1984 took a little longer to get here but here it is.

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 7:42 AM

"What an absurdity: courts ruling about what offends Muslims and what doesn't. Why not instead uphold the principle of freedom of speech? Abandoning it leads inevitably to these tragicomic scenarios. "

....Indeed!....and agreed....

...What do the courts say about the anti Jewish/Christian speech heard and billboards displayed in Muslim Countries (such as Iran).

In Teheran, the government has sanctioned billboards showing Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and a message that it is the duty of Muslims to "wipe out" Israel. Doesn' this action offend Jews?.....

....What do the courts say regarding those Muslims that are holocaust deniers?....don't these people offend Jews and NonMuslims?....

....What do the courts say regarding those Islamic Billboards that proclaim "America is Satan..."...Doesn't this offend Americans...

....and then there was the Canadian billboard Incident:

"Canadians are honoring Hassan Nasrallah the leader of Hezbollah an organization that killed 241 American servicemen in Beirut in 1983.

One of the people responsible for a controversial billboard depicting Hezbollah's leader said they did it to honour their freedom fighting families back home -- and it's their Canadian right to do so.

"In Canada we want peace," said Hussein Dabaja, a Lebanese-born Hezbollah supporter. "We're not trying to offend anybody. We have freedom of speech. It's a free country. We can do anything. Every Lebanese in Canada has somebody that died in Lebanon, the freedom fighters. Who is Hezbollah? Our brothers, our family, our parents, our friends. We came to Canada and they stayed there to fight."

The billboard went up Friday in Windsor...."

...shouldn't this offend Americans and Canadians?.....

...how about cartoons appearing in Muslim newspapers:

"The Arab Media's Portrayal of Jews

Posted: February 7, 2006

The extreme reaction to the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in the European press has led to death threats, rioting and targeting of Danish and other European embassies and institutions throughout the Muslim world.

At the same time, some Muslim and Arab newspapers and Web sites have ratcheted up their publication of cartoons with virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Israel themes:

The Web site of the Arab-European League has published several stridently anti-Jewish cartoons – including one showing the Holocaust diarist Anne Frank in bed with Hitler – supposedly in an attempt to show Europeans what can happen when the freedom of the press in their societies is taken too far.

A newspaper in Bahrain printed a cartoon with Danish cheese shaped like a Star of David in an attempt to blame the controversy on a so-called "Zionist penetration" in Denmark.

The Hamshahri newspaper, a large circulation daily in Tehran, announced a deliberately inflammatory contest to find and publish the 12 "best" cartoons about the Holocaust.
Anti-Semitism in the Muslim and Arab press is hardly a new phenomenon. In newspapers throughout the Muslim and Arab world, Jews are routinely depicted in editorial cartoons as controlling, manipulative killers who are working to undermine the Islamic world and to kill Arabs. The caricatures show Jews as Nazi-like, hooked nosed and clad in stereotypical black hats and beards. "

....should not these cartoons be deemed "Offensive" by the courts.....

....it is time to quit submitting to Islamic demands....it is time to regain control of civilization.....before civilization is allowed to retreat back to the 7th century....

>..Ban Muslim Immigration....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at January 24, 2008 8:04 AM

Being offensive is now a crime? Gee, great idea to make such a legal precedent. With these muslims no doubt offending the person who they say offended them because they did the highly offensive act of taking him to court because they were offended that means, according to such a legal precedent, everyone is offending everyone else so that means everyone is a criminal and gets to go to jail. Then, with everyone in jail there are no more innocent people left to be prison guards and everyone can make a break for freedom.

Posted by: ausinfidel at January 24, 2008 8:09 AM

Who is going to file suit that publication of the koran offends infidels? Perhaps infidels should sue back? Don't infidels have rights also to not be insulted?

Our values are being challenged. Muslims make a mockery of them because of the special respect the west affords religion. In order to deal with islam perhaps the world needs to distinguish between "political islam" and "islam", rendering "political islam" a crime. Anyone advocating "political islam" (i.e. a community to be governed by sharia, no separation of mosque and state) should be treated as a criminal, sort of like Turkey used to do. Mosques who have immams who refuse to denounce jihad should be shut down. This should be handled like McArthur handled Shintoism in the Japanese constitution. Political Shintoism was made illegal.

Curiously, there is precedent to limiting freedom of religion in the post World War II treatment of Shintoism. Perhaps this is how the conflict of East and West should be handled toady. If an immam will not denounce the construction of the caliphate today, he should be treated as the criminal he is.

Posted by: David England at January 24, 2008 8:23 AM

"Who is going to file suit that publication of the koran offends infidels? Perhaps infidels should sue back? Don't infidels have rights also to not be insulted?"

Thats been my take. If this guy goes to court, I would bring a Qur'an and start quoting verse after verse and demand that the Qur'an be labeled a hate crime.

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 8:31 AM

Why do they care whether someone is "offended" or not?

Posted by: darcy at January 24, 2008 8:39 AM

"Why do they care whether someone is "offended" or not?"

They only care if Muslims are offended and why they care is because of their "explosive" temper.

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 8:41 AM

Hi Elric.

Also, Mohammed was a Terrorist, so -hello- the link is 100% appropriate!

Posted by: darcy at January 24, 2008 8:56 AM

Hello Darcy,

Mo-bomb-ed was the original Islamic terrorist

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 9:01 AM

Good one, Elric. So true. So true.

Posted by: darcy at January 24, 2008 9:04 AM

Is it a crime now to insult Islam, or draw a link between Islam and terror, or Islam and just about everything negative?

So if Geerts Wilders was in Paris showing his movie, would he be charged?

Posted by: Sneakyzionistcrusader at January 24, 2008 9:12 AM

Nevermind, it was a civil suit....he wouldnt ' be charged but can he be sued for showing his movie there or in France?

Posted by: Sneakyzionistcrusader at January 24, 2008 9:13 AM

Haul him before the Hurt Feelings Commission.

I wonder if Muslims who feel so persecuted would agree these cartoons are offensive?

I think I know the answer.

http://somebodyhelpme.info/cartoons/anti-Semitic/anti-Semitic.html

Posted by: Sounder at January 24, 2008 9:30 AM

Anti_Dhimmi award

http://www.weaselzippers.net/blog/2008/01/political-tv-ho.html#comments

"So if Geerts Wilders was in Paris showing his movie, would he be charged?"

Absolutely

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 9:37 AM

...links between Islam and terrorism?......

....Muslims brought that to my attention....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at January 24, 2008 9:43 AM

You are right, Robert, the courts should rule that Islam and the Muslims may indeed be insulted and that they are invited to shovel that up theirs.

Posted by: FreeSpeech at January 24, 2008 9:49 AM

In a democracy that values free speech and expression, you do not have the right NOT to be offended.

Sorry.

You could always move back to a nice nonoffensive Islamic "republic" of your choice. You can kill your daughters, beat your wife (or wives), hate the infidels and nobody will "offend" you. It's almost like Paradise, except there aren't as many raisins.

Now I've got to run since I seem to feel the sudden need to offend someone.

Posted by: tanstaafl at January 24, 2008 10:21 AM

Notice that in legal tagles such as this one address no what's true, but only who's offended, by what, and how much.

The truth obviously doesn't matter to the whining Moslems, nor to their lawyers.

But you'd think the judges would always accord primacy to the truth. Yet, when confronted by whining Moslems, the judges invariably soil their diapers, flinch, and then fold.

Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at January 24, 2008 10:28 AM

Going after Charlie Hebdo is a tactical error on the part of Muslim groups in France that thereby look self-evidently ludicrous. "Mock on, mock on, Voltaire, Rousseau" is a tradition not lightly to be tampered with. The bringers of a plaint or complaint will regret they chose to tangle with Philippe Val.

Posted by: Hugh at January 24, 2008 11:22 AM

parley vous Arabic?

Posted by: lonewolf at January 24, 2008 11:27 AM

I don't know why anyone would be surprised by this article. This is nothing more than socialism. The fight against islam is not just islam alone. It is also against socialism. Under socialism you DO have a right to NOT be offended. Fortunately we have been pretty successful here in the States in avoiding this blight. Not entirely successful by any means, but not succumbing either. How many elections are we away from socialism, one, two, etc. Any attempt by a government to "make life easier," infringes on our God-given rights or human rights. Thus we have the government telling us what we can and cannot say because it might offend someone or some group. The advent of PC is just one step in the journey towards serfdom. So, the fact that a publisher/editor is being tried for reprinting the Dutch cartoons is no surprise to me. Socialism is a juvenile ideology. It should die as people grow up. But alas we try to extend our "childhood." So don't be surprised at this attempt to limit free speech. It is but a by-product of a failed ideology. It is a two front "war".

Posted by: Kevin at January 24, 2008 11:53 AM

"The Paris Grand Mosque accepted the ruling, but the Union of Islamic Organisations of France (UOIF) decided to appeal, later joined by the World Muslim League (WML).

"At the start of Wednesday's hearing however, the appeal court ruled that the Saudi-based WML was not admissible as a civil plaintiff, leaving the UOIF as the sole plaintiff."

Whose lawyers, without doubt, are still being paid by the Saudis with the oil booty they brusquely refused President Bush's recent plea to reduce.

In this connection, a passage from the Coughlin thesis seems apropos:

"There is every indication that jihadis take the information thing very seriously. They plan to win it. They expect to win it. They may be winning it. A leading indicator that a country may be targeted by such an information campaign could be, for example, when a non-Muslim country feels compelled to use language of heightened deference to issues relating to Islam that it does not afford its own culturally equivalent symbols on threat of violence." (p. 316)

The crucially important Coughlin thesis, which got its author purged from the Department of Defense, may be accessed at:

http://www.strategycenter.net/docLib/20080107_Coughlin_ExtremistJihad.pdf

Print it. Read it. Pass it on.

Posted by: Papa Whiskey at January 24, 2008 1:03 PM

"Don't infidels have rights also to not be insulted?"

Not in the context of Reverse Racism -- i.e., of Third World peoples getting back at Western whites for the "crimes" of Western Imperialism & Racism (+ post-Colonialist "meddling", with its allegedly persistent overtones of racism, in the Third World).

Reverse Racism is a one-way street: only one of the sides has the privilege of being "offended", and of seeking and too often getting restitution for whatever "offense" is perceived.

Generally speaking, in the Muslim mind, the "racism" of Reverse Racism relates to the Master Race of Believers -- not a biological race, but an ideological race created by Islam, according to which Mankind is divided into two races: Muslims and Infidels.

In the minds of the PC enablers of the Islamic agenda (who while they enable it don't really know the virulently anti-Liberal letter & spirit of it), however, the "racism" of the Reverse Racism mechanism relates to the fact that the vast majority of Muslims of the world are non-whites and non-Westerners, and so in the minds of the PC enablers, this becomes an issue where "racism" becomes relevant (even if, for example, they sometimes have to do torturous mental gymnastics to explain a black woman like Ayaan Hirsi Ali condemning Islam -- no matter, PC enablers are so good at such gymnastics they could win the Gold Medal at the Olympics).

Unfortunately, the PC enablers of Islam are dominant in the West, not marginal, and include most people on the Right and Center, not merely Leftists.

Posted by: cantor at January 24, 2008 1:49 PM

Parliamentarian Geert Wilders spoke to FOX News about the documentary, insisting the Muslim holy book is dangerous and should be banned.

"I believe the Koran is, indeed, 'Mein Kampf.' They are the same package," Wilders said. "I believe that our culture is far better than the retarded Islamic culture."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325305,00.html

Quote of the year, hands down.

Posted by: Elric66 at January 24, 2008 2:02 PM

The word "offended" ranks high on the list of a word most often used by Islamists/Muslims.

"So what" ranks high on my list.

Posted by: champ at January 24, 2008 3:55 PM

In a related story, members of I-MeRD, Institute Metropolitain Recherche D'Hygiene, (largest sewer workers union in Paris), have lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Thought claiming a fascist and disrespectful campaign is being conducted associating stinky smells with sewage.

Ministers are seriously evaluating whether cruel jokes, nose-pinchings, wrinkly grimaces, and other gestures of passers by on the streets of Paris indicate an organized, discriminatory and illegal violation of the rights of MeRd members.

Posted by: jsla at January 24, 2008 4:55 PM

Oh Happy Day!

absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
cry for the poor terrorists

they're just mommies and daddies
living in the suburbs

http://absurdthoughtsaboutgod.blogspot.com

http://haltterrorism.com
.

Posted by: USpace at January 24, 2008 7:28 PM

Yes, we cannot discuss Islam in any manner other than to praise it. Does Christianity, Judaism, and other faiths get this sort of consideration? The simple answer to that is no, they do not. Why should Muslim sensibilities be given such careful consideration? Is France now enforcing Sharia law?

Posted by: Worry01 at January 24, 2008 7:29 PM

Hugh: Your quote from William Blake reminded me of a most apposite part of that short poem -

"And every sand becomes a Gem
Reflected in the beams divine;
Blown back they blind the mocking Eye,
But still in Israel's paths they shine"

- and of three great quotes from Voltaire (memorised, I'm afraid, so I can no longer tell you - off the top of my head - just which of his works they come from) -

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too."

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

Posted by: OliverPCamford at January 24, 2008 9:55 PM

ISLAM: the miracle skin-thinning religion.

Over 1.2 Billion Offended.

Posted by: profitsbeard at January 25, 2008 12:09 AM

""drew an offensive link between Islam and terrorism"

...is someone is offended by the truth?.....

Posted by: exsgtbrown at January 25, 2008 1:02 PM

In a related story, members of Metropolitain Reserche D'Hygiene, (MeRDe, the largest union of Parisian Sewer Workers) stormed the Ministry of Thought today protesting the increasing fascist tendency to associate bad smells with sewers. Their working environment is becoming quite hostile, members complained.

They say incidents of nose crinklings, pinched nostrils, and silly jokes about poo poo and other such fare constitute hate crimes against MeRDe members. Fascist incidents of intolerance towards sewer perfumes have been on the rise in recent years, according to MeRDe spokesman, Pepe LePew.

Posted by: jsla at January 25, 2008 4:44 PM

How many elections are we away from socialism, one, two, etc.

One with Obama in the White House.

Posted by: Aunt Bea at January 25, 2008 6:54 PM