Now onto
Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes are Choking Freedom Worldwide
(Clicky for piccy!)This is a good book. It's slightly disjointed in that the first part of the book is a look at a series of Muslim countries with a country profile, some background and then a small summation of the various stories that happen in each country. The second part is the push for blasphemy laws in the UN which is a real interesting read to see all the things that went on in the background and the chess match between the US and the OIC in trying to get blasphemy laws implemented.
The next part looks at blasphemy laws in Western countries, their dismantling, and their now secular replacements of ' public order' and 'hate speech' laws and how they are being implemented, resisted, and pushed by various groups. This part is a good supplement to From Fatwah to Jihad by Kenan Malik.
The small last part is three small treatises that go though how the punishment for apostasy should be reexamined.
My favorite ditty in the book shows the absurdity and the incoherence of hate speech laws especially when they are used in support of 'defamation of religion'
The section points out that these 'defamation of religion' hate speech laws are now being used against political opponents by searching though their speeches and finding anything dealing with Islam and making a lawsuit out of it. They bring up the case of Jussi Halla-aho
On 27 March, 2009, the Helsinki District Court ordered Halla-aho to trial on charges of ethnic agitation as well as breach of the sanctity of religion.
The charges arose after Halla-aho posted remarks related to the matter of Seppo Lehto on the Internet. In the course of the remarks, Halla-aho said the prophet Muhammad was a paedophile, and Islam is a religion of paedophilia, because Muhammad had intercourse with his 9-year-old wife and according to Sunnah Mohammed's life is exemplary in every way. He also asked if it could be stated that robbing passersby and living on taxpayers' expense are cultural and possibly genetic characteristics of Somalis. This was stated in sarcastic response to a Finnish columnist that wrote that drinking excessively and fighting when drunk were cultural and possibly genetic characteristics of Finns.[33][34]
On 8 September, 2009, the District Court convicted Halla-aho of disturbing religious worship, and ordered him to pay a fine of 330 euros.[35] The charge of ethnic agitation was dismissed. In October 2010 the Court of Appeal agreed with the District Court's conviction.[36] Both the prosecutor and Halla-aho appealed the case to the Supreme Court.[37] The Supreme Court granted a leave to appeal in May 2011, and the case is now pending Supreme Court hearing.[38]
At the trial he asked that the charges be dismissed because he could prove that charges of pedeophilia he made were, in fact, true. The court dismissed his appeal by saying this
"Logic and so called arguments of reason have no true significance in debating religious questions"
Topic: What book are you reading?