The West is going to have to decide: will it uphold and defend the freedom of expression, or surrender to Sharia blasphemy laws and violent intimidation? In Belgium, it looks as if authorities are already opting for the latter. And Belgium is not alone. In Sharia Sweden, police hunted for people who burned the Qur’an in a no-go zone with large Muslim population. When the freedom of speech is a dim memory, historians (if there are any) will be able to look back at incidents like this one to see how all was lost.
“Belgian teacher suspended over Prophet Muhammad cartoon,” DW, October 30, 2020 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
The teacher, from a school in Brussels’ Molenbeek district, gave students the opportunity to look away. Emotions are running high in neighboring France after the beheading of another teacher over a similar incident.
A Belgian elementary schoolteacher has been suspended for showing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad while discussing the beheading of a French teacher who had used the same image, local media reported Friday.
The unnamed teacher, who works for Ecole No11 — Aux Sources du Gai Savoir, based in Brussels’ Molenbeek district, was teaching pupils aged between 10 and 11.
Local media said the teacher gave students the opportunity to look down as they were shown one of the cartoons previously published by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Teacher faces dismissal
The newspaper Derniere Heure reported that the education authorities have launched disciplinary proceedings against the teacher.
A spokesperson for the Molenbeek’s mayor said the punitive action was taken due to the explicit nature of the cartoon and not specifically because caricature of Islam’s founder was shown.
“Our decision is uniquely based on the fact that these are obscene images. If it had not been of the Prophet we would have done the same thing,” the spokesman said, adding that several of the children’s parents had complained….
Yes, of course you would have.
gravenimage says
Belgium: Teacher suspended for showing Muhammad cartoon to his class in heavily Muslim area
…………………
I see that Belgium has learned the lessons of Muslim beheading teachers who defend teaching freedom of speech–by victimizing the teachers. Disgusting dhimmitude.
juleonly says
This kind of thing may have to go to the Supreme Court in USA.
Tayloch says
Who’s “Prophet”? (Robert, you remember the days when you always prefaced your commentary with that very question.)
ManchesterLad says
Good point – I always say “the Islamic prophet” when I refer to their prophet00.. I don’t want people to infer that he is ‘my’ prophet!
gravenimage says
This was in the original story–this does not mean that Robert Spencer considers Muhammed to be the “Prophet”. As for commentary, sometimes you have to pick and choose what to emphasize, or else it can become too unwieldly and the main point will be lost.
mortimer says
TERRORISTIC INTIMIDATION WORKS !!!
Let’s just ALL surrender to Islam right away.
The freedom to criticize religion is of MAIN IMPORTANCE to the freedom of expression.
If we didn’t have the freedom to criticize religion, then the Spanish Inquisition would still be sending people to be burned at the stake.
Chip oung says
The Belgians have a point. These are 10 to 11 year olds. Nude imagery isn’t age appropriate.
gravenimage says
Chip–with all reaspect–if you think that 11-year-olds have never seen a cartoon posterior, you clearly have never been in a Middle school bathroom, or have forgotten what they’re like.
Diana says
On the bright side at least he still has his head.
mike says
4 now
Peter WF says
How to show violence works!
Eleanor says
It’s inevitable really – if the Muslim’s don’t get them, then the Authorities will, and give them a hefty sentence, wherein the Muslims will get them anyway, as 30% of Europe’s incarcerated are of the Islamic presuasion.
Brando says
That is WHY all the talk about EUROPE having an ABRAHAMIC heritage ,a phrase that means:
INCLUDE ISLAM as part of today’s Western Civilization, since:
Muslims were in SPAIN for 800 YEARS and the OTTOMANS were in the BALKANS for Hundreds of Years (more than 500 years) is CRAZY.
For clarification:
Though it is true that the Jewish influence on the WEST is mainly through the NT, the GOLDEN RULE of Jesus of Nazareth is something he learned from his Jewish background:
1.In those days 90% of people were ILLITERATE
2.The LAW of MOSES or TORAH=Law of God has 613 laws.
3.It seems to simplify things they came up with a short version or essence of the Torah.
4.They said the LAW of God(Torah) is:
“Love your Neighbor like Yourself” ( LEV 19:18) ( Golden Rule),and in
LEV 19:34:” The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.
Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
HILLEL
He was a Pharisee,the Greatest Jewish Teacher of his time,lived a generation before Jesus.He said:
“”What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow:
( My Note: it is the Negative Formulation of the Golden Rule,
CONFUCIUS in the ANALECTS also states the Golden Rule in the Negative Formulation: do NOT do others what you do NOT want others to do to you )
this is the WHOLE TORAH;
the REST is EXPLANATION; go and learn.”
AKIBA
Lived 100 years after Jesus of Nazareth,was the Greatest Jewish Teacher of his time.
He was illiterate till 40,then taught himself,
he was killed by the Romans,became a Martyr,he said:
““Love your neighbor as yourself.” is the CENTRAL PRINCIPLE of the TORAH.”
AS STATED BY JESUS
First,sometimes you hear it said that NEIGHBOR means JEW,or fellow Hebrew/Israelite but in LUKE 10:25-37:
Jesus says:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
And an EXPERT in the LAW says:”WHO is my NEIGHBOR?”
And Jesus tells the PARABLE of the GOOD SAMARITAN: so “neighbor” here is a NON-JEW,a Samartian.
THE PARABLE
It is about a traveller who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road.
First a Jewish priest and
then a Levite comes by, but both avoid the man.
Finally, a Samaritan happens upon the traveller. The Samaritan helps him.
THE DEFINITION OF NEIGHBOR
Jesus asked:
““Which of these three do you think was a NEIGHBOR to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The EXPERT in the LAW replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.””
GOLDEN RULE BY JESUS OF NAZARETH ( Positive Version )
There are 2 SERMONS by him in the NT
The Sermon on the MOUNT and the Sermon on the PLAIN
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
MATTHEW 7:12:
” So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,
for this sums up the LAW and the PROPHETS.”
SERMON ON THE PLAIN
LUKE 6:31
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
juleonly says
But Islam says the opposite of this in the Qur’an/Hadiths and states Judaism is not even a true religion of Abraham. The Qur’an reads like a warlord manual on conquest and complete control of its members to do the dirty work to make the world wide Empire of Islam. Try reading it sometime. It’s No wonder so many Muslims are so mislead but are convinced its from Allah.
janicevanguilder says
What was the situation in pre-Revolutionary America that prompted the writers of the Declaration of Independence to establish freedom of speech? Were they also being stifled by King George’s representatives? It was not just for freedom of religion, but of often conflicting ideas, of challenges to other ideas. Were the early colonials in effect pre-selected for more assertive, independent, even combative temperament? We do need to resuscitate some of that spine. We must all hang together or we shall all hang separately (who said that?).
Prince Eugene says
The very fact that Muslim majority areas are welcomed in secular European countries has determined the future of secular Europe. There is no future for secular Europe. Jihad to subdue the kafir and to install Sharia is necessary during and after the invasion of non-Muslim lands. Auf Wiedersehen Europa.
gravenimage says
There are some whoa are taking a stand against this barbarism. Don’t preach surrender here.
Andrew says
There is a major political party in Belgium called The Islam Party, their Platform states their goal being that Belgium will become an islamic country and that sharia will be the Law of the Country. No hiding what they want.
At the highest point in Germany is a muslim prayer room, on top of the mountain known as Zugspitize near Garmisch-Partenkircken, attached to this room is a Toilet for use by muslims ONLY.
When islam conquers a country they build a mosque at the highest point in that country to show they have indeed conquered it.
Most Germans dont even know this has happened and when i tell them they seem to think its okay.
R.I.P. Europa.
Rufolino says
“They seemed to think it’s OK”, will be the epitaph engraved on the tombstone of Europe.
andrew mckendrick says
Or maybe ” diversity was their strength”
Fred van de Bunt says
First acknowledge that the 56 countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation adhere to western values, as far as those western values conform they to sharia laws, as the 56 Islam nations declared themselves.
Sharia laws are the laws of Allah, and Muslims have to adhere to this through their nation, the Muslim Umma. In the Quran it is clearly stated that Muslims are not supposed to doubt the truth, and in practice a Muslim that doubts the truth is considered mentally ill, and apart from that a Muslim cannot reject the truth, since a heavy penalty rests on that under sharia laws of the nation of Islam.
Of course, for instance Catholics belong to the nation of the Pope, but I have not seen him given speeches where he declares a Crusade against infidel Muslims and their prophet that, with his blasphemous words, rejected Jesus as the son of God, because God said that to him, and he declared Christians liars. The Pope did not demand Christians have to march on the streets, and burn those blasphemous Qurans? Buddhists do not either? Hindu’s also not? And atheists? Homosexuals that kill the Islam Nazi’s, helped by the by Allah not so loved but hated Jews?
No, there is only one nation, the Umma, that has this model at its heart, and enforces this model with their holy sharia laws on earth.
It would be very nice for clarity -a basic principle of how to govern- to openly state this difference from the top. It seems that Macron gave it a start. Better late than never. But being late, the costs of being late will be higher than one would have been acting in a timely manner.
Mustapha crap says
I am sick and tired of media refering to Mohamad as “The Propher Mohamad” He is NOT my prophet and never will be nor is he the prophet of the overwhelming majority of people on this planet, so for media outlets to continually refer to him as such is a lie. He is nothing but a pychopathic child raping murderer with a proclivity for small boys. If more muslims knew the truth about the vile individual they are taught to emulate I think they would leave Islam
Mafya says
+1 Well said. 99% Media outlets are serving the evil, I don’t trust them. There was a nice news outlet named “Voice of Europe” I followed daily, but sadly google, facebook and twitter devil triangle killed it… Indeed we live in a world of clowns.
OLD GUY says
This suspension shows exactly how Islam uses violence to control the freedom of expression and speech. These violent actions by Islam are the same as what Hitler did and almost every other dictator around the world to control what was presented in the media and to the population. While showing a cartoon character of Muhammad may be in bad taste it should not be against the law or result in any type of official sanctions.
What needs to be condemned is the reaction by muslims and the beheading of people that have a different view of Muhammad and islam.
Are we going to allow groups of people like Islamics to destroy our freedoms? I hope not.
Rarely says
One of the cartoons of mohammed that was displayed in the classroom in France and that initiated these events was clearly filthy. Personally, I would not want it to be shown to my 10 year old child under any circumstances I can imagine. I certainly would have supported disciplining any teacher who had done so BUT not because it had anything to do with mohammed.
But, to quote G&S: “Let the punishment fit the crime”. The crime was exposing children to a filthy cartoon, not insulting muslims.
gravenimage says
Rarely, I think that children are able to understand the concept of freedom of speech.
And you *do* understand that if the pious headchoppers have their way, that you won’t have to worry about freedom of speech anymore, because it will be crushed.
As for what is appropriate for children, Islam includes child marriage, child rape, child beating, and forcing children to carry out Jihad terror attacks. Personally, I’ll take children seeing cartoons any day of the week.
b.a. freeman says
“When the freedom of speech is a dim memory, historians (if there are any) will be able to look back at incidents like this one to see how all was lost.”
—
unfortunately for civilization, it will be *archaeologists* – and perhaps geologists – who excavate the ruins to figure out what went wrong. the middle east used to be the center of christianity, of zoroastrianism, and of learning; muslims “rescued” their writings, but it was rescue from the depredations of other muslims, who burned libraries, destroyed stelae, monuments, temples, and civic buildings, and in general did all they could to destroy the entire culture of the peoples whom they had conquered. and they were successful: most muslims in the middle east are educated enough to run their smartphones, drive cars, and operate power tools, but only a very few know of the development of the technology behind those devices, and know absolutely *nothing* of the history of their non-muslim ancestors. go a few km outside the cities, and most people are virtually illiterate. once these gangstas take over civilized countries (whatever the dominant religion – even if it is atheism), learning in any field outside islam dies off. in 3 or 4 centuries, there will be nothing but poor islamic peasants who will live like the poor muslims in the middle east, pakistan, afghanistan, and all the other -stans and islamic s**tholes. if the cult ultimately succeeds and conquers the entire human (huperson, to be PC) race, it may be *many* thousands of years before a free people rises again, and there won’t be much evidence of *our* existence.
SJ says
The silent invaders
alberto gorin says
i know muslim countrys i bet in news paper do the same to us
draw cartoons have a opnion
and this is the west is westeren world