European Theater
More Jews attacked in France
Why is it only the right-wing press that ever demonstrates any outrage over this sort of thing? Just asking. From the New York Times, March 7:
PARIS, March 6 — Three attacks against Jews over the weekend have added to anxiety that anti-Semitism is growing among a new generation of French citizens in the country's immigrant-heavy, working-class neighborhoods.
British xenophobes distribute Danish cartoons
From the Times of India, March 2:
Britain's far right British National Party (BNP) has handed out thousands of leaflets showing the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, reports said on Thursday.
France: torture-killing sparks anti-racist march
From AP via the Glasgow Herald, Feb. 27:
Tens of of thousands of demonstrators, including ministers and politicians of all stripes, united in a show of force against racism and anti-Semitism yesterday, marching through the capital after the torture and killing of a Parisian Jew.
Sartorial front in "cartoon jihad"?
From South Africa's Mail & Guardian, from wire sources, Feb. 15:
Italian minister to wear Muhammad cartoon T-shirt
A prominent Italian government figure planned on Wednesday to wear a T-shirt sporting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have sparked violent reactions from Muslims around the world.
UK: anti-free speech measure advances
Yet more evidence of the Western democracies' sterling commitment to freedom of expression. From the Washington Post:
LONDON, Feb. 15 -- The House of Commons on Wednesday backed a bill that would make "glorification" of terrorism a criminal offense, a measure that Prime Minister Tony Blair called crucial to Britain's battle against religious extremists.
Bosnia: Croatian flag burned in cartoon protest
Bosnian Muslims burned the Croatian flag in front of the country’s Sarajevo embassy Feb. 8, in a protest over the publication of the Danish cartoons in a Croatian weekly magazine. Hundreds of Bosnian Muslims also protested at the Danish, Norwegian and French embassies. Protesters also called for a boycott of imports from countries which have published the cartoons. No violence was reported, but the Croatian embassy has requested special police protection from Bosnia's government. (DTT-NET, Belgium, Feb. 8)
"Defend the right to blasphemy"
Sent by Mahmood Ketabchi, an exiled follower of the Worker Communist Party of Iran now living in New Jersey and active in support work for workers' and women's movements in Iran and Iraq. Emphasis added.
Defend Freedom of Press—and the Right to Blasphemy
by Mahmood Ketabchi
February 9, 2006
The publication of cartoons of Muhammad by several European newspapers has given the political Islamists an opportunity to launch a brutal international assault against freedom of press and the right to blasphemy. Islamist demonstrators attacked and burned a few European embassies, launched sectarian attacks on people from other religions, and threatened the lives of European citizens. In the streets of London, they called for murder and beheading of the cartoonists and anyone who insults Islam and threatened a special 9/11 massacre for Europeans. It went so far that a demonstrator in front of the Danish Embassy in London wore suicide bomber's gear. The US and European governments declared their regrets over the cartoons and apologized to the Islamists. Even the Pope, representing the Catholic establishment, pitched in his two cents condemning the cartoon, maybe out of fear that someone might draw caricatures of the church's collusion with pedophilic Catholic priests raping little children. The apologies only added more fuel to the Islamist's rage and outcry, for they saw it as justification for their actions.
Al-Masri conviction reveals "free speech" double standard
This is cute. Just as the cartoon controversy is being portrayed as evidence of Western values of "free speech" versus inherent Islamic intolerance, comes the conviction of Shiekh Abu Hamza al-Masri in Britain—on charges of, basically, expressing his opinions publicly. That he holds some pretty awful opinions is beside the point. The jihad fan club in the blogosphere will have a field day revelling in this irresistibly ironic display of Western hypocrisy, as Jihad Unspun does in the below blurb. Note that the Sheikh was acquitted of the charges which actually sound vaguely legitimate, "solicitation to murder" and "threatening behavior."
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