Just another example of "free speech" in the Middle East. If Christians or Jews are demeaned there is plenty of freedom of speech, but if Islam is slighted in any way there is no freedom speech. Typical hypocrisy.

Posted by: No More Spin at September 24, 2006 2:11 PM

Quite right too - when you think of the influential status of the Frankfurter Allgemeine amongst ordinary Egyptians who read fluent German............it is enough to make them flee the mosque and rush to the Coptic Church.

It is so important for the authorities to preserve Muslims in a state of childlike innocence unaware of the outside world.

Who knows in time the FAZ could become the best-selling newspaper in Egypt read by ever man woman and child as in Germany just after they finish singing Fidelio and other operas at breakfast

Posted by: Voyager at September 24, 2006 2:34 PM

It looks like free speech, free debate, free exchange of ideas scares the Muslims more than any gun, any tank, any plane, any army.

And this is the weapon the West is surrendering before everything else. No prospect of victory, even with the mightiest army, when you've laid down your ideological arms.

Posted by: ZionistYoungster at September 24, 2006 2:48 PM

This in not hipocrisy but theocracy. This is Islam. They deny their own history to make a good impression on their population.

Posted by: credit man at September 24, 2006 2:49 PM

Islam cannot live in the light of truth. Islam breaths in the darkness.

This fact shows that Islam cannot live together with others peaceful religion. Islam is not compatible with free world and democracy.

Posted by: Mohammed_Pedophiles_Club at September 24, 2006 3:27 PM

The proper title for this thread should have been: "Egypt Bans Newspapers for Claiming Water Is Wet".

Posted by: Paolo at September 24, 2006 3:58 PM

The truth will set you free and yet it appears that any mention of alllah or mohammed by any Infidel is not permitted.

Unadulterated totalitarianism run by theocrats for theocrats and of the theocrats.

mo uber alles

Posted by: lonewolf at September 24, 2006 3:58 PM

$2 billion to Egypt every year from American taxpayers. $60 billion to date.

Who will run on a platform that includes the phrase "End the Jizyah"? Who will demand an end to funding, by American taxpayers, of all those Muslim states and peoples who forgot to be born with oil, and who, instead of being the beneficiaries of the fabulous sums flowing to the rich Arabs and other Muslims from oil and gas revenues, expect us, the Infidels, to keep funding them -- even though their own belief-system teaches them to pocket whatever we offer, but to remain permanently hostile to us, not for anything we do, but because we are Infidels.

Just one candidate. Candidate for anything. "End the Jizyah." Perhaps a certain contest in Minneapolis would be the place to start.

Posted by: Hugh at September 24, 2006 4:18 PM

Goes to show the hyporcacy of Islam itself. Islam calls for death if you attack it in any way, but it is A OK to attack non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians.

Posted by: bigcatgirl13106 at September 24, 2006 4:35 PM

Tunisia has also banned Le Figaro. Presumably the same article that offended here is the same one that offended in Egypt. Galliawatch has the story and some excerpts.
(Scroll down)

http://galliawatch.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Silvester at September 24, 2006 5:06 PM

The stunning part of this story is that two Islamist publications, Le Figaro and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, dared to publish such an article. Heads must roll in these Marxist word mills.

* 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 ** 33:21 *

Yeah, that's right. I used the word Islamist after two years of demanding a defnition for this murky, skanky phrase. Turnabout is fair play.

Every heard of a Buddhistist or a Hinduist?

We all know why all the conjugation. Everybody is afraid to admit the truth. To call them what they are: Moslems.

Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at September 24, 2006 5:22 PM

I'm assuming that they are talking about Arabic translations of these magazines - after all, how many in Egypt read French or German? If that's the case, the editorials of these magazines should blame the translation to Arabic, claiming that if the Quran has faulty translations due to the untranslatability of Arabic, then conversely, statements and articles in French and German, when translated into Arabic, lose their meaning.

If however, they are reading these in the original language - Tunisians do know French, after all - then claim that when the article is mentally translated by Arabs into - would you know it - Arabic, then they are again attempting to do these impossible translations, and should avoid reading offensive statements, regardless of whether or not they are made.

Posted by: Infidel Pride at September 24, 2006 6:24 PM

Looks like Information Minister Anus el-Feki realizes just how weak Islam is. When Egyptians realize that their ancestors were forcibly converted at the point of an Arab sword, they just might return to their Coptic roots.

By the way, I think my transliteration of Mr. el-Feki's first name is more accurate than Reuters.

Posted by: Provoslavni at September 24, 2006 7:23 PM

Maybe it should be tranliterated as Anus I'll-F@ckee!

Sorry for being so crass... but I can't help it on this one.

Posted by: Provoslavni at September 24, 2006 7:25 PM

There's a lot of (valid) complaints here about the inability of Muslims to access points of view critical of Islam. What I don't see is anyone offering a way to break through the censorship and speak, argue, yell, and scream at the population that remains under Islamic control. Anyone?

Posted by: bluezion at September 24, 2006 7:33 PM

And of cause the Information Minister now will make sure that any paper that "calls for hatred or contempt" of Judaism will not enter Egypt or be published there. So all printing industry workforce will be laid out, and flocks of flying pigs will be nesting on the steps of the Piramides.

Posted by: Terry Crane at September 24, 2006 7:55 PM

Does that mean that the Koran will also be banned in Egypt? After all Mohammed himself said that people must either surrender or be attacked. Sounds a lot like the spread of Islam by the sword to me.

Posted by: Maggie4Life at September 24, 2006 8:10 PM

The Egyptian agency said: "The minister of information said that he would not allow any publication that insults the Islamic religion or calls for hatred or contempt of any religion to be distributed inside Egypt."
...............

*Any* religion? I suppose we'll soon see an end to those anti-Semitic mini-series and sales of "the Protocols of the Elders of Zion" banned any day now, also.

Infidelpride wrote:

I'm assuming that they are talking about Arabic translations of these magazines - after all, how many in Egypt read French or German?
.............

Very few, but I would rather doubt that these magazinesare available in Arabic translation (I tried doing a Google search--doesn't look hopeful). A few years ago I read that there have been fewer books translated into Arabic in the past 1000 years than were translated into Spanish from other languages in *just one year*. Translations to and from French and English are even more brisk.

Two things : I think the Egyptian government wants to make it as difficult as possible for any of their citizens to learn anything, and I think they want to stand up as "defenders of the Prophet" as a bulwark against criticism from groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that they are not "Islamic" enough.

Posted by: gravenimage at September 24, 2006 8:23 PM

Ouch! The truth hurts!

However, nothing a little censorship can't cure.

Typical Islamic mushroom management.

Posted by: WillPower at September 24, 2006 9:18 PM

"There's a lot of (valid) complaints here about the inability of Muslims to access points of view critical of Islam. What I don't see is anyone offering a way to break through the censorship and speak, argue, yell, and scream at the population that remains under Islamic control. Anyone? " by bluezion

Print the articles in the next issue of Penthouse!

Posted by: WillPower at September 24, 2006 9:23 PM

This ban means nothing. Most Egyptians probably wouldn't want to read these papers anyway. Of course it's not surprising that these papers are banned, since they mentioned that unmentionable topic of recent weeks-violence as Islam's tool. As they say, the truth hurts.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at September 24, 2006 10:45 PM

Good God, muslims brag about muhammad's conquests and genocides, especially when they're threatening to conquer the West and convert or kill us all! Muslims never cease to utterly astound me!

One can deny history, but denial of the facts will not change them. Muslims are delusional, irrational lunatics. The hideous truth about islam is obviously reserved for muslim ears only. If they're ashamed of islam's malevolent past, why do they boast about it and threaten to repeat it?

Posted by: Susanp at September 24, 2006 11:15 PM

Good God, muslims brag about muhammad's conquests and genocides, especially when they're threatening to conquer the West and convert or kill us all! Muslims never cease to utterly astound me! Susanp

These guys take great pride in their work. The only thing that does astound me regarding these crackpots is the fact that Iran's I'm A Nut Job hasn't yet built a Dachau for his non-Muslims in order to carry on the fine work of his idol.

But then again,he might be in his "the Holocaust never happened" mindset again. One can never tell with this maniac.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at September 24, 2006 11:49 PM

They published articles which disparaged Islam and claimed that the Islamic religion was spread by the sword and that the prophet ... was the prophet of evil
funny how islam cant stand to have the light of truth and has to ban the papers that are telling the truth abot the cult of islam and its founder

Posted by: islamakapigeaters at September 25, 2006 2:27 AM

The LIGHT OF TRUTH is to pislam what
SUNLIGHT is to a nest of VAMPIRES.

Posted by: germaninamerica at September 29, 2006 6:46 PM

Just one candidate. Candidate for anything. "End the Jizyah." Perhaps a certain contest in Minneapolis would be the place to start.

I am sorry, Hugh, that contest in Minneapolis comment went over my head.

I am in total agreement with the "end the jizyah" candidate you are looking for. This candidate should also call for an END of all moslem immigration. AND for securing the borders ASAP. TAke our troops home and put them on the borders. Secure any dangerious mosbots living inside the USA. If any country complains.. we offer these countries they can have them and they must take care of them. hehehe..

Once we do this here.. the Euros will take a deep breath.. and FOLLOW us. They won't have a choice. Imagine the muftis rioting in Paris and Rome, in London and Berlin and elsewhere if the USA actually went ahead and did what needs to be done!

Needless to say, the citizens of Europe will have to STAND up and DEMAND of their governments to take action.

Besides.. our governments act most to economic issues.. so if the muftis threaten the economy too much where they are living as parasites.. these governments will ACT!

sorry for my convoluted English here.

Posted by: germaninamerica at September 29, 2006 6:58 PM