While I don't share your opinion of Islam, I DO share your opinion of freedom of speech. It is absolutely appalling that people are being forbidden from expressing themselves... especially when some of the things are true... there IS too much Islamic influence in France, and they have more immigrants than they can assimilate. But even if it were utter BS, she should still have the right to say it.

A line that keeps surfacing in the media is that we should get to know more about Islam. So there are workshops and the like for anyone interested.

I would like to say that I have no interest in Islam. I don't want to know any more about its wonderful history, art, philosophy or anything else. I've got enough on my plate as it is.

The real reason behind these initiatives is the implied threat that we need to know more about Islam for our own safety. There was precious little interest in Islam before 9/11.

No, Norman. The reason behind those initiatives is to get more people to convert to Islam to get the demographic win without the need for war.

I suspect America will not follow in England's footsteps.

"I don't want to know any more about its wonderful history, art, philosophy or anything else." So in other words, stay willfully ignorant so you can sleep at night with the knowledge that Islam really is the "religion of peace".

I don't think any of the Abrahamic faiths are any good when taken to the extreme. Or any religion, for that matter. But there are plenty of non-psycho Muslims out there, the equivalent of the "Christmas and Easter" folks here.

No, I would not want to live in a Muslim country. I wouldn't care to live in a Christian one either, not one where Christianity was enforced. In either one of those situations I would probably be executed. I'm quite happy with secularism.

My point is, though, whether you like Islam or not, you should have the right to voice your opinion. Even if you are a nutjob nazi. Even if you are a kooky commie. Suppressing ideas doesn't make them go away. Also, unpopular points of view exist for a reason, and often are brought about because of some underlying issue that isn't being addressed. No elephant was ever made invisible by not talking about it.

I wish I was confident that the US wasn't getting just as bad. But just try using a cuss word these days. It'll get you thrown out of a place, threatened with lock up faster than actually threatening someone. This kind of repression can't be far behind.

TG - where do you live, Michigan? I don't know anywhere where public vulgarity is a criminal offense except Michigan (where a man was successfully prosecuted for having a curse word heard across a lake after his boat capsized).

Nicole - you miss the point - if Christianity was "enforced" as you say, it would cease to be Christian. Besides, you are confusing faith and religion - The Catholics were the ones who merged Christianity and politics. That worked until a guy by the name of Luther caused a row with a letter nailed to the door. Not even England (with their Church of England) has holy writ as public law.

I think that's the biggest thing that people like you don't understand. You try to equate Christianity and Islam, and you cannot. Jesus himself (you know, the guy that Christianity is named for) called for the separation of faith and government. Islam does precisely the opposite - it teaches that Islam is the only thing you need as it describes every facet of the proper life.

Those that you so charmingly refer to as "non-psycho" muslims are not regarded by the arbiters of the faith as true muslims. Their opinion is completely irrelevant.

It would also help if hate crime laws were eliminated.

I didn't think much of hate crime laws until finding Amy's site. But she's right about them... you don't committ a crime if you love someone. All crimes are hate crimes, basically. On top of which, it can make something criminalized that really isn't a crime. I remember a few years back when some people got super bent out of shape over someone having a noose hanging from a tree in their yard. As a Halloween decoration. That's silly. Just because a noose means one thing to one culture doesn't mean it should be a criminal act to display one! I mean, when I think of a noose, I always think of the Wild West and Boot Hill!

And just because I call someone a dirty name while beating the crud out of them into a more horrific crime. Even if the name is considered a slur.

Brian - "Jesus himself (you know, the guy that Christianity is named for)"

pedant mode on - I think "christ" means "messiah" or something similar. It's not the guy's name. Personally I prefer to call him Jesus of Nazareth, 'cos it sounds cooler (to me, anyway).

end of pedant mode.

The saddest part of this article is the bit you didn't excerpt:

"No question, the subjects of such prosecutions are often anti-religious--especially anti-Muslim--and intolerant. Consider far-right Austrian legislator Susanne Wright. She recently denounced Muhammad as a pedophile for his marriage to 6-year old Aisha, which was consummated when she was 9. Winter also suggested that Muslim men should commit bestiality rather than have sex with children. Under an Austrian law criminalizing "degradation of religious doctrines", [Winter] was sentenced in January to a fine of 24,000 euros and a three-month suspended prison term.

But it's speech, and not the speaker, that's at issue. As insulting and misinformed as Winter's views may be, free speech is not limited to non-offensive subjects. The purpose of free speech is ti be able to challenge widely held views."

We really are doomed if even a law prof writing an editorial on free speech in a major paper cannot bring himself to wholeheartedly defend a woman who did nothing but call a spade a spade. Yes, Muhammad did buy Aisha from her father to add to his harem when she was 6, and raped her when she was 9, just after she'd finished drinking her milk & playing with her dolls. One of Ayatollah Khomeini's very first acts when he came to power in Iran was to lower the legal age of marriage for girls to 9. And yes, he did preach in his sermons that Muslim men can have sex with camels, goats, & sheep, but they can't eat their meat afterwards, because that would be a sin. Apologists for Islam try to justify Muhammad by pointing out that he was just a 7th century man, after all. Well, Jesus was a 1st century man, and I must have missed the part in the Gospels where he demanded that his disciples sell him their prepubescent daughters so that he could rape them.

Either Turley doesn't know the truth about Muhammad & Islam, in which case he's the one who's misinformed, or he does know the truth, but he's too hamstrung by PC and fearful of the wrath of Muslims to offer anything better than a "Susanne Winters is an ignorant Nazi hag, but even ignorant Nazi hags should have freedom of speech" defense.

I am so going to buy that T-shirt that says "Every time you see a rainbow, God is having gay sex". And then actually wear it. On the train. To New York City. And walk around Times Square.

Cornerdemon, that noose thing happened here in CT, in the town of Stratford. And the people who put it up also had a guy hanging from it, that was supposed to look like a corpse. But people got all offended because supposedly, it looked like a "black man". How they got black from a bleached-out-looking skull is beyond me. But man, the bruhaha it kicked up was amazing! People out there protesting over a Halloween decoration. As if no one had anything better to do. It was ridiculous.
o.O

The problem is the average person does not understand what free speech means. They are all in favor of free speech in general. But they are in favor of restricting offensive speech. This misses the point of free speech. No one wants to censor “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Free speech is only for unpopular, offensive, vulgar, nasty or despicable non-violent speech.

You go girl!

http://www.eclectipundit.com/2009/04/documenting-decline-of-free-speech.html

In America, PC already virtually prohibits any discussion of the excesses and evils of feminism in the public sphere.

If you aren't all "Women are SO great, all the time, no matter what!" then you had better STFU.

Not all Muslims think that way -- many really have no idea what horrible stuff is in the Quran ...

The only good Muslim is a bad Muslim.