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Denmark: Royal Theater in Copenhagen cancels “Satanic Verses” play to avoid offending Muslims

May 27, 2016 9:24 am By Robert Spencer

On September 11, 2001, Mohamed Atta told passengers on the hijacked jetliner racing toward the Twin Towers in New York: “Just stay quiet and you’ll be okay….Nobody move. Everything will be okay. If you try to make any moves, you’ll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.”

Atta’s words are emblematic of the global effort to destroy the freedom of speech, the fundamental bulwark against tyranny and the foundation of any free society. The war against free speech has been going on for decades. In 1989, the mullahs of the Islamic Republic of Iran declared war on this fundamental freedom when the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death fatwa against Rushdie for his supposed blasphemy in The Satanic Verses. Rushdie went into hiding and was hailed in the West as a hero, a living martyr for the freedom of speech.

That was then. A lot has changed since 1989. When on May 3, 2015, two jihad terrorists traveled from Phoenix, Arizona to Garland, Texas in order to commit mass murder at our American Freedom Defense Initiative’s Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest, my colleague and fellow organizer of the event, Pamela Geller, was harshly criticized on both the Left and the Right (her critics included Donald Trump, Bill O’Reilly and Laura Ingraham). Few stood up for the freedom of speech; most took it for granted that Americans should curb their expression to avoid offending Muslims.

From Rushdie to Garland was a steep descent. Rushdie was hailed as a hero; Geller was excoriated — for doing the same thing. The victory of the foes of the freedom of speech is almost complete. Either America and the West will stand now against attempts to suppress the freedom of speech by violence, or will submit and give the violent the signal that we can be silenced by threats and murder. Right now it looks as if submission is the West’s choice.

salman-rushdie-fatwa

“Copenhagen Caves In: Danes Cancel ‘Satanic Verses’ Play to Please Muslims,” Russia’s state-run Sputnik, May 26, 2016 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

After six months of deliberations, the Royal Theater in Copenhagen has decided against a play based on the Indian-British author Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel “The Satanic Verses”. For many, this reflects how Denmark is pandering to its growing Muslim population, and it is a painful reminder of Rushdie’s troubled relationship with Denmark.

Playwright Hassan Preisler, who is behind the idea of turning Rushdie’s 1988 novel into a play, believes that the national theatre is simply afraid to stage the performance because of its anti-Islamic sentiment and the possible storm it may stir.Morten Kirkskov, head of the theater’s dramatic department, who as late as January this year got in touch with Rushdie’s literary agent about copyright issues, said that fear had nothing to do with the decision.

“Fear played no role in our decision,” Kirkskov assured Danish Radio. “It never crossed our mind.”

Even theater director Morten Hesseldahl guaranteed that the decision was not dictated by the still-boiling controversy surrounding “The Satanic Verses.”

“The world is full of controversial books. Just because a book is controversial and some say it is, it would not prevent us from staging it anyway. In this case, we have simply decided to set up two other novels in this period,” Hesseldahl said, as quoted by the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

Incidentally, this is not the first incident to have soured Rushdie’s relationship with Denmark. In late 1996, the Indian-born author was due to visit Copenhagen but then-prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen canceled the visit due to security reasons. Rasmussen’s decision was derided by Rushdie and others as far-fetched and made-up in order to secure a lucrative Danish cheese export deal to Iran, where a death warrant has been issued for the novelist. Rasmussen’s revocation was challenged by British intelligence, which stated that Rushdie did not pose a threat.This was regarded as a massive political blunder by Rasmussen, who later publicly apologized to Rushdie and re-invited the author back to Copenhagen. Rushdie triumphantly returned a few months later, humiliating Rasmussen by appearing in public drinking beer and clearly unconcerned about any security risk….

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Filed Under: Denmark, dhimmitude, Featured, free speech Tagged With: Salman Rushdie, Satanic Verses


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Comments

  1. concerned canadian says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:34 am

    those chicks look like witches

    • linnte says

      May 27, 2016 at 2:08 pm

      From the standpoint of a former Pagan witch, I resent that remark! Hahahaha! No, just kidding. But if you knew all the “witches” I know, your comparison is really really far fetched. Hahaha! Witches of today look like any other normal person. ?

      • Politicallyincorrectistruth says

        May 28, 2016 at 5:31 am

        You need serious mental help.

        • linnte says

          May 28, 2016 at 11:01 am

          Whether you like it or not, there are thousands upon thousands of Wiccan people in the West. They are non violent people who respect life and the environment. They believe in God in a myriad of different ways. Some speak out against organized religion, most do not. Most don’t give a rat’s puckie about other peoples beliefs because they concentrate on personal growth, not their neighbors beliefs. Reverence for LIFE is the common thread among Witches/Wiccans, and how life is God.

          Your intolerant attitude is a perfect example of why millions and millions of people around the world RUN from Christianity today. Your ATTITUDE is the precursor to the reason for POLITICALLY CORRECT today, because people, trying to avoid sounding hateful, have reverted to PC. Words can be said wisely AND truthfully without the nastiness and actually has more impact, being truthful. So, this being said? Hahahahahaha!

    • Cecilia Ellis says

      May 27, 2016 at 2:40 pm

      I could not help but notice the “Holly Koran” sign in the above picture. At first, I attributed that misspelling to human error . . . but after a little research, I was relieved to discover this is indeed appropriate terminology,

      “Despite its association with the Christmas season, holly did not get its name from “holy.” It is translated in Old English as holegn, with variations in Old Norse as hulfr, German as hulst, French as houx, and Welsh as celyn. The literal translation for all of these terms is “holly,” but the origin is probably the Proto-Indo-European (the ancient root language of the Indo-European languages) base, qel, which appropriately means “prickly” or “to prick.” Even in ancient times, people took advantage of the sharp ends of holly’s leaves. The Druids hung it on windows and doorways to fend off evil witches and spirits [source: The Royal Forestry Association].”

      http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/holly.htm

      The Qur’an is indeed “prickly”.

    • Jay Boo says

      May 27, 2016 at 8:12 pm

      @CC
      “those chicks look like witches”
      ——————————————

      They must have got their fashion sense from watching Macbeth

  2. Eu says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:35 am

    Can you imagine “Life of Brian” based on Muhammed ? impossible even today. Fanatics!!!

  3. David says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:38 am

    Where did this obscene IDEA come from: that we must not risk OFFENDING MUSLIMS, at any cost?????
    It’s totaly ridiculous! Since when does a muslim give even a single thought about not OFFENDING ME?
    Of course, being satin worshipping, backward. Forth world savages they are more then likely going on a RAMPAGE for the least of concocted reasons! But that is why we have our POLICE units armed and ready! There is teargas, mace, firehoses and, when needed fully automatic weapons available to every cop I know. When the offended muslums rampage, the thing to do is; treat them like any other rioting mob!
    You never just roll over in the face of NAZISM!

  4. Jaladhi says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:55 am

    The West is screwed!! And they don’t even know it!!

  5. WorkingClassPost says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:08 am

    To be perfectly honest, I can easily see how staging this play would be reckless and invite muslim violence, possibly resulting in many innocent casualties.

    So calling it off is fine.

    The real issue is lying by pretending security was no part of their decision, and that’s where they become complicit in murder and intimidation.

    Of course they were afraid, only a fool would not be, but denying that truth is far more than fear, it is abject and inexcusable cowardice.

    • Westman says

      May 27, 2016 at 11:04 am

      Remember those riots when “The Book Of Mormon” ran on Broadway? No? So soon you forget, eh?

      Only Muslims circle like a string of Christmas lights about Mecca; a ritual replacement of real life with plodding for the master; an army waiting for its Mahdi while the world recedes in the forward distance. Did Allah not promise the best of people would inherit the earth? What is happening?

      Imagine the frustration and humiliation the Muslims of non-oil nations feel in an era of instant communications as they observe the success and power of Infidels who pursue that which Allah has forbidden. It is a mockery of their faith in Allah, the messenger, and their life of slavery to them, yet it is truth. It doesn’t take much to convert this frustration and humiliation to violence.

    • WorkingClassPost says

      May 27, 2016 at 11:18 am

      Don’t be stupid.

      Staging Julius Caesar or anything else would not invite murder with the same certainty as this play would.

      To deny that is to put on a pretence of some kind of equivalence that does not exist.

      Protecting ourselves is completely justified, lying about why and from what, is the real problem.

      • Michael says

        May 27, 2016 at 12:09 pm

        Submitting every artistic decision to muslim censors is not “protecting ourselves”. It is cowardice. If islamic thugs will predictably commit criminal acts because they happen to be offended, then get out the guns and treat them like the criminals they are.

      • Mirren10 says

        May 27, 2016 at 2:25 pm

        Hear, hear, Michael !

        Free speech is the **cornerstone** of liberty. Pandering to mohammedans in case they kill us, is the epitome of *cowardice*.

        These wretched Danes have done nothing but further embolden the mohammedan filth.

  6. WorkingClassPost says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:11 am

    But they can all spell islamyfoby better than I can.

  7. Walter Sieruk says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:42 am

    Anything is able to “offend Muslims.” Sometimes it’s gets so extreme that even a person not being a Muslim can offend a. Muslim. To criticism Islam or the Koran in any way, ,however, how mind, and can incite violent behavior from Muslims.. Furthermore,, on the internet site islam-watch.org back on June 5, 2013 an article entitled “How Muslims Defend Islam.” The writer Abid Ali explained that even the slightest criticism of Islam might involve violent reactions form Muslims. In other words faith in Islam is based on strong emotions and feeling and not logic or reason. So the writer also explained that “Even [the] most educated Muslims are highly devoid of reason when it comes to their and talk like a moron…If Islam is true, it can be understood with reason and can stand the test of reason.” What Mr. Ali wrote about the blind unquestioning faith in Islam does reflect what Benjamin Franklin had printed in POOR RICHARD’S ALMANACK .Which is “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”

    • Champ says

      May 27, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      Anything is able to “offend Muslims.”

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Indeed, Walter!

      The *TRUTH* about muhammad and islam offends muslims.

    • Huck Folder says

      May 29, 2016 at 4:51 pm

      “The writer Abid Ali…”

      Is that RANDY Abid Ali?

      R. abid Ali to his (2) friends.

  8. Paula says

    May 27, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    Right. That’s it. I’m going to take my hardback first edition of the Satanic Verses and sleep with it under my pillow.

  9. FuturePresident says

    May 27, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    How many rights will Europe give up before they start to want them back?

  10. WorkingClassPost says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:00 pm

    Seems to me that many of us don’t quite get it yet.

    The issue of Free Speech here is not with putting this play on or not, but with the denial of Why it would not be performed.

    It is that refusal to speak the truth that is the real enemy here.

    • WorkingClassPost says

      May 28, 2016 at 2:53 am

      What insults?

      You made a stupid statement is all, get over it.

      We spend a great deal of time here pointing out how criticism of islam and muslims is unlike criticism of any other ideas or people, and invariably leads to death and destruction.

      I do not think that you are stupid, and apologies for giving that impression, but I do think it was an odd thing to say (trying hard not to use the s word).

      Some may think that risking people’s lives unnecessarily is clever, but I don’t.

      Having said that, to deny that it was the threat of muslim violence that coloured their decision is the real problem, for me, at least.

  11. Abinavam Narayanan Rajaram says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    India has been continuously screwed over ten centuries and has been facing all sorts of mayhem thanks to the super macists in the name of secular, broad-minded, truly democratic etc. etc. even now! What a horrible scene of deception! Destroy all type of Satanic people– a few trying to moral killing of others who do not subscribe to their views! Bombard them mercilessly to Hell, these type of hooligans should never be allowed to live in a civilized society! You can be merciful to a repentant man but not to a butcher of humanity!

  12. Cecilia Ellis says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    Joe Bloe, I did not see your post until now, much later than my 2:40 p.m. reply to “concerned Canadian”. I see we still notice the same things … ?

  13. DFD says

    May 27, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    Hi Folks,

    off topic, but you’ll enjoy this, at least some of you: An American Professor by name of John Prager, a 5 minute video about “progressives” and PC, it’s in English. I found this on this on the website of ‘Politically Incorrect’, it really is funny, it begins with the “Washington Redskins” Football Team, question: If this is wrong/offensive, then what about ‘Oklahoma’? Which is an Indian language double word, consisting of ‘Okla/Red’ and ‘Homa/People’. And it goes on like this, as cheeky as amusing… (well, to my mind) see here: https://youtu.be/hiU20QjKPCo

    Less amusing, to say the least, but pointing at things to come is an article at christian.org.uk dealing with comments by Chief Constable Simon Cole, UK Govt Extremism Chief. Saying: “Don’t make us the thought police.” And I am sure, that’s not just threatening in the UK. Worth reading.

    See here: christian.org.uk/news/govt-extremism-chief-dont-make-us-the-thought-police/?e270516 — Sorry, you have to add the triple www in front yourselves.

    Slightly better news from the same website refers to sharia in the UK, some of you may recall that I was drumming up support for an anti-sharia petition. The headline here being “Investigation into sharia law begins”, but of course, only how it affects women. Men don’t matter…

    See here: christian.org.uk/news/investigation-into-sharia-law-begins/?e270516 Again, add www up front.

  14. Angemon says

    May 27, 2016 at 5:34 pm

    I like the way the islamophobes pictured above, especially Mr. Holly Koran, undobtly the artist who drew that face that seems like arabic writing.

    • Cecilia Ellis says

      May 27, 2016 at 5:52 pm

      Angemon, that was the second thing I noticed about the picture. I, too, saw the Arabic script as a drawn face. It must be an Islamic Rorschach test . . .

      • Huck Folder says

        May 29, 2016 at 5:34 pm

        Wow Cecilia, I missed that –
        “Al-Rorschach”.

        But so did Sir Ben Kingsley,
        in his water-carrying, suck-up,
        taqiyya propaganda piece:

        “1001 [mohammadan] ‘Inventions’
        and The Library of Secrets” –
        starring Sir Ben Kingsley as Al-Jazari

        • Cecilia Ellis says

          May 29, 2016 at 6:21 pm

          Huck, I could have gone all day without seeing this video . . . but, then again, it did provide me the first opportunity I have had this day to enunciate, with vigor, the word “crap” . . .

          Love your “Al-Rorschach”! ?

        • Cecilia Ellis says

          Jun 1, 2016 at 12:51 am

          Huck, in case you have not seen it, here is David Wood’s response:

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FCtjXpLyvxA

  15. Champ says

    May 27, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Woman Leaves Islam, After READING the Quran for Herself:

    https://youtu.be/9yUJZ6fErmw

  16. Champ says

    May 27, 2016 at 5:59 pm

    “Holly Koran”?

    Well if they can’t spell then they can’t read …what better way to remain enslaved to evil islam then NOT to know what is written in the unholy quran. READ IT!

  17. abad says

    May 27, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    Denmark is not the best place for Muslims to be.

    Denmark has an obligation to deport these foreigners who will not assimilate.

  18. Jay Boo says

    May 27, 2016 at 7:46 pm

    The Muslim use of the word “KILL” is catching up with “Allahu Akbar”.

  19. underbed cat says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    I think it is a fib to say, fear plays no part of it….offended people with weapons are always a concern when dealing with this doctrine and the people who are convinced that they have to respond…as in Texas. It is not just two crazies it is militarized…..and calculated. It is dangerous. So if they are allowed to come here that is the problem….its goodbye…get out time. Speech incitement is not a result of art, it is a result of doctrine that gets followed so outlaw the doctrine. as genocidal …be done with it. The signs to kill infidels should be immediate arrest and flight to the middle east…of the sign holders. Goodbye….I guess free speech has some limits for me.

  20. underbed cat says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:05 pm

    When your heart is pure your mind is clear, says the fortune cookie….when your mind is not pure your actions are not pure…nor devine says me.

  21. Jay Boo says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:25 pm

    Poor Muslims
    So Sad we could all cry a river.

    Wah! Wah! Wah! and Boo Hoo

    (o….. . . . . .

  22. Ralph says

    May 28, 2016 at 8:30 am

    Some stupid play is not the answer; mass deportation of sharia believing Muslims is the answer.

  23. Lizzy says

    May 28, 2016 at 11:07 am

    There are muslims living in my street. Whenever I cook bacon I open my kitchen door. It’s a bit nippy in winter but what the heck, I’m surrounded by curry smells every day. Nobody complains but, there again, it would be water off a duck’s back.

    Go Islamic drippy Denmark…good luck with that, you’ll need it.

  24. Rushdie is an anti white racist. says

    May 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm

    Unlike many, I have read the Satanic Verses.

    I don’t think that we should be promoting it, in the same way we don’t stand up for Awlaki’s twisted ideology.

    Salman Rushdie is a brown skinned anti-Colonial with a vicious perverse misogynistic view of ALL WHITE women , from the young to the old, & of all classes.

    Read what he implies should be the treatment towards our weaker sex. It is at least as hateful as the Sex groomers!

    Rushdie is an anti white racist. That is why the Libtards are defending him. We should not follow like sheep.

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