremism.
Moderate Terrorists: "The
first Muslim to be crowned Miss England has warned that stereotyping members of her community is
leading some towards extremism," reports London's Daily Mail … So let's see if we follow
this argument. According to [Miss England, Hammasa] Kohistani, Muslims are so thin-skinned and so violent
that they respond to prejudice with terrorism. Um, isn't that an invidious stereotype?
Second lamest excuse ever:
Mohammed cartoons
'sparked bomb plot'. The publication of caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammed was the
trigger for a failed attempt to bomb passenger trains in Germany, police have concluded.
The Ham Sandwich Hate Crime?
When is a failure to respect the deep religious beliefs of a group regarded as a hate crime? In the state of
Maine, we have an answer, one that ought to provoke outrage. In today's America, some groups are more equal
than others, and media and local authorities seem unified in accepting this as fair, just, and normal.
Muslim
prisoners sue for millions after they were offered ham sandwiches for Ramadan. Scores of Muslim
inmates at a high security prison are set to launch a multi-million pound claim for compensation after they
were offered ham sandwiches during the holy month of Ramadan. They say their human rights were breached
when they were given a special nightly menu — drawn up to recognise their specific dietary
requirements — by officers at HMP Leeds last month.
Outrage
as Australian Leaders Tell Muslims to Fit In. Australian Muslim representatives are voicing
outrage at comments by the country's two top politicians, who urged immigrants from Islamic societies to
fit in, learn English, treat women with respect, and shun extremism. An Islamic leader warned
that the remarks could antagonize Muslims….
Dress "offensive"
to Islam. Twenty-three-year-old journalist Latika Bourke was verbally attacked by a group of
Muslim men outside a Sydney mosque because of her dress. "This young man approached me and said:
'You should be wearing more clothes. You need to cover up, you mutt'," Ms Bourke, who works for
2UE Radio, recounted.
["Mutt?" That's a new one.]
Iraq's Beauty Queen Resigns After
Four Days. Iraq's newly crowned beauty queen, Tamar Goregian, has decided to step
down — just four days after her election, making this the shortest reign in the pageant's
60-year history. On April 9, [she] announced her resignation after receiving threats by a
group of religious extremists who referred to her as "the queen of infidels" for participating
in the contest.
Islam's Ugly Assault on Beauty: The
collapse of the Miss World pageant in Nigeria is an important case study in the menace posed by Islamic
fundamentalism -- and the craven appeasement of Islam by the West.
Muslim world inflamed by Rushdie
knighthood. Sir Salman Rushdie celebrates his 60th birthday today in familiar circumstances:
he is once again the subject of death threats across the Islamic world. Eighteen years after the Ayatollah
Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill him, a government minister in Pakistan said yesterday that
Rushdie's recent knighthood justified suicide bombing.
Give them an inch and they will demand a mile.
Imposing Islamic law:
Maybe I should start by explaining it was the old school tie that came to mind first in the form of a new
publication on British education: namely, a 72-page manifesto (sorry, "guidance") from the Muslim
Council of Britain (MCB) on how British state schools might better accommodate children from the Muslim
community, which, according to the 2001 census, makes up 2.7 percent of the British population. Did
I say "better" accommodate their Muslim pupils? I mean, much, much better accommodate them.
Elementary School Scraps Nature Course As Pigs Enrage
Muslim Pupils. Alderman Lodewijk Asscher … told newspaper De Volkskrant: "A primary
school in Amsterdam-Noord has decided no longer to teach about living on a farm. Various pupils began
to demolish the classroom when the pig came up for discussion."
Will Saudis Ban the Letter 'X'? The letter "X"
soon may be banned in Saudi Arabia because it resembles the mother of all banned religious symbols in the oil
kingdom: the cross. The new development came with the issuing of another mind-bending fatwa, or
religious edict, by the infamous Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Don't stare at Muslims says
advice to schools. Pupils and teachers have been told by an official body not to stare at Muslims
for fear of causing offence. A document intended to educate against religious intolerance and sectarianism
urges teachers to "make pupils aware of the various forms of Islamophobia, ie stares, verbal abuse, physical
abuse".
Muslim pupils kill
teacher. Muslim pupils at a secondary school in northeastern Nigeria beat a teacher
to death today after accusing her of desecrating the Koran. Oluwatoyin Olusase, a Christian,
was adjudicating an Islamic Religious Knowledge exam at the school in Gombe state when the incident
occurred.
Stewardess 'banned
from taking bible on plane'. An air stewardess is claiming religious discrimination against an
airline which she says banned her from taking the Bible to Saudi Arabia. The stewardess has been told by
BMI that it is against the law of the insular Middle Eastern country to bring in religious books other than
the Koran.
Saudi
Police Ban Sale Of Cats And Dogs. Saudi Arabia's religious police, normally tasked with chiding
women to cover themselves and ensuring that men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target: cats
and dogs. The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, which are seen as a sign of
Western influence.
Has the
UK Taken Political Correctness Too Far? Exiting Paddington Station
and walking along Edgware Road is like a trip to Baghdad. Middle Eastern men
linger outside small cafes playing checkers and smoking fragrant tobacco from large
hookahs. A quick move south into Hyde Park reveals numerous Muslim men and their
families. On Sundays the preachers of hate rant at Speaker's Corner. Approximately
15,000 radical Islamic fanatics are imbedded within this influx of residents and visitors
to London.
Two Somalis Killed for Watching World
Cup. Hard-line Muslim fighters, who have banned watching television, opened fire after a crowd
of teenagers defied their orders to leave a hall where a businessman was showing Tuesday's Germany-Italy match
on satellite television, according to Shabelle Radio, an independent local station. It said the
businessman and a teenage girl were killed. Hard-line Muslim fighters, who wrested control of the
Somali capital from warlords in June, have forbidden people from watching television or movies in line
with their strict interpretation of Islam.
Lawmaker
Blasted as 'Islamophobic' for Criticizing Memorial Design. An Islamic advocacy group is
blasting a U.S. lawmaker for his "Islamophic" comments on the design of a memorial to the 40 people who
died when Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania farm field on Sept. 11, 2001.
Editor's Note: Where do the
Islamic "advocacy groups" find the unmitigated audacity to suggest that they are the
victims of an attack perpetrated entirely by Islamic terrorists?
Myth of the Muslim
Hate Crime Epidemic: Do you believe that a "post-September 11 backlash" has
resulted in a nationwide wave of violence and bigotry against Muslims in America? The hype
artists and book-cookers at the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) want
you to think so.
Muslims offended by 5th Avenue Apple
store. 5th Avenue Apple Store and Ka'baA Middle East research organization reports that Apple's
flagship retail store on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan is offensive to Muslims. … The report by The
Middle East Media Research Institute, a 501(c)3 organization based in Washington, D.C., states that some
Islamic Web sites take exception to Apple's cube-shaped building design and that it "constitutes a blatant
insult to Islam." The reason? Because the building resembles the Ka'ba in Mecca….
In England:
Teachers
drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims. Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons
to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Government backed study has revealed. It found some teachers are reluctant
to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial. There is also
resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades — where Christians fought Muslim armies for control
of Jerusalem — because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.
Italian
author to be tried for defaming Islam. Muslim activist Adel Smith filed a lawsuit against
[journalist Oriana] Fallaci, charging that some passages in her book, "The Strength of Reason," were
offensive to Islam.
PC Primary School Puppies.
The latest example of just how strong the political correctness movement is in Great Britain has surfaced in
Huddlesfield. Primary (elementary) school aged children were scheduled to perform "Three Little Pigs" at
the Kirklees Primary Musical Festival in June , but because the organizers feared offending Muslims
they changed the play to the "Three Little Puppies".
School Changes Name of Play to 'Three Little
Puppies' to Avoid Offending Muslims. [We can't even say "Pigs" any more?]
Speaking of pigs...
Piglet keeps Winnie the Pooh off the
air. Turkey's public television TRT, controlled by the Islamist-rooted government, has barred the
popular Walt Disney cartoon Winnie the Pooh from air because it has a piglet as one of its main heroes, the
Turkish press reported today. … Pigs are regarded as unclean by Muslims and Islam prohibits the
consumption of pork.
The Editor says...
I guess Porky Pig is out, too, along with his girlfriend, Petunia. Not to mention
Miss Piggy from the Muppets. And then there's Hamm, the talking piggy bank in
Toy Story.
The more we
appease, the more they demand. Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council has now announced that,
following a complaint by a Muslim employee, all work pictures and knick-knacks of novelty pigs and "pig-related
items" will be banned. Among the verboten items is one employee's box of tissues, because it features a
representation of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. And, as we know, Muslims regard pigs as "unclean", even
an anthropomorphised cartoon pig wearing a scarf and a bright, colourful singlet.
Update:
Turkish TV denies piglet ban. Turkey's
public broadcaster has denied reports that it has banned the popular Walt Disney cartoon "Winnie the Pooh"
because one of the main characters in the show is a piglet.
This is even more ridiculous than the objections
to Speedy Gonzales. But
wait — there's more!
Pinocchio and friends
converted to Islam. Pinocchio, Tom Sawyer and other characters have been converted to Islam in
new versions of 100 classic stories on the Turkish school curriculum. "Give me some bread, for Allah's
sake," Pinocchio says to Geppetto, his maker, in a book stamped with the crest of the ministry of
education. "Thanks be to Allah," the puppet says later.
"Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be
put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There
are no jokes in Islam. There is no humour in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun or
joy in whatever is serious."
AG files civil rights charges
in Lewiston mosque incident. A second legal complaint filed against the man accused of rolling
a frozen pig's head into a Lewiston mosque is raising the question: Will there be a
third? … Federal hate crime prosecutions in Maine are rare, but Abdi Sheikh was hopeful
that an FBI investigation into the mosque incident would lead the U.S. Attorney in Portland
to press charges.
[Muslims are quick to rely on the protection of the US government, even after declaring
a holy war on this country.]
Houston suburb in dispute over mosque
plan. A plan to build a mosque in this Houston suburb has triggered a neighborhood dispute, with
community members warning the place will become a terrorist hotbed and one man threatening to hold pig races
on Fridays just to offend the Muslims.
Update:
Muslim group not offended as Katy pig races
start. A Muslim group said it is no longer offended as Katy resident Craig Baker made good on his
promise to stage Friday pig races next door to an 11-acre property the group has purchased to build a mosque.
... About 100 people showed up for the event in the pouring rain.
The Editor says...
There is no need to be intentionally offensive to people just because their way of life is
different from our own. But it's hard to resist being spiteful to people who live in
this country and enjoy its benefits and freedoms even after they have declared a "holy war"
against us. If we make them uncomfortable, will they leave? Probably not.
Muslims are offended by the Pope
I'm not a Catholic, but really, the Pope seems like the most mild-mannered guy in the world, and
his recent comments about Islam sounded perfectly sensible to me.
We
are in a war to the death — craven concessions won't win it. The argument that the
Islamic religion is inherently violent, which the Pope was thought to have supported in his Regensburg lecture,
is academic, in both the literal and metaphorical senses. What matters for us now is that a great many
Muslims — including some enthusiastic converts who cannot even lay claim to a life history of
persecution or injustice for their beliefs — are prepared to use their religious affiliation as a
justification to commit mass murder.
Muslim states denounce pope over
remarks. Across the Islamic world yesterday, Benedict's remarks on Islam and jihad in a speech
in Germany unleashed a torrent of rage that united Shi'ites and Sunnis and threatened to burst into violent
protests like those that followed publication of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad.
[That would be real news except that the Muslims were already about to "burst into violent
protests" about something.]
Somali
cleric calls for pope's death. A prominent Somali cleric has called for Pope Benedict to be
hunted down and killed by the nearest Muslim.
This
Just In: Muslims Furious.
At least they're just asking ... so far.
Pope asked to convert to
Islam. The elder son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has called on Pope Benedict XVI to
convert to Islam immediately, dismissing last week's apology from the pontiff for offending Muslims.
[At that point, it might be necessary to ask, "Is the Pope Catholic?"]
We're already living under Muslim
law. Boy, it sure seems that the old religion of peace, Islam, is up to no good, again, what with
their latest fatwa on the Pope and our strong suspicions about having a few of their ardent adherents mow
down a nun by shooting her four times in the back.
Muslim anger spreads to South
Asia. Extremists called yesterday [9/18/2006] for an Islamic army to march on Rome because of
remarks by Pope Benedict XVI, while a well-known Muslim firebrand said in London that the pontiff should
face "capital punishment." … In London, police increased patrols near churches and began an inquiry into
remarks by Anjem Choudhary, a well-known extremist who had called at a rally outside Westminster Cathedral on
Sunday [9/17/2006] for the pope to be "executed."
Iraq al-Qaida Says Pope, West Are
Doomed. The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups
that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the
West. … "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing
acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."
The Unholy Alliance Rolls Over the
Pope. Benedict's speech is a work of enlightened genius. He has clearly laid out the
differences between Christian culture and Islamic culture and the basis of the clash of civilizations we
now experience as the War on Terror. … Islamist reaction focuses on one sentence in the speech.
Reaching back to 1391, Benedict quotes Byzantine Emperor Manuel II: "Show me just what Mohammed
brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread
by the sword the faith he preached."
A pattern of
violence and extremism. It was said after the Holocaust by those who believed in freedom,
decency and tolerance that, "We are all Jews now." After the events of the past week it is now time for
those who still believe in these virtues, irrespective of religion or race, to stand up and proudly
announce, "We are all Catholics now."
Perpetual rage
machine. The perpetually outraged motion machine that exists in the contemporary Arab-Muslim
world, fuelled by toxic fumes of indiscriminate anger and hate, is once again in rage over references to
Islam made by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Wisdom of
Benedict XVI. Contrary to his detractors, the pope is dealing in the real world. The leader
of the world's most ancient institution, one with an unbroken continuity that spans over two millennia, and a
memory to match, took a stand with his report of the dialogue between Byzantine Emperor Manuel II and
an "educated Persian" on he subject of Islam and jihad.
Mum's the Word, Lest We Provoke a
Lethal Tantrum. Clip and save, for this may come in handy: If you mock Islam with a drawing
or a novel, you get riots and dead people. News of mishandled holy books yields riots and dead people.
Insufficiently reverent short films by a Dutchman yields a dead person, specifically the Dutchman. Now we
add this detail: Quoting medieval religious colloquies is a reasonable justification for burning churches,
shooting a nun and holding up signs demanding that the pope convert to Islam or saw off his own head.
The Editor says...
If there is one word that sums up radical Islam, it is "unreasonable". Islamists
just don't seem to understand reasonableness the way the rest of us do. They will
not listen to reason, and they won't tolerate reasoned criticism.
Tolerance: A
Two-Way Street. In London, the ever-dependable radical Anjem Choudary tells demonstrators at
Westminster Cathedral that the pope is now condemned to death. In Mogadishu, Somali religious leader
Abubukar Hassan Malin calls on Muslims to "hunt down" the pope. The pope not being quite at hand, they
do the next best thing: shoot dead, execution-style, an Italian nun who worked in a children's
hospital. "How dare you say Islam is a violent religion? I'll kill you for it" is not exactly
the best way to go about refuting the charge.
A Time to Speak Out.
French philosophy teacher Robert Redeker published an article in which he characterized the Muslim prophet
Muhammad as "a merciless war chief, plunderer, slaughterer of Jews and a polygamist." Quickly he was forced
into hiding by death threats, despite the fact that many Muslims around the world seem to agree, unapologetically,
that Muhammad was just those things, as I illustrated in a recent article.
The Islamic World Owes an
Apology. One remark from the Pope brought forth an orgy of verbal violence and threat from the
Islamic world. But the Pope's scholarly discourse, however insulting it may have been interpreted to be
by Muslims, pales in comparison with the kind, scope and frequency of the verbal violence that are heaped each
day upon Jews and Israel in the Islamic world.
What Is 'Islamofascism'? "Islamic
fascists" — used by President George W. Bush for the conspirators in the alleged trans-Atlantic airline
bombing plot — and references by other prominent figures to "Islamofascism," have been met by protests from
Muslims who say the term is an insult to their religion.
Google bends over backwards to avoid offending Muslims
Google News severs
ties with sites that criticize radical Islam. Newsbusters says it has observed a pattern of
intolerance toward conservative sites that deal with radical Islam and terrorism.
Google dumps news sites that
criticize radical Islam. Search engine giant Google has cut off its news relationship with
a number of online news publications that include frank discussions of radical Islam -- the New Media
Journal becoming the latest termination, as its owner just discovered.
Google News Re-Defines
"Hate-Speech". When conservative news sites recently ran well researched and
fundamentally factual news stories about Jihadists seeking to further harm innocent Americans,
Google deemed those articles and the sites that ran them "hate speech" and is working to remove
them from the search results.
The Anti-Google
Search Engine Index. Google News and Google Search Engine are on a campaign of political
correctness that sees them denying access to their service to any website — be it news, opinion or
a hybrid of both — that dares to address the subject of radical Islam. This sets a dangerous
precedent. What will the next subject be that serves as a catalyst for Google to promote their unique
brand of corporate censorship?
The Editor says...
I invite the people at Google to remove any and all references to this web page from their search
engines, if they so desire. In operating and maintaining this web site, my goal is not to have
it become the most popular web site ever, but to be the most beneficial to those in search of the
truth. This page is here for the purpose of shining light on the evils of Islamic terrorism and
the transparent lie that "Islam is a religion of peace." The use of the term "hate speech" to
describe such criticism is a pernicious attempt to stifle the exchange of conflicting ideas.
When you use a search engine, you should expect it to produce links to a variety of web pages, including
some that contain statements with which you disagree. The decision to agree or disagree — to visit
or not to visit those sites — should be yours, not Google's. The term "hate speech", as I understand
it, is the use of dishonest verbal or written statements intended to be deliberately offensive or to
incite violence against a group of people merely because of race or religion. That is not the
purpose of this page.
One has to wonder if Google is equally vigorous in censoring "hate speech" critical of Christians
and Jews.
Google News Re-Defines
"Hate-Speech". The "new media" namely talk radio, TV punditry and the Internet, provide a vital
opportunity for the people to bypass the establishment press, search for and research their own facts and
develop their own individual opinions on the basis of truly independent information sharing.
The
Anti-Google Search Engine Index. A lengthy list of search engines that have one thing
in common: They aren't Google.
The Race for the American Mind: It
doesn't take the prescience of Nostradamus to project into the future. If political correctness continues
to capture minds and hearts, the pressure — both governmental and social — to call
truth "hate speech" and censor it will continue to grow. What happens when search engines
not only purge traditionalist dissent from their news services, but also their search results?
Somewhat related ...
Journalist Who Exposes U.N. Corruption
Disappears From Google. How big do you have to be to earn the wrath of the United Nations and
Internet giant Google? If you're journalist Matthew Lee, all it takes are some critical articles and a
scrappy little Web site. Lee is the editor-in-chief, Webmaster and pretty much the only reporter for
Inner City Press, a pint-sized Internet news operation that's taken on Goliath-sized entities like Citigroup
since 1987.
I see a pattern developing here.
Angry Christians sue
Google over internet ad. Websites selling knuckle-dusters and ouija boards, as well as dating
sites designed for married people who want to have affairs, are advertised on Google. But the company
turned down the non-denominational Christian charity that wanted to pay Google so that whenever the word
"abortion" was typed in, its link would appear on the right hand side of the screen.
Editor's note:
Apparently "knuckle-duster" is Australian slang for what we call "brass knuckles."
Google
Earth: A New Platform for Anti-Israel Propaganda. Those wishing to explore Israel in
Google Earth are immediately taken to a politically motivated narrative unrelated to their quest. Google
should remove the narrative and treat Israel as it treats every other country on the globe. The core
layer of Google Earth should be ideology free and not serve as a platform for indoctrination or a campaign to
wipe Israel off the virtual map.
Somewhat related:
Google
Shuts Down Anti-Obama Sites on its Blogger Platform. It looks like Google has officially joined the
Barack Obama campaign and decided that its contribution would be to shut down any blog on the Google owned
Blogspot.com blogging system that has an anti-Obama message.
Anti-Obama Bloggers Question Why Google Froze
Their Accounts. Some bloggers opposed to Barack Obama say they suspect Obama's
supporters — with the assistance of Google — may have tried to censor them when
the Internet giant froze their Web sites for five days last month.
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