Muslim group rattled by free speech demo

Things are starting to get interesting.

An outfit calling itself  'Global Civility'  has decided to organise counter-demonstrations against the March for Free Expression,  although it is not yet clear whether one is planned for Trafalgar Square.  The organisation has also issued a press release condemning the free speech rallies.

Global Civility was behind the anti-cartoon protests in February.  Among their many demands is this:

a. To amend the Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice with the following 3 changes:

(Section 1, Accuracy, new clause)

i. The Press must take care not to publish reckless and malicious expressions insulting or desecrating anyone's creed or conscience, including pictures.

(Section 12, Discrimination, addition of 'insulting' in clause (i))

ii. The press must avoid prejudicial, insulting or pejorative reference to an individual's race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or to any physical or mental illness or disability.

(Section 12, Discrimination, addition new clause (iii))

iii. The press must avoid any publication or reference leading to provocation, incitement to violence or hatred based upon an individual's race or religion.

In effect, (i) would ban ban any satire against religion and (iii) would prevent any critical discussion at all, because anyone could claim that they were provoked by what was written.

Global Civility is not about civility at all, it is an insidious campaign to persuade western governments to change their laws to protect Islam from scrutiny and criticism. Its unreasonable demands and hysterical opposition to the March for Free Expression show why we need a campaign to protect free speech. If these people are allowed to set the agenda than we will see our right to criticise them slowly whittled away.

For an insight into the mind-set of Global Civility,  have a look at some of their banners.

Download banners_08feb061.ppt

Comments

[skydog]

'The prophet Muhammad Brought Light To The Dark Ages' .........

And Darkness To The Modern Age.

[Rastaman]

The Rastaman STRIKES, muwahahahaha...

I signed up with Global Civility, it was easy to do, a lot of fun and I reccommend that everyone do it. My GC name is Laffmy Assoff, my address is 3000 Murdered, New York, USA and my comment was "If you protest against Freedom of Speech you will be reviled by everyone, so please go ahead and do it." That should bring a smile to their faces, dont'cha think?

Did anyone notice that the GC website now says there are 1.6 billion Muslims? Wow, they really are breeding like mosquitoes. Yesterday there were only 1.3 billion, that's an overnite increase of 300 million people. They must screw like, like.... ummm .... mosquitoes.

[Steve]

You're a bad man, Mr R.

Now I will have to think of a witty address so I can sign up too.

[Alison]

The other cool thing about this little bunch rocking up is that the media will have to cover the whole event now. I was worried they would blank it?

lol Rasta, and well yep seems theyve been busy.

[Hellpig]

Rastaman,if your gonna tease us LINK US,http://www.globalcivility.com/

I signed as MIKE HUNT

[Hellpig]

Ratsaman my bad just woke up not seeing or reading clearly

[Rastaman]

Hey, email them and they'll actually respond:

"I think your prejudiced and nasty comments only highlight the need for our Campaign for Global Civility. Please be civil, if you want to have a real discussion, dialogue and debate with us instead of this petty name calling which is reminiscent of children in the playground, we'll more than happy to oblige."

This is great stuff. It's their response to THE LETTER THEY SENT TO THE MARCH FOR FREE EXPRESSION. I sent it back to them with slight changes:

We note that your organisation will be demonstrating against the March for
Freedom of Expression due to take place on the 25th March in Trafalgar Square.

We are unclear about your position and would like you to clarify some points.

Please could you let us know if you believe that the right to practice Islam
should include the following and why?

1) The right to insult the Queen?
2) The right to divulge state secrets?
3) The right to incite racial hatred?
4) The right to incite religious hatred?
5) The right to incite murder?
6) The right to glorify terrorism?
7) The right to slander people?

The reason we ask is because you do all these things on a regular basis all over
the world, and more besides. You hang girl children for fighting off would-be
rapists and stone them to death if they fail and get raped. You do nothing to
the rapists. You openly declare war against your host nations wherever you
emigrate. You preach death to Christians and Jews and actively kill Christians
and Jews. You commit murder in the name of Islam. The list of your evils is
unending.

So we ask you, do you think that your religion gives you rights that no one else
has? Outside of the Queen of course. Anyone can insult the Queen, you dolts.

So please state your position. Missionary, fellatio, pederastial, what's your
preference? One way or another, you're screwed if you think you can conquer
Western democracy.

[Irene Adler]

We recognise that individual and collective human dignity is a fundamental right and that the desecration of such through insult, denigration or humiliation is morally and ethically wrong.

Quoted from their proclamation above, it shows just how far apart our respective cultures are, and neatly delineates the crux of the whole cartoon issue. Western people and culture, unlike Arab/Islamic culture, is not steeped in "honor/shame" obsessions. We do not consider it a "fundamental human right" to not be insulted. We do not wake up in terror every morning that somewhere, somehow, we will be exposed to "humiliation." We recognize that the possibility of exposing ourselves to ridicule is why we have moved forward in science, engineering, technology -- hence the old inventors' saying, "They laughed at Fulton, too." If Fulton and a thousand other visonaries had not been willing to be laughed at, then where would be the steamboat and many other civilizational advances?

This is not a bridgeable culture gap. The honor/shame culture, charactized by an extreme- thin-skinnedness and an inability to self-criticize as well as accept criticizm from others, is not compatible with the Western tradition.

[Hellpig]

I thanked them for their list of supporters,now the West knows who and where they are,and we can begin the eye for an eye, mosque for a shine...as they stated :due unto them as they would do unto you,they have been raping ,killing,desecrating religious relics for centuries.OUR TURN

[Irene Adler]

Hellpig, you really are not a credit to this blog.

[Hellpig]

Irene,never wanted to be,whats your excuse?

[Hellpig]

One more thing before I leave for the night,Irene,why do you have a blog without a comment section,kind of a waste,or is it that you are afraid of criticism?

and lastly you are a Hippocrate,your blog is all about down with muslims.

so in closing FUCK OFF!

[Irene Adler]

I am not "down" with violence or genocide as you seem to be. I got rid of comments to get rid of a certain troll who would show up at every post and demand long debates with me that I had no time for. Not that it's any of your business.

[Rastaman]

Ooo the love. Feeeel the looooove.

[Hellpig]

I am down with violence,I will kill the first goatfucker(in honor of Van Gogh his favorite terminology)that rapes a little girl in my community,I will stomp on any goatfuckers burning a flag in my community,I will burn down the first mosque that openly preaches hate in my community,I will do what ever it takes to stop the spread of this vial cult of Islam in my community.

What would you do for your community?shake your non violent finger at them and say no no,well I have seen what that community looks like and that shit will not happen on my watch.

SEMPER FI

[Joe90]

"vial cult of Islam"

LOL. You're not diabetic are you?

[Rastaman]

Another out of place comment from our dear Joe90, who never has anything to actually contribute but instead tries to ride on the backs of the sincere expressions of others. Joe, your constant ridiculing is a sure sign of your severe lack of self-esteem. May I suggest that you get a job and your own place to live? It would do wonders for you.

While anger is a symptom of diabetes/low blood sugar, it's also symptomatic of other things, such as having your country attacked by bearded grinning suicidal loons who have been deprived of their humanity by an evil faith. Hellpig is an American and a very pissed off one. You know that. Knowing it, why would you sneer? Your own country is under attack by these same suicidal loons. Are you the same as Matan?
You might want to make a choice: Which would you prefer by your side when it all hits the fan? Hellpig, whom you know will not betray you, or Matan?

[G. Tingey]

These nutters, and a lot of others have forgotten, or don't know....

That "Toleration" is not "Respect"

I may tolerate someone's religion, but I don't have to respect it. nor do I have to be polite about it.

What consenting adults do in private, is their business.
but, bring it on the street, frighten the horses, and demand respect for it?

Go and stick your head in a Pig.

[Joe90]

Get back in your box Rastaman, you pompous berk.

All this posturing over Muslims is just an expression of impotence. The allies can't even control Iraq, a backward country of 26 million inhabitants.

It's all going pear-shaped, and you haven't a clue what to do about it.

The sooner the commonsense voices of paleocons like Pat Buchanan and Steve Sailer are heard over the stumbling neocons, the better.

[Rastaman]

See? There he goes again. Never contributes a thing, is only capable of sneering. Speaking of unboxed berks, Bunky, when did I take on responsibility for Iraq? I thought it was a mistake from the start in any case and I said so.

Here's a quote from Pat Buchanan, Joe: "Conservatives don't trash their countrymen, even if they think they're wrong."

Mr. (?) Tingey, that was a great comment and right on, BTW.

I do have a small contribution this morning regarding Iraq. A glimmer of light from LATimes.com:

"BAGHDAD — Iraqi officials agreed Sunday to set up a council that would give each of the country's main political factions a voice in making security and economic policies for a new government.
The accord, announced after nearly a week of negotiations, was aimed at deflating rising sectarian tensions and represented the first breakthrough in the U.S.-guided effort to form a unity government after parliamentary elections Dec. 15."

Outside of arguments over the validity of this mess, the problem with it, and we all know this, has been the interference of outside fighters and the infighting between the various factions. Getting the Iraqis themselves to become a cohesive whole has proven nearly impossible. This Council is a very positive step. They've been doing too much bickering to form a government, and now they have the means to achieving some cohesion and a government could well come out of this. There's hope.

[Joe90]

"Never contributes a thing, is only capable of sneering."

Do I detect the faint whiff of sanctimony?

[Rastaman]

Do I detect a sneer?

[Rastaman]

Decided now would be the best time to say this rather than wait for another pointless remark from Joe90. In the event of one there will be no reply.

[Joe90]

More than a whiff now, ugh.

"I thought it was a mistake from the start in any case and I said so."

On here?

[Joe90]

"In the event of one there will be no reply."

LOL. Rastaman rattled by free speech.