Originally for "insulting," now for "attacking" Islam. More on this story. "French weekly censored in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria for 'attack on Islam,'" from Reporters without Borders, November 3:
Reporters Without Borders today voiced its dismay after Morocco’s communications ministry announced a ban on distribution of the international edition of the French weekly L’Express for an “attack on Islam”.That may be, but it still is, after all, the western most appendage of Dar al-Islam, where this sort of thing is beyond hackneyed.Algerian and Tunisian authorities followed suit three days after the 31 October Moroccan decision, the US news agency Associated Press reported today.
The 30 October to 5 November 2008 issue of l’Express had a cover page headlined “The shock: Jesus-Mohammed: Their journey, their message, their vision of the world”.
A ten-page article inside presented portraits of the founders of Christianity and Islam days ahead of a meeting in Rome of Muslim and Catholic dignitaries on the initiative of Pope Benoit XVI, to “promote dialogue" between the two monotheist religions.
“It is unfortunate that the communications ministry has on[c]e again chosen to resort to censorship to have a newspaper banned which was only bringing elements to the debate on an issue in the news that is of major interest to its Moroccan readers”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
“This decision is all the more surprising since the Moroccan authorities never stop describing the kingdom as an historic place of dialogue and coexistence between cultures and religions".
“It is still more unfortunate that Algiers and Tunis decided to follow in Morocco’s footsteps” it added, wondering “if the kingdom is in the process of becoming an example for the repression of press freedom in the region.”[...]No, such "sensitivity" and censorship is hardly a product of Morroco's example; rather, it is endemic to the Islamic world.
Morocco was ranked 122nd out of 173 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ world press freedom index, released on 22 October 2008.
Take a wild guess what the predominant religion of countries ranking 123-173 is? Coincidence, or has Morroco simply corrupted them too?
Oh, oh, oh............I know the answer to this one! The dominant religion in countries 123-173 is Unitarian-Universalism!
(sarcasm)
They have been given advanced country status, which will enable Moroccons to live and work in Europe.
From the article:
"the Moroccan authorities never stop describing the kingdom as an historic place of dialogue and coexistence between cultures and religions"."
Perhaps someone should remind them of the story of Ha-Tsaddiqa, Sol Hachuel, and what happened to her as a result of her conversations with her smiling Muslima false friend.
In 1834 or thereabouts.
See the front cover of Andrew Bostom's 'The legacy of Islamic antisemitism', and the essay inside, 'A Note on the Cover Art': which may also be read *here*:
http://www.andrewbostom.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=48
From that essay:
"Dehodencq's [painting] "Execution of a Moroccan Jewess" is based upon the actual execution of a Jewess from Tangier, Morocco, Sol Hachuel, believed to have occurred in 1834.
'Accused, falsely, of having become a Muslim, upon adamantly and steadfastly maintaining her Jewish faith ("A Jewess I was born, a Jewess I wish to die"), the 17 year-old [she may have been as young as 12 or 13] Sol was beheaded publicly for this contrived "apostasy" from Islam.
'A detailed, near contemporary account of Sol Hachuel's heroic martyrdom--based on eyewitness interviews --was published in 1837 by Eugenio Maria Romero."
OT a bit: shoutout to anyone here who might have contacts in musical theatre - is there any way, any way at all, that Sol's story could be brought to the attention of Stephen Sondheim? It would make a mesmerising, heartbreaking, powerfully dramatic chamber opera, with its climactic moment the point at which Sol, facing the executioner's naked sword, surrounded by a hideously ululating hate-drunken Muslim mob, chants the Shema Yisroel.
Take a wild guess what the predominant religion of countries ranking 123-173 is? Coincidence, or has Morroco simply corrupted them too?.............................
Why guess? Let's check out the Reporters Without Borders index:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders
Along with a handful of notorious authoritarian nations--mostly hardline communist, such as China, Myanmar, North Korea and Cuba, most of the worst of the worst are Muslim countries.
Soon millons of them will be bringing their historic culture of dialogue and co-existence to European cities - to claim benefits for themselves and their oversized families.
Thanks EU! Thanks for encouraging millions of Muslim to re-locate to Europe and replace its culture with Islam.