A few years ago, al-Sisi, in a speech before Muslim clerics from al-Azhar, said “we are in need of a religious revolution.” Nothing happened, but for years afterward I was asked about this in numerous interviews, as if it heralded genuine reform in Islam. This latest statement from al-Sisi likely won’t extinguish the fond hopes he raised back then either.
In any case, many other Muslim leaders are saying the same thing these days. The West is going to have to decide between the freedom of speech and submission to Sharia blasphemy laws, and several Muslim leaders are now trying to force the showdown.
“Egypt says freedom of expression ‘stops’ when Muslims offended,” Reuters, October 28, 2020:
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday freedom of expression should stop if it offends more than 1.5 billion people, following the display of images in France of the Prophet Mohammad that Muslims see as blasphemous.
Sisi also said he firmly rejects any form of violence or terrorism from anyone in the name of defending religion, religious symbols or icons.
“We also have rights. We have the right for our feelings not to be hurt and for our values not to be hurt,” he said during an address to commemorate the Prophet Mohammad’s birthday.
“And if some have the freedom to express what is in their thoughts I imagine that this stops when it comes to offending the feelings of more than 1.5 billion people,” he added in televised remarks.
The Grand Imam of Egypt’s al-Azhar university, one of the world’s most eminent seats of Sunni Muslim learning, also called on the international community to criminalise “anti-Muslim” actions….
Wellington says
If the limits of freedom include not offending the feelings of Muslims, then you have, effectively, no freedom at all since Muslims are offended by even the slightest criticism of Islam (and how pathetic this is).
Freedom or Islam. Take your choice. You can’t have both. Ditto for freedom and modern Western Leftism, which is also a mortal enemy of liberty just as Islam has been from its inception. No wonder they are temporary allies, these two haters of freedom. But only temporary if Islamic rot (excuse the redundancy) prevails in the West.
gravenimage says
+1
somehistory says
Since moslims are “offended” by our just being alive and not bowing and scraping to their every demand of us, there is no “limit” to the unfreedoms coming our way if they win this war of words.
They want us all moslim or dead. That’s all that will satisfy. Then they can just go about slaughtering each other…because murder is a lust and must for them.
jca reid says
The Free world has to recognise the fact it is involved in a war! It is not a question of a State & its group of Leaders waging physical War to destroy or impose its will on another, but this ideological war of Islam against the world. It’s all laid down their in the Quran & hadiths, what the aim is. Also from Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’. The best way to fight a war is to do so, without actually fighting. Muslim countries are truly crap, militarily, so they can’t do it that way.
So, the easiest way is to cause mayhem in their own countries, force this migration to the ‘new Lands’, settle, infiltrate the offices of control, & breed like blazes! Then simply take over & subjugate.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes. As long as Islam advances.
Terry Gain says
I am greatly offended that SIsi is attacking my freedom of speech. I note that he is a moderate Muslim leader. I believe that every Muslim who has the power to deny me my right to speak freely will do so. In coming to this conclusion I believe that the ideology of Islam mandates that they do what Sisi is doing.
No one should put their faith in a moderate Muslim. They will always go home when they can.
Demetrio says
Moderate? He’s military. A thug who lets muslms attack Coptic Christians.
Azmy Yacoub says
he is blind and when we reach muslims we should reach them in Love to show the Love of Christ
gravenimage says
Al Sisi is less horrific than the Muslim Brotherhood–but this is of course damning with faint praise.
Azmy Yacoub says
beloved he is lost and we need to pray for Him
Merri-joy says
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi spoke of 1.5 billion Muslim people – they are clearly not a “Minority Group” so should not get special treatment as Minority in any country!
Green Infidel says
Let’s be honest. If Sisi says something different, he may have another Arab Spring on his hands… And dictators like him never were great allies of free speech.
Demetrio says
Right. He’s kowtowing to his base.
Dude says
When idiots criticize one’s religion, one should only feel sorry for their misfortune.
Of course, that only applies if you have no doubts about your truth. Therefore the thugs’ psychotic reactions are only to be expected. “Akbhar Akbhar!”
Westman says
“And if some have the freedom to express what is in their thoughts I imagine that this stops when it comes to offending the feelings of more than 1.5 billion people” – Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi
There are:
1.3 Billion Catholics
1 Billion Protestants
1.4 Billion Christians
1.2 Billion Hindus
1.44 Billion Chinese(religious & athiests, soon non- Islamic)
.5 Billion Buddhists
7.8 Billion World population
What makes the 1.5 Billion Muslims special and empowered to muzzle the rest of humanity while they freely criticize and threaten all the rest, the unbelievers? They can’t even get along with themselves(Sunni-Shia).
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world but not the fastest growing in the US. Hopefully, that trend will continue for the US. The majority of Islam’s current growth is reproduction – the days of growth by conquest are over, for now.
I’m not certain how leaders of Islamic nations feel pride in bringing up the “1.5 Billion” when there is no real choice in Islam. Islam promises, isolation, rejection, and even death for anyone who strays from their childhood indoctrination. This is more like North Korea and worshipping the great leader, or else. Slaves of Allah is a proper description.
Islam is simply unfit for the 21st Century without some serious reformation.
AnnChristine says
The Moslem do not have feelings——See how they treat dumb animals they torture them to death instead of using a stun gun a knife slits the poor things throat and bleeds to death——-There must be Moslem who think like us they know how ridiculous Islam is!!! Paranoia is rampant in Islam they cannot laugh at themselves!!!
James says
Sorry, bub, Freedom of Speech keeps going, it doesn’t stop. If you say “Freedom of Speech but only if it doesn’t offend,” you do not have Freedom of Speech. It is worthless under your definition. When I was young we used to say “Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The reason that Freedom of Speech is in my Constitution is because you can have a right to offend the government, and the government can’t punish you. No, I reject your notion of Freedom of Speech as meaningless.
gravenimage says
Egypt’s Sisi: Freedom of expression stops when it comes to ‘offending the feelings’ of Muslims
………………..
In other words, there is no freedom of speech under Islam.
James says
Another way to put the argument is, if you say “Freedom of Speech, but only if you agree with me,” then there really is no such thing. Freedom of Speech is meaningless if one is silenced for “offensive” language, that is, language you disagree with. Freedom of Speech is a search for the truth. By open discussion we hope to arrive at the truth.
I suspect you fear the truth, the truth being that Mohamed was a false prophet. He wasn’t giving us god’s words, but his own words, limited by human frailty and his anger. Is Allah so weak that he needs humans to do his dirty work? Now my God is powerful, he tells me not to be judge, jury and executioner. That is his realm. Only God can destroy his creations; they are his; he doesn’t delegate.. My God is in control, he says vengeance is His and His alone. He is patient, he is content to wait until Judgement Day to dispense His Justice. And He doesn’t like the presumptuous.
JamesC. says
If Islam were a generally benign religion such as Judaism or Christianity or other religions that could be mentioned, I would agree with him. One should not be needlessly offensive to those who have very different sensibilities; whether because they have another religion, or because they have no religion at all.
The problem is, that Mohammedanism is not just another religion. It is a violent, very aggressive, completely intolerant, invasive, religio-political cult, that, like Nazism, seeks to dominate non-adherents, and to destroy those who resist its assaults. It is possible for (say) Christians and Jews and atheists to coexist, if with some friction now and again – for none of these groups has any intention of slaughtering the others, or of forcing its convictions upon those others. And despite their great differences, they have much in common. The same however cannot be said of Mohammedanism. It is a threat to the existence of non-Muslims and their cultures. It is therefore essential to oppose it resolutely and without yielding.
James Lincoln says
JamesC. says,
“If Islam were a generally benign religion such as Judaism or Christianity or other religions that could be mentioned, I would agree with him.”
Respectfully disagree.
I am a devout Christian and I respect the free-speech right of anyone to nonviolently criticize my faith.
If I am offended, that is my problem only.
A good Christian would say a prayer for the offender…
somehistory says
I don’t have my glasses yet…work on my eye not finished…and I was crossing a city street where there were no lights or even crosswalk.
My daughter was walking ahead of me. She saw one truck some distance back, not travelling very fast…the speed limit is only 30…and thought we could ‘make it’ safely.
I am slower of step when I can’t see, and stepped off the curb a few seconds after she, and then heard a noise. The truck, which I had not seen, was barreling toward me as I was in the middle of the street. I could hear his engine accelerate, so I picked up my pace. I had the right of way, but many drivers don’t care about pedestrians and their ‘rights.’
As it passed closely behind me, the driver yelled something I did not understand. If I had, I might have been offended, or he might have been saying he didn’t plan to hit me.
As a Christian, and as one who likes to live at peace as much as possible, I try to let offenses slide away. It only hurts me if I take them to heart.
As for moslims, we need to tell them just how evil islam is and that will really offend them and “hurt their feelings.” And then, we might be hurt physically because they don’t agree that their right to violence stops short of the end of our noses
somehistory says
Well, it isn’t up to this fool moslim to decide where “freedom of expression” stops.
The majority of people in the world are not moslims. If moslims number a billion plus, that leave six billion plus that are not mosliim..
Those who wish to say what they want to, or draw what they want to, or express themselves in dress, music, food, entertainment…belief…tell this fool and others like him to take a long walk on a short pier, it would mean that more people than one can imagine would be telling him to go soak his head.
Down deep, even those who support moslims…to a point…don’t really wish to stop doing what they wan to do. Every person wants free self-expression.
Andrew says
My opinion of islam seems to upset the wee feelings of a big muslim fellow.. Cry me a River Ali Baba.
If I tell a muslim I believe his religion is very violent and he then attacks me very violently is he then a good muslim for proving my point.
How thin skinned can these people be?.
They insult everybody else daily, burn down and attack Synagogues ,Churches and other places of worship but I dont see those people running around cutting of heads because their feelings were hurt.
These savages from this evil cult need to grow a pair.
James Lincoln says
Andrew says,
“These savages from this evil cult need to grow a pair.”
They never, ever will…
Demetrio says
Isn’t this the third world hellhole we give $2 billion in year in assistance? How dare they.
Carol says
Since 2013 C.E., El-Sissy has been milking the West for hundreds of billions of dollars and euros in foreign aid and debt relief directed towards Egyptian Koranimals.
SJ says
Why do such idiots feel that they can dictate French law?
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
Sounds like Sisi needs his diaper changed.