Free Republic

The trial of Austrian anti-Sharia activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff for “denigrating” Islam has major implications for free speech in Europe. (Also read Michael Ledeen: "Islamophobia") The “hate speech” trial of the Austrian housewife and anti-Islam activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff resumed at a Vienna courthouse on January 18, following a two-month break in the hearings. Sabaditsch-Wolff, who has been charged with “incitement of hatred” and “denigrating religious teachings” after giving a series of seminars about the dangers of radical Islam, faces a possible three year prison sentence. Her case, which is eerily similar to the one involving the Dutch politician Geert Wilders,...

The photo above shows Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Donald Trump, and Frank Gaffney at the launch of The United West in Miami, Florida on March 6, 2011. Although he wasn’t mentioned in any of our reports on the event, I remembered that Mr. Trump had attended, and I asked Elisabeth to look for the photo. She couldn’t find the digital original, so the above image was made by scanning a printout of the photo — hence the inferior quality.

The political debate sponsored by Hadassah, scheduled for Sept. 12, has been canceled -- by Hadassah. Tom Trento, a fervent Israel supporter and leading critic of Islam, and I were to present the Republican viewpoint on President Obama's performance on all issues, while two prominent local Democrats were prepared to give their take. Fair and balanced, with Kingsley Guy, a former editor and now op-ed writer for the Sun Sentinel, was to serve as moderator. The press had advertised it, tickets for the event had been sold, and it seemed to be a go. Trento’s ties to a conservative group...