See how many things fall under the rubric of “insulting Islam”? This is why it’s so dangerous for Western entities even to consider tailoring hate speech laws to cover these alleged insults — it could turn out that simply having a different creed will one day be perceived as such an “insult.”
“Indonesian officials warn sect members to return to mainstream Islam,” by Niniek Karmini for AP, June 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Members of a Muslim sect have been ordered by the government to return to mainstream Islam or face possible imprisonment for insulting the country’s predominant religion.
A document signed Monday by two Cabinet ministers and the attorney general «warns and orders all Ahmadiyah followers to stop their activities» or face up
to five years in prison.Indonesia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but many in the nation of 235 million consider it offensive that the sect does not recognize Muhammad as the only prophet.
The measure falls short of the outright ban being called for by fundamentalists, but could be interpreted as a failure by the government to uphold the nation’s secular values and protect the rights of minorities….
Yes, it could be!