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Paul Sheehan in the Sydney Morning Herald (thanks to JE) discusses the larger implications of the Redeker case: "To judge from this response, large sectors of the French intellectual and political establishment have carved out an exception to the hard-won tradition of open discussion: when it comes to Islam, as opposed to Christianity or Judaism, freedom of speech must respect definite limits."
Last September Robert Redeker, a French high-school philosophy teacher and author of several scholarly books, published an opinion piece in Le Figaro entitled "What should the free world do in the face of Islamist intimidation?"His piece concluded that while Judaism and Christianity are religions whose rites reject and delegitimise violence, Islam is a religion that, in its own sacred text, as well as in its everyday rites, exalts violence and hatred.
The article was posted on the internet, translated into Arabic, and widely distributed. Within a day, it was being condemned on Al-Jazeera TV and the offending issue of Le Figaro was banned in Egypt and Tunisia. Redeker received a large number of threatening emails. He was condemned to death on one Muslim site, which posted his address and a photograph of his home.
Redeker and his family went into hiding. Five months later they are still living in secrecy. Christian Delacampagne, writing in the latest issue of Commentary magazine, describes how the French reacted: "The communist mayor of Redeker's town condemned him, the headmaster of his school complained that he had included his affiliation at the end of the article, France's two largest teachers' unions, both socialist, issued statements saying they did not share Redeker's convictions. The leading leftist human-rights organisations denounced his irresponsible declarations and putrid ideas. The French Education Minister, Gilles de Robien, criticised Redeker.
"The editorial board of Le Monde, France's newspaper of record, characterised Redeker's piece as excessive, misleading and insulting. It called his remarks about Muhammad a blasphemy. To judge from this response, large sectors of the French intellectual and political establishment have carved out an exception to the hard-won tradition of open discussion: when it comes to Islam, as opposed to Christianity or Judaism, freedom of speech must respect definite limits.
"How did France reach this point?"
The last time France was faced with a large-scale threat from something similar - fascism - it reacted with denial, defeat and accommodation. Parallels are drawn by an American writer living in Europe, Bruce Bawer, whose book While Europe Slept describes rapidly growing Muslim enclaves across Western Europe in which women are oppressed, homosexuals are persecuted, infidels are threatened, Jews are demonised, "honour" killings are frequent, forced marriages are routine, and freedom of speech and religion are repudiated. European political and media establishments turn a blind eye to this in the name of an illusory multicultural harmony.
"Europe's media, when confronted with events or statements that vividly illuminate the goals of Muslim leaders and agitators, either don't report on them or edit out key facts," Bawer wrote recently on his website.
The same is largely true, of course, in the United States. Read it all.
Posted by Robert at February 5, 2007 5:18 AM
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When a leftist intellectual says "I disagree with what you say, but will fight to the death for your right to say it" (a quote from Voltaire, I believe), count your spoons. The Redeker case shows how much this is the case.
Posted by: Kepha![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 5, 2007 6:34 AM
Islam hates the truth...let's keep putting the truth out to all who will listen...Islam quivers in the face of the truth...The best way to deal with a school bully is to confront him, punch him in nose if necessary..
Posted by: exsgtbrown at February 5, 2007 8:17 AM
February 05, 2007
"Appeasement takes hold again in Europe"
Wow!!! That is breaking news!!! Personaly, I wasn't aware it ever left.
at February 5, 2007 8:44 AM
Martel - the swine must be turning in his grave! He hated Pagans also - it was "my way or the highway" for him." :^)
Posted by: allat at February 5, 2007 10:33 AM
BTW could someone give me a lead to that mentioned article ?
Posted by: allat at February 5, 2007 10:34 AM
France is doomed by its own leaders. People of France, you'd do well to prepare your self for the deluge, as the Sun King said....
Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at February 5, 2007 11:43 AM
Off Topic but still France related. On the 7th of February the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is being taken to court by the Mosquée de Paris, the UOIF (an islamic organisation close to the muslim brotherhood) and the International Muslim League, a wahabite organisation.
Charlie Hebdo published the Danish cartoons and added fuel to the fire by publishing a cartoon of its own where Mohammed complains how difficult it is to be loved by idiots "C'est dur d'être aimé par des cons".
The magazine is being sued for having publicly insulted muslims.
The court case is taking place in the 17th Court of Paris which is always unpredictable. For example, Michel Houellebecq who said in a interview that islam was 'the stupidest of religions' won his case.
In the same court, in a completely different case, Charles Enderlien, the France 2 TV journalist who refused to hand over the video tapes that would have proved that the Al Dura killing was a fiction, won his case against the jewish organisations that tried to sue him.
So its anyones anyone's guess how Charlie Hebdo will emerge from this.
Posted by: Sebastien at February 5, 2007 11:58 AM
The source for my post above is here http://www.france-echos.com/actualite.php?cle=11754
In reply to Plague above, I beieve many are aware of the problems but don'tknow what to do about it. Like alcoholics that need to hit rock bottom, France is getting quite close to this state. When the state is longer able to pay its bills then the problems will really start. Not being able to pay for the pensions is not a real problem as pensioners don't riot, neither do the unemployed so the state can possibly stop paying them as well.
The real fun starts when money stops being pumped into the suburbs. The youths, who only last week set up a diversion on a freeway exit so that cars would drive straight into a neighbourhood where a hundred hooded zombies lay in wait for them with rocks, are itching for the big push into the wealthy neighbourhoods.
Other than having a few months supply of food and water, and a certain abilty to defend my family when the 'merde' starts flying I don't have any spcific plans.
Posted by: Sebastien at February 5, 2007 12:31 PM
The difference is that Nazism was a recognisable enemy that could be militarily defeated. Ok, not by the French, but others.
Posted by: Celsius at February 5, 2007 12:50 PM
I disagree with what you say, but will fight to the death for your right to say it" (a quote from Voltaire, I believe),
Posted by: Kepha
This line is often attributed to Voltaire, but no one ever seems able to cite exactly where he said. It's doubtful that he said or thought it, since he wasn't all that tolerant of others' ideas.
And it was the Sun King's great-grandson, Louis XV, who said "apres-moi, le deluge."
at February 5, 2007 1:56 PM
Islam is also a recognisable enemy that can be defeated just kicked every muslim out of our countries.
Europe will decend into hell within 50 yrs,it,s is interesting if the French will stand up and fight when the day comes or cower.
Posted by: stevenz at February 5, 2007 1:58 PM
France is a good looking whore who operates under the delusion that she 'picks the customers to fuck' when it's the other way around.
at February 5, 2007 3:12 PM
Ebonystone - I stand corrected. It wasn't the sun king... I should have checked my facts.
I like France, I've been there. Paris is beautiful. It makes me angry when I think how it's all going to slip away for a while when the country goes dark. I just hope all the artwork is saved from those muslims who will rampage and destroy every priceless thing they have access to.
To watch this makes me ill.
at February 5, 2007 6:00 PM
France is a good looking whore who operates under the delusion that she 'picks the customers to fuck' when it's the other way around.
Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses
kinda like israelis giving blowjobs to paliestinians in exchange for peace. its insane.
at February 5, 2007 6:22 PM
More from France:
Posted by: ummahnewslinks at February 5, 2007 7:13 PM
"The real fun starts when money stops being pumped into the suburbs. The youths, who only last week set up a diversion on a freeway exit so that cars would drive straight into a neighbourhood where a hundred hooded zombies lay in wait for them with rocks, are itching for the big push into the wealthy neighbourhoods."
Link to this story please, Sebastien!!
at February 5, 2007 11:19 PM
Hi Armalite, Here is the link http://sosfrance.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10943&start=45
This site updates daily so you can follow the collapse of France in real time.
A lot of stuff you never find out anything about. Last night for example, line 9 of the Paris metro was out of action because of an attack on a driver. I only know about it because I was in the underground when the announcement was made.
Posted by: Sebastien at February 6, 2007 4:49 AM
... how the French reacted: "The communist mayor of Redeker's town condemned him, the headmaster of his school complained that he had included his affiliation at the end of the article, France's two largest teachers' unions, both socialist, issued statements saying they did not share Redeker's convictions. The leading leftist human-rights organisations denounced his irresponsible declarations and putrid ideas. The French Education Minister, Gilles de Robien, criticised Redeker.
So there you have it: Western civilization would doom itself out of politeness.
Politeness to an ideology, Islam, than by its very essence is a direct threat, a vile insult, a near assault.
What could be more irresponsible and putrid than Islam? Moslems are always cashing checks on the accounts of their more civilized neighbors, for they are morally and ethically bankrupt, as the Koran and Sunnah dictate.
Until the world learns what Islam is, there can be no hope to stop it.
Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at February 6, 2007 5:42 AM
Throughout history, from Neville Chamberlain and others, appeasement always gets more people killed than standing up to tyranny.
Posted by: moderationist at February 6, 2007 6:15 AM
Appeasement never works....Ban Muslim Immigration NOW...
Posted by: exsgtbrown at February 6, 2007 6:31 AM
Sebastian, can you please tell us more from SOSFrance? Is it possible for them to translate it into English?
Posted by: Voltaire
at February 6, 2007 7:17 AM
Hi Voltaire
Translating can be quite a time consuming task once I did take it upon myself to translate an article and send it in to JW/DW. As the article didn't appear I didn't continue. However I do occasionally do a summary of something I read and introduce it as a OT comment.
SOS France catalogues the daily stabbings, riots, murders, bus burnings, carbeques, school bullying and other islamotreats that don't make it into the generalised media.
A blogger called Tiberge has an excellent blog at http://galliawatch.blogspot.com where he posts translations and comments on French news.
Posted by: Sebastien at February 6, 2007 8:23 AM
Thank you.
Posted by: Voltaire at February 6, 2007 8:45 AM
To see how even 98% of the Chinese are being forced to pander to the 2% who might be offended at the upcoming "Year of the Pig" adverts, check this out:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7213210
at February 6, 2007 12:37 PM
Do not forget in this story that many people stood up to support Redecker also. Of course, many of the people who should have supported him just played their good dhimmi role but some intellectuals did what is expected from them.
Fight is hard and will be so for a while but the war is not lost far of it.
at February 7, 2007 8:43 AM
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