New film reveals the shocking truth of how far it has advanced. My latest in FrontPage:
Most people don’t realize how much the freedom of speech has already been eroded. It is already taken for granted by all too many people that one must not criticize Islam, or Muhammad, or the Qur’an. Many people have internalized Sharia blasphemy norms. The wholesale condemnation of Pamela Geller, by people on the Right as well as the Left, after the jihad attack at our free speech event in Garland, Texas in May 2015 shows that far too many people do not understand the importance of the freedom of speech, and don’t have any interest in defending or preserving it.
This is the subject of our new American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) documentary film, Can’t We Talk About This? The Islamic Jihad Against Free Speech. Can’t We Talk About This? tells the whole horrifying story of how advanced the Islamic war on free speech is, and how close leftist and Islamic authoritarians are to final victory and the death of the freedom of speech and free society.
I helped write the film. AFDI President Pamela Geller, who produced it, explained in a statement: “In this film, we’re setting the record straight about our Garland free speech event, at which we were not only targeted by Islamic jihadis but apparently by the FBI as well. But we’re doing much more as well: we’re telling the whole, as-yet-untold truth about the war on free speech.”
Geller added: “Hollywood will never tell this story. The media will never tell this story. Our public schools and universities will never teach our children what happened. The truth must be told.”
Can’t We Talk About This? is a follow-up to our acclaimed 2011 documentary, The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks. This much-needed new web series gives viewers the inside story of what happened in Garland and why, and lays out the full and appalling details of the all-out assault on the freedom of speech that is taking place today – and why this may be the most crucial battleground today in the war for the survival of the United States of America as a free republic.
The film also features seldom-seen news footage and revealing details not only of the Garland event and the jihad killers who wanted to wage jihad there, but also of the many other battlegrounds in the war for free speech that led up to the Garland attack, including the death fatwa issued in 1989 by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Salman Rushdie for his supposed blasphemy in The Satanic Verses; the assassination of Theo Van Gogh by a Muslim on an Amsterdam street in November 2004 for his alleged blasphemy; the Dutch newspaper Jyllands Posten’s cartoons of Muhammad, published in September 2005, which touched off international riots and killings by Muslims – and most disturbing of all, calls in the West for restrictions on the freedom of speech; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s years-long struggle at the UN to compel the West to criminalize “incitement to religious hatred” (a euphemism for criticism of Islam); and the U.S. under Obama signing on to UNCHR Resolution 16/18, which calls on member states to work to restrict incitement to religious hatred.
Can’t We Talk About This? covers lesser-known skirmishes in the war against free speech as well, such as Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris’ “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” in 2010, after which Norris was forced to go into hiding and change her identity after threats. And it traces what immediately led up to the Garland event – most notably, the January 2015 massacre of Muhammad cartoonists at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris and the subsequent “Stand with the Prophet” event in Garland, at which Muslim groups gathered in the wake of that massacre not to defend free speech, but to complain about “Islamophobia,” while AFDI members and supporters protested outside.
Geller explained: “We set out the media firestorm that followed the Garland event, as well as the attempts to kill me, and explain why the event’s detractors were all missing the point: the freedom of speech doesn’t apply only if you like the message; it applies to everyone. And if it is gone, so is a free society.”
Watch Can’t We Talk About This? now on Vimeo. And please help us keep fighting for the freedom of speech: contribute here.
mortimer says
Robert Spencer has brilliantly identified the problem of the Western Leftard: “Many people have internalized Sharia blasphemy norms.”
There is a kneejerk reaction by Leftards to the topic of Islam. They immediately LEAP TO THE DEFENSE of the most ILLIBERAL IDEOLOGY operating on the planet today.
This counterintuitive COMPULSION in the Left is worthy of a study by psychiatrists and psychologists. How can self-declared ‘liberals’ defend such an entirely ILLIBERAL ideology as Sharia law and JIHADISM?
Clearly, there is a mental disorder prevalent in the Left.
gravenimage says
Mortimer, Robert also noted that the problem is not just on the Left. Even Donald Trump failed to grasp the freedom of speech issues with the Garland Muhammed Cartoon Art Show, and blamed those putting on the show for being targeted by Jihadists. There are–sadly–many other examples of this.
mortimer says
gi, the Left has controlled the agenda because conservatives have FAILED in most cases to DO THE READING LIST… e.g. Islamic trilogy and jihad books such as Qutb ‘Milestones’
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/09/robert-spencer-in-frontpage-the-jihad-against-the-freedom-of-speech-is-advancing
Previous to becoming president, Trump had never thought about the issue of freedom of expression, because HIS FREEDOM of expression was never threatened. He was one of the few who could put FULL PAGE ADS in major newspapers EVERY DAY to get his message out.
Trump was a superrich non-intellectual man who did not ‘waste’ his time reading. He paid other people to read for him.
mortimer says
Here’s is the book Milestones by Qutb:
https://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Milestones%20Special%20Edition.pdf
All counterjihadists need to read this.
gravenimage says
Probably so, Mortimer–but this still means that there are those on the right as well as the left who are now threatening freedom of speech. But certainly the left is over all much worse.
And yes–I have read Milestones. The modern how-to book for the takeover of the West. And ugly but important book.
Duncan Thorburn says
30 Day Ban for putting: MUHAMMAD WAS A MASS MURDERER, A PAEDOPHILE, A SEX SLAVE MAKER, OWNER, TRADER, AND USER.
ALL TRUE.
Duncan Thorburn says
ON FACEBOOK.
nicu says
This is exactly what is going on in the West – more and more ….
Jayell says
Sorry, completely off-topic, but I thought JW readers in the UK at least might like to see this:from a retired UK police officer:-
“I have heard some things which disturb me (as a retired police officer) very deeply indeed. They are difficult to believe but I am assured they are true. My source is, I like to believe, credible. As such I cannot keep this to myself as the British people have the right to know and more importantly still, the need to be aware before it happens.
Problem (1)
I am told there is a plan for a million Muslim march in London ostensibly to say to ISIS “not in our name”. The difficulty here is, how does one believe what Muslims tell us as they are instructed to lie in order to achieve their aims.
But let us look at this. If a million Muslims were at the same place at the same time and they went on the rampage, our 30,000 police officers (most unarmed) would be totally overrun, even if they were all in riot gear at the same time. Then, with our police force dead (as they would be), London becomes the Muslims’ for the taking. They could and would overrun Buckingham Palace and kill everyone there – as many Muslims have loudly pronounced they should. Parliament would be overrun and everyone killed. Now as regards Parliament, they should all die anyway for their many crimes against us but it is up to us the natural born subjects to clean out the vermin in Parliament, not the Muslims who will without any doubt take it (and us) for themselves. It is for the British PEOPLE to recover the country and hand it back to the Queen – and to ourselves.”
gravenimage says
Disturbing, Jayell. This retired officer’s fears appear to be warranted.
CogitoErgoSum says
Colin Kaepernick (American football player) + Nessa Diab (Kapernick’s American-Muslim girlfriend) = disrespecting U.S. flag and national anthem.
A million Muslims marching in London + submissive PC brainwashed Britons = bad news for the future of the British flag (bears a cross upon it) and God Save the Queen.
Confound their politics.
Frustrate their knavish tricks.
On Thee our hopes we fix.
God save us all.
Brian Hoff says
Than Islamoprobic fantasy nightmare with no basic in fact. They have many garthering of large number of muslin in the past.
eduardo odraude says
What is the street and cross street where that big sign is posted? I was In Times Square last week looking around for the sign and could not find it.
gravenimage says
Eduardo, this is Broadway and 43rd–I recognize the NASDAQ sign and the Starbucks.
There also appears to be a “Can’t We Talk About This” billboard over Blue Fin Restaurant and Dos Caminos Restaurant, also in Times Square–this is at Broadway and 47th. Here’s a picture:
https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,w_620/v1505401520/drqblph60v8ucywwejvw.jpg
Times Square is one of the most heavily traversed few blocks in the entire world–I cannot imagine how expensive the advertising must be there. I imagine hundreds of thousands or even millions of people will see this, though. Excellent.
mortimer says
“Political correctness is America’s newest form of intolerance, and it is especially pernicious because it comes disguised as tolerance. Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners.” – George Carlin
-“Political correctness is tyranny with a happy face.” – Charlton Heston
-Political correctness is thought control. Political correctness is how the moronic try to silence the intelligent.
-Modern apologists for Sharia law are cannibals who use a knife and fork.
mortimer says
Political correctness is a weapon designed to silence people whose arguments cannot be refuted.
John A. Marre says
The left feels compelled to persecute normal people for complaining about the favorable treatment given to one ideology, an ideology of death and destruction: Islam.
Bev says
Hey Mr. Spencer I criticize the ever lovin’ crap out of them wherever and whenever I can.
eduardo odraude says
An excellent film it is.
Leslie says
Watch this film it is incredible.
gravenimage says
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: The Jihad Against the Freedom of Speech is Advancing
………………..
Yes–many in the West have no idea how much freedom we have lost already. So glad you are keeping up the fight, Mr. Spencer.
I’ll be seeing the film this weekend.
Kathy says
I’ve paid to watch this documentary twice, and I still can’t figure out how to watch it! And I’ve downloaded the app for my phone, but I don’t see the link to watch it. I’ve been able to navigate every website for the last 20 years with no problem, except Vimeo. No kidding! I will give anyone $100. if you give me a link to watch the video (not the Trailer). I don’t want a link to the HELP page. I just want a link to the actual video.
gravenimage says
Kathy, I have not seen it yet myself. But I would suggest you write the JW tech guy Marc Louis–he may be able to help you.
staffsgt7 says
I find it ironic that the moslems and left want others to shut up and do the name calling like kindergarteners on the playground and others just fall into that mentality and are kowtowed into shutting up. Adults accepting the bullies behavior of the kindergartener mentality! But then those same bullies have ‘prayers’, a koran, Sunnah, and sharia that are very hateful towards others, even their own useful idiots! Seems the SPLC (a law center? hahaha) needs to look at how the Supreme court ruled regarding free speech.
gravenimage says
unfortunately, there is nothing ironic about this–all too often with too many people, bullying works.