Posted on 10/02/2006 8:57:37 AM PDT by Republicain
PARIS, Oct 2, 2006 (AFP) - France's best-known philosophers published an open letter in Le Monde newspaper Monday expressing support for Robert Redeker, the teacher who is in hiding after receiving death threats for an article attacking Islam.
The writers -- who include Bernard-Henri Levy, Alain Finkielkraut and Andre Glucksmann -- urged the French state to defray Redeker's expenses while he is under threat "just as the English authorities did not hesitate to do during the Rushdie affair."
Redeker, a 52 year-old father of three and philosophy teacher at a lycee near Toulouse, is receiving round-the-clock police protection and changing address every two days after receiving death threats for his September 19 article in the right-wing daily Le Figaro.
In it he described the Koran as a "book of extraordinary violence" and Islam as "a religion which ... exalts violence and hate".
"It is very sad. I exercised a constitutional right, and I am punished for it -- here in the heart of the republic," Redeker was quoted as saying in the open letter.
"The authorities oblige me to keep moving. I am homeless. As a result I am in a desperate financial situation, as all the costs are at my expense," he was quoted as saying.
Redeker's supporters compared him to British writer Salman Rushie, "hounded for 15 years across the planet" over his book "The Satanic Verses", as well as to Dutch film-maker Theo Van Gogh, killed "like a dog" in Amsterdam in 2004.
"A handful of fanatics brandishes alleged religious laws to jeopardise our most basic freedoms. To which threats are now added the murmurings audible across Europe about the 'provocations' we must avoid in order not to antagonise these supposed foreign sensibilities," the writers said.
"Times are getting tough in Europe. Now is not the moment for cowardice," they said.
Redeker, who has published several books of philosophy, wrote his article in reaction to the fury unleashed in Muslim countries by Pope Benedict XVI's references to Islam in an address in Germany two weeks ago.
Likening Islam to communism, Redeker said that "violence and intimidation are the methods used by an expansionist ideology ... to impose its leaden cloak on the world".
He also compared the Prophet Mohammed unfavourably to Jesus Christ, describing the founder of Christianity as a "master of love" and the founder of Islam as a "master of hate".
The muslims will kill him because he called their religion full of hate and violence...rather ironic
Just what he needs to cover his back; French philosophers.
I haven't kept up with the latest scene, but there are some French philosophers out there now who are trying to undo the damaged caused by people like Sartre and Derrida.
That's probably who these people are. Because it takes guts to speak up in this situation, and put their names on the line.
C'mon, you can't fault them for coming to his defense. On the contrary, it must be noted that they are the ONLY ones who have done so. This poor guy says that he is homeless, is moving around at his own expense. Rushdie moved around at the government's expense. Now consider this. The French government will pay for all kinds of ridiculous, frivolous things but not this. The French government and the overwhelming majority of the French people have MUCH of which to be ashamed. But these philosphers, even if their action is patently useless, at least showed some modicum of courage. The typical European response to any suffering is to raise the right hand, place it on the right cheek and make the sound of a barnyard animal in labor. Note their response to Kosovo, Darfur, ......... They simply do not care anymore than to offer platitudes. At least the philosophers did something, no matter how trivial. Sometimes the pot needs to be stirred. Now we'll see how the rest of France responds.
"Welcome to the party, Pal!!"
The Communist "Nation" published a "Letter to the American Left" by B-H Levy that begins in a rather promising way. Evidently he is offering advice on how to fix the left, but it's still pretty striking and amusing:
And they sure put their names on the line, didn't they? First surname on the list - Levy. Good for them; they said, "Now is not the time for cowardice." There is never a time for cowardice and Europe would've done well to have learned that, but they have systems in place to erode the reasoning capacity over generations that have been very successful. Now we'll see what lessons on 'social justice' we can learn from the Europeans. Fraternite, egalite, absurdite.
Thank God, it is legal to carry guns (pistols concealed) in Texas. I don't regularly carry one now, but can and would if necessary. The police cannot provide protection every minute for the rest of one's life. No, Texas does not look like a Hollywood western movie, but we do in fact regard safety as deadly serious.
Gee...I wish we had some of those French philosophers on our side...
At least one of them is a left wing Jew, and in this country a good many left wing Jews still seem to hate Israel and support the Palestinians. It's good to know that Jews in France are waking up.
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