Criminalizing Criticism of Islam

wsj ^ | Sep. 10, 2008 | ELIZABETH SAMSON

[PattRiot]

Criminalizing Criticism of Islam By ELIZABETH SAMSON FROM TODAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL EUROPE September 10, 2008

There are strange happenings in the world of international jurisprudence that do not bode well for the future of free speech. In an unprecedented case, a Jordanian court is prosecuting 12 Europeans in an extraterritorial attempt to silence the debate on radical Islam.

The prosecutor general in Amman charged the 12 with blasphemy, demeaning Islam and Muslim feelings, and slandering and insulting the prophet Muhammad in violation of the Jordanian Penal Code. The charges are especially unusual because the alleged violations were not committed on Jordanian soil.

Among the defendants is the Danish cartoonist whose alleged crime was to draw in 2005 one of the Muhammad illustrations that instigators then used to spark Muslim riots around the world. His co-defendants include 10 editors of Danish newspapers that published the images. The 12th accused man is Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who supposedly broke Jordanian law by releasing on the Web his recent film, "Fitna," which tries to examine how the Quran inspires Islamic terrorism.

Jordan's attempt at criminalizing free speech beyond its own borders wouldn't be so serious if it were an isolated case. Unfortunately, it is part of a larger campaign to use the law and international forums to intimidate critics of militant Islam.

[hunter112]

Sorry, but when I started reading this, I figured it was happening in either Europe or America. Well, it's a bunch of Europeans thinking that freedom applies in an islammunist country. This is about as smart as me going into the inner city and screaming the N-word as loudly as I can.

The only thing these Europeans are proving is that no matter how 'moderate' an islammofascist state proclaims to be, they're all just Saudi Arabia with different geography. I knew that already, doesn't everyone here realize it, too?

[Arrowhead1952]

We can only hope this idiot is not elected. I know a lot of people are changing their position already. He & Biden just need to keep on making the gaffes.

Like the old saying, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

[happygrl]

All the more reason to get off foreign imports of oil ASAP, and quarantine these Muslim countries.

[happygrl]

We are headed for samizdat in this country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samizdat

[PattRiot]

energy independence is a HLS issue (too).

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

JIHAD WATCH.org: "THE OIC CALLS ON THE MEDIA TO SUPPRESS THE TRUTH" (December 20, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (REUTERS): "OIC CHIEF: "Attempts to equate Islam with terrorism should be stopped. Stereotyping and demonization of Muslims should be combated"" (December 20, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "DON'T CALL IT ISLAMOPHOBIA" by Joel J. Sprayregen (December 10, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org: "HATE AND BIAS" (December 5, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE, December 2, 2008): "Islam a religion of peace -- daily headlines notwithstanding!" (December 4, 2008)

ATLAS SHRUGS - blog: "NUTS! UN'S DEATH KNELL FOR FREE SPEECH" (November 25, 2008)

CNS NEWS.com: "'DEFAMATION' OF ISLAM RESOLUTION TO SET TO PASS, BUT LOSING GROUND" by Patrick Goodenough (November 25, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (WEA, November 15, 2008): "INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC ORGANIZATION ATTEMPTS TO CRIMINALIZE CRITICISM OF ISLAM AT THE UN" (November 20, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "JIHAD AGAINST FREE SPEECH" by Deborah Weiss (November 6, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (TODAYS ZAMAN): "OIC CHIEF: ISLAMOPHOBIA IS A NEW FORM OF RACISM, EXCEPT IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN RACISM" (October 31, 2008)

FOX NEWS.com: "U.N. ANTI-BLASPHEMY RESOLUTION CURTAILS FREE SPEECH, CRITICS SAY" by Jennifer Lawinski (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Religious groups and free-speech advocates are banding together to fight a United Nations resolution they say is being used to spread Sharia law to the Western world and to intimidate anyone who criticizes Islam.") (October 3, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (BERNAMA.com, September 25, 2008): New York - "MALAYSIA PROPOSES CONVENTION ON ISLAMOPHOBIA IN U.S." (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Malaysia has proposed that a large-scale international convention sponsored by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) be held as early as next year to tackle the anti-Islam movement...") (September 28, 2008)

WASHINGTON TIMES.com (UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND RED TEAM - UNCLASSIFIED): "FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN JIHAD ANALYSIS: DEBUNKING THE MYTH OF OFFENSIVE WORDS" (August 21, 2008)

ACLJ.org: "PETITION OPPOSING THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE"

Link (pdf)

WorldNetDaily.com: "U.N. SCHEME TO MAKE CHRISTIANS CRIMINALS Sharia-following Islamic nations demanding anti-'defamation' law" by Bob Unruh (July 10, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (REUTERS): Amman - "JORDAN CHARGES GEERT WILDERS WITH 'BLASPHEMY AND CONTEMPT OF MUSLIMS'; OIC 'DEEPLY ANNOYED' AT DUTCH DECISION NOT TO PROSECUTE HIM" (July 1, 2008)

HUMAN EVENTS.com: "GEORGE ORWELL MEETS THE OIC" by Robert Spencer (June 25, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "FREE SPEECH DIES AT THE UN" by Robert Spencer (June 25, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "JIHAD AGAINST FREEDOM OF SPEECH AT THE UNITED NATIONS" by Jeffrey Imm (June 19, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (REUTERS): "OIC: LACK OF PUNISHMENT FOR CARTOONS WILL LEAD TO MORE 'ISLAMOPHOBIA'" (June 24, 2008)

TRUTHUSA.com: "A Look at More Than Cartoons"

JIHAD WATCH.org: "OIC: COMBATING 'ISLAMOPHOBIA' TOP PRIORITY, WORKING WITH WESTERN GOVERNMENTS TO RESTRICT FREE SPEECH" (June 23, 2008)

Link

CNS NEWS.com: "ISLAMIC NATIONS EYE UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEATS" by Patrick Goodenough (June 23, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org: "ITALIAN PM AND MUSLIM CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY TARGETS OF JIHADIST DEATH THREATS; ISLAMIC CONFERENCE DECRIES 'ISLAMOPHOBIA'" (June 18, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (KUWAIT NEWS AGENCY): "'INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC CONFERENCE ON INTER-FAITH DIALOGUE' CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST 'CULTURE OF HATRED AMONG NATIONS'" (June 8, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (TODAY'S ZAMAN): "OIC TO DECLARE A 'MEMORIAL DAY' FOR MASSACRES AGAINST MUSLIMS" (May 17, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (TODAYS ZAMAN.com): "ISLAMIC NATIONALS LAUNCH 'ISLAMOPHOBIA OBSERVATORY'" (May10, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEWS AGENCY): "OIC CONDEMNS FITNA 'IN THE STRONGEST TERMS'" (March 29, 2008)

WTOP NEWS.com (AP): Geneva - "UN OKs ISLAMIC TEXT AGAINST DEFAMATION" (March 27, 2008, 11:40 pm)

HOT AIR.com - blog: "NEW JIHAD WATCH: DEFAME ISLAM, GET SUED" (March 24, 2008)

Video - Link

ASSIST NEWS SERVICE: "OIC: ELIMINATING 'DEFAMATION' OF ISLAM - an examination of the Organisation of Islamic Conference's Observatory Report on Islamophobia" by Elizabeth Kendal (March 24, 2008)

CNS NEWS.com: "OIC DENOUNCES TERROR, BUT FIGHTING 'OCCUPATION' STILL EXEMPTED" by Patrick Goodenough (March 18, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org (AFP): Dakar - "INDONESIAN PRESIDENT: "ISLAM HAS BEEN UNJUSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH VIOLENCE'" (March 15, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org: "FITZGERALD: THE OIC's REBRANDING GAME" (March 15, 2008)

JIHAD WATCH.org: "OIC: 'COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACED BY THE MUSLIM WORLD'" (SNIPPET: "Well, Jihad Watch can offer a handy five-point plan for countering 'Islamophobia'...") (March 12, 2008)

CNS NEWS.com: "STATE DEPT INTRODUCES NEW ENVOY TO MUSLIM NATIONS" by Susan Jones (March 10, 2008)

COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG.org: "JIHAD, ISLAMISM, AND U.S. ENVOY TO OIC" by Jeffrey Imm (February 29, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - news release: Oval Office - "PRESIDENT BUSH MEETS WITH SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE" (February 27, 2008, 2:01 pm EST)