My latest in PJ Media:
Amid the Left’s headlong rush to embrace the fascist suppression of all dissent, few of those who are calling for the deplatforming and silencing of those whom they hate and fear have paused to consider the possibility that they, too, could end up being silenced if they fall out of favor with the powerful. The first to run afoul of what he has called for himself is the oleaginous Ahmadi Muslim spokesman Harris Zafar, who was just threatened by the government of Pakistan with ten years in prison for his “blasphemous” U.S.-based website, TrueIslam.com.
The threat is not surprising, given the authoritarian Islamic character of Pakistan’s government and its vicious hostility to the Ahmadiyya movement, as it forbids Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims and persecutes them in numerous ways. The TrueIslam.com website presents Ahmadi Islam as the pure and genuine form of the religion, despite the fact that the Ahmadiyya movement is regarded as heretical by mainstream Muslims and represents an infinitesimal percentage of the worldwide Muslim population. Zafar and his colleague Amjad Mahmood Khan, who was also threatened, must have known that such a site would ruffle the Pakistani government’s feathers.
But what made this more than just another story about the repressive Pakistani government is the fact that back in January 2013, Zafar published an op-ed in the Washington Post entitled, “Making Islamic Sense of Free Speech.” In it, Zafar offered a manifesto for the destruction of the freedom of speech worthy of a true totalitarian.
“The difference between Islam’s view on free speech and the view promoted by free speech advocates these days,” Zafar asserted, “is the intention and ultimate goal each seeks to promote. Whereas many secularists champion individual privileges, Islam promotes the principle of uniting mankind and cultivating love and understanding among people. Both endorse freedom for people to express themselves, but Islam promotes unity, whereas modern-day free speech advocates promote individualism.”
The unity Zafar envisioned involved restrictions on the freedom of speech: “In order to unite mankind, Islam instructs to only use speech to be truthful, do good to others, and be fair and respectful. It attempts to pre-empt [sic] frictions by prescribing rules of conduct which guarantee for all people not only freedom of speech but also fairness, absolute justice, and the right of disagreement.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
mortimer says
Harris Zafar is an apologist for Ahmadi Muslims and their version of Islam. It is not normative, classical, canonical Islam … it might be called ‘Son-of-Islam’.
Nevertheless, the Ahmadis stealthily present themselves as the only true representatives of real Islam. It is like the Mormons presenting themselves as the only true Christians.
The Ahmadis begin almost every interaction with kafirs by using the TAQIYYA that they are the TRUE REPRESENTATIVES of GENUINE ISLAM … when they are in fact a tiny group within the Muslim spectrum and they are considered heretics by 95% of Muslims.
I would give them more respect if they stopped misrepresenting themselves to people who are uninformed.
mortimer says
The real news here is the total INTOLERANCE of Muslims in Pakistan. They persecute almost every minority group and then they dictate to the rest of the world what they may say in their own countries.
The Pakistan Muslim establishment is set on imposing its view of reality on every other country. It’s cultic behavior.
gravenimage says
The danger is that too many Infidels believe that Ahmadi Islam–which rejects violent Jihad (but not brutal Shari’ah law)–is the real thing. So they whitewash Islam for the Infidels.
But not all Muslims appreciate this Taqiyya–they are emboldened enough to present Islam in its naked savagery, at least among other Muslims.
mortimer says
Indeed, GI, the Ahmadis must constantly ‘misrepresent’ themselves and what they believe to outsiders (i.e. they start every conversation with outsiders by lying to the outsiders in some way). What a demoralizing way of life it must be.
gravenimage says
Agreed.
Michael Copeland says
“cultivating love and understanding among people”…….
Oh yes?
“..between us and you enmity and hatred forever…” Koran 60:4
gravenimage says
+1
mortimer says
+ 2
… Al Walaa = love between Muslims; al Baraa = hatred and hostility directed from Muslims towards the dirty kufaar.
gravenimage says
Grab the Popcorn: Free Speech Foe Gets Threatened with Prison for ‘Blasphemy’
……………..
Both Islam and the far left eat their own.
No popcorn for me–I find it doesn’t go all that well with schadenfreud…
Infidel says
Are Harris Zafar and that other guy US citizens? If they are, we should read Pakistan the riot act, and warn them against trying to implement their laws here! If they are citizens of Pakistan, we should arrest them and deport them to Pakistan, since they’ve broken Paki law.
As far as popcorn and ‘alien vs predator’ goes, I much prefer this news of Will Wilkinson – a free speech foe – getting cancelled himself. This is the guy who cheered James Damore getting canned from Google, and mocked the existence of cancel culture, despite being one of its major participants. Ironically, as the story points out, he wasn’t fired for suggesting the assassination of a US vice president: he was fired for the racial insensitivity in suggesting that the VP be lynched instead. W/ the woke crowd, the term ‘lynch’ is racist, despite the fact that it’s happened to people of several races, not just Blacks. As a result, using the term is itself ‘evidence’ that one hates Blacks, even if one is using it against a White VP
https://www.revolver.news/2021/01/will-wilkinson-cancelled/
gravenimage says
Infidel, Harris Zafar says he is a US citizen: Here’s a Tweet from him about this very case:
While it’s true I am one of two Americans that #Pakistan is targeting, I do not accept their frivolous charges.
@PTAofficialpk’s legal notice is harassment of a U.S. citizen. I will not be silent at this attempt of extremists to further persecute a peaceful global community.
https://twitter.com/Harris_Zafar/status/1349731461000175616
mortimer says
Harris Zafar is a US citizen who believes the first amendment should be rescinded and replaced with Ahmadi doctrine. He doesn’t accept the principle of equality between people who have different opinions. Harris Zafar wants Ahmadism to become the established faith in America.
Ironically, Zafar’s attack on freedom of speech is used by Pakistan against him.
Pakistan has an establishment of religion (Sunnite Islam), so they can persecute anyone who doesn’t share that opinion.
RichardL says
the Ahmadis and Sufis are my favourite Muhammadans because they get decimated by the other Muhammadans. And I totally approve using ‘oleaginous’ as an adjective for all islamic activists
OLD GUY says
Freedom of speech and thought are at risk with both the dimleft and islam’s sharia.
mortimer says
Harris Zafar wrote: ‘Islam promotes unity’ … where did we hear that word recently … ‘unity’ ? (Hmmm)
What he actually means by ‘unity’ (and what Leftists mean) is more similar to the Nazi term ‘GLEICHSCHALTUNG’ … the ‘phasing’ in of PARTY LINE DOCTRINE in all parts of society and the ‘phasing’ out of ‘incorrect’ thoughts. All thoughts are ‘rectified’ and ‘harmonized’ and but ‘in sync’, so that there is a UNITARY THOUGHT PROCESS for everyone.
Let me explain what Harris Zafar is actually saying:
Once there is UNITARY THOUGHT provided by the ‘CALIPH’ of the Ahmadi Muslims, then everyone may have ‘free speech’ … as long as everyone echoes, repeats and parrots the exact words of the Ahmadi caliph.
You now understand what Harris Zafar is getting at … you’re welcome.
John Forbes says
Reformers have been “beaten back ” by Islamic fundalmentalists for centuries & the West now also in fear & led by cowards simply refuses to support Islamic dissent or reformers! The cowards all hope that by “IGNORING” the hatred it will all go away. Good luck with this!
Richard says
“The difference between Islam’s view on free speech and the view promoted by free speech advocates these days,” Zafar asserted, “is the intention and ultimate goal each seeks to promote.”
The intention of Free Speech in western ideology is the protection of the right to the freedom to speak, the right to express your ideas without fear, just like Zafar has done.
The ultimate goal is the triumph of truth through free debate, truths such as the falsehood of Islam, exposing it’s violent, murderous and supremacist teachings (among many other truths)
The intention of Islam is to suppress free speech and promote the establishment of its repressive, discriminatory and genocidal laws.
There can be no limits to free speech, if it is to be free and remain free, other than direct calls to violence or direct calls to action that will harm others, such as intentionally yelling fire in a confined space.
Muslims use this argument to argue against free speech by saying that if your speech offends them and they respond to that with violence, then that speech should be banned. And since all speech that criticises Islam is offensive to them, essentially such criticism should be banned, giving Islam a free pass.
Unfortunately large sections of the western press and westerners buy this idea.
gravenimage says
+1