Dane charged with blasphemy against Islam
Strong horse, anyone?
“When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, they will naturally want to side with the strong horse. “–Osama Bin Laden
Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun
February 25, 2017
Blasphemy is again a crime that gets prosecuted in Denmark.
Were Danes warned beforehand that taking in Muslim immigrants would cost them their free speech? That they would have to be very careful in criticising a faith that put men in charge of their wives, endorsed wife beating, urged the subjugation or killing of Jews, condoned polygamy, permitted sex slavery of women captured in battle, preached jihad against unbelievers and demanded the submission of all to Islam?
A man who burned the Islamic holy book in his backyard has been charged with blasphemy, in a move his lawyer speculates was driven by fear of Muslim extremists. The attempted prosecution is the first of its kind in nearly 50 years.
The 42-year-old man from Jutland uploaded video footage of a Quran being lit on fire, which he posted to a Facebook group called ‘Yes to freedom – no to Islam’ in December last year.
“It is the prosecution’s view that circumstances involving the burning of holy books such as the Bible and the Quran can, in certain cases, be a violation of the blasphemy clause, which covers public scorn or mockery of religion,” said chief prosecutor Jan Reckendorff in a statement.
“It is our opinion that the circumstances of this case mean it should be prosecuted so the courts now have an opportunity to take a position on the matter.”
The defendant’s lawyer, Rasmus Paludan, said that his client had burned the Quran in self-defense, asserting that the Islamic holy book “contains passages on how Mohammed’s followers must kill the infidel, i.e. the Danes”.
Don’t think this is possible only in Denmark. In Australia we now see similar attempts to criminalise criticism of Islam:
Vilification on the grounds of religion is now illegal and in serious cases could result in a criminal conviction with a fine of up to $7500, under laws passed by the ACT parliament on Thursday.
Both Labor and Liberal supported the move put by the Greens Shane Rattenbury, who said the display of hatred, intolerance and offensive behaviour towards Muslims was one of the biggest intolerance issues in Australia today.
Also sinister is that presenters working for Australia’s biggest broadcaster, the government-owned ABC, are now crusaders against blasphemy, too – if the blasphemy is against Islam:
THE ABC’s religion editor … last week penned a shock-jock sermon against a heretic he branded “mad”, “lunatic” and “maniacal” and even “idolatrous”.
Idolatrous? Me?
My blasphemy isn’t against Christianity, of course….
No, it’s against Islam, which [Scott Stephens] praises as embracing “devout hesitation before the inscrutability of the Divine”.
My sin is particularly against its messiah, another ABC presenter whose “very presence, prominence even, in the Australian media is enough to give the most despondent among us hope”, says Stephens.
Yes, it’s Waleed Aly, a former Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman shown in a portrait accompanying Stephens’ sermon with blood pouring from his head, as if I’d pressed hard on his crown of thorns.
And my heresy? I’d attacked Aly last week for his curious silence when asked on Network Ten to explain who’d stolen almost 300 Nigerian schoolgirls.
Aly, also a lecturer at Monash University’s terrorism centre, claimed: “It’s hard to identify who they are and they might just be vigilantes.”
Not once did he say the girl-stealers were Boko Haram terrorists, identifying as Muslims. Not once did “Islamic” even cross his lips…
Wondering about a blind Aly
Bolt is “iolatrous”, “mad”, “lunatic” and “maniacal”, claims a Uniting Church dolt who seems to have the hots for little Wally, every Moonbats darling.
THE ABC’s religion editor was a Uniting Church minister so you’d expect him to preach milksop peace and reconciliation.
Instead, Scott Stephens last week penned a shock-jock sermon against a heretic he branded “mad”, “lunatic” and “maniacal” and even “idolatrous”.
Idolatrous? Me?
My blasphemy isn’t against Christianity, of course. Which Uniting Church ministers defend that this furiously?
No, it’s against Islam, which Scott praises as embracing “devout hesitation before the inscrutability of the Divine”.
My sin is particularly against its messiah, another ABC presenter whose “very presence, prominence even, in the Australian media is enough to give the most despondent among us hope”, says Stephens.
Yes, it’s Waleed Aly, a former Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman shown in a portrait accompanying Stephens’ sermon with blood pouring from his head, as if I’d pressed hard on his crown of thorns.
And my heresy? I’d attacked Aly last week for his curious silence when asked on Network Ten to explain who’d stolen almost 300 Nigerian schoolgirls.
Aly, also a lecturer at Monash University’s terrorism centre, claimed: “It’s hard to identify who they are and they might just be vigilantes.”
Not once did he say the girl-stealers were Boko Haram terrorists, identifying as Muslims. Not once did “Islamic” even cross his lips.
Strangely, Stephens agrees Boko Haram has roots in Islam, although he’s faster to dismiss it as just a “corrupted” form that is “massively funded throughout the Muslim world — including Nigeria — by Saudi Arabia”.
So why am I “mad”, “lunatic” and “maniacal” to say so? Because I called out St Aly?
Stephens invented some grievances: that I’d wanted Aly to admit Islam was defined by Boko Haram, rather than by, say, a Uniting Church minister.
False. I’d simply said Aly should admit Boko Haram claimed Islam inspired it, which is why it kills Christians.
But now Stephens raises it, shouldn’t a faith be judged in part by what it inspires followers to do?
True, many millions of Muslims disown the Islam of Boko Haram. But if Saudi Arabia and dozens of terrorist groups support similarly militant versions, shouldn’t Stephens wonder whether the Koran too easily licenses terrorism, intolerance and the subjugation of women?
Why else would a Sudanese judge sentence a pregnant Christian woman to hang for apostasy?
No “devout hesitation” there, Scott. Or is that another “mad” and “idolatrous” comment?
Religion should be scorned and mocked, as should every other instance of an opinion being foisted forth on us AS FACT; aka lies.
“Laws” against pointing out others’ lies (criminal frauds) are really CRIMES themselves.
Remember what happened to the guy from Bristol in England who put bacon on a mosque’s doors and ended up dead in jail where he had been sent for a so called hate crime. What chances for this Dane? God help him because the authorities won’t.