Iran May Enjoy Holocaust Cartoons, But Here Is One Cartoon They Were Skittish About

At least that is how Iran felt 10 years ago, back in 2006.

Reuters reported at the time that Iran demands apology for German soccer cartoon:

The Iranian embassy in Germany has demanded a written apology from a Berlin newspaper that printed a cartoon of Iranian soccer players dressed as suicide bombers and threatened legal action if none is forthcoming.

The sketch, published on Friday by Der Tagesspiegel, shows four moustachioed soccer players wearing Iran shirts with explosives strapped to their chests next to four German soldiers in a soccer stadium.

Why Is It The New State Anti-BDS Laws Don't Violate The First Amendment Right of Free Speech?

The BDS Movement has demonstrated over and again its dedication to free speech -- its own free speech -- to the extent of protesting against pro-Israel speakers and events, with one goal:

Depriving them of their free speech.

For example, here is a video of anti-Israel members of the Palestine Solidarity Committee at the University of Texas at Austin last November during an event held by the Israeli Studies Department:

Why Are Only American Jews Required To Open Their Institutions To "Competing Narratives"?

The following by Alexander H. Joffe is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum:

The American Jewish Fairness Trap

by Alexander H. Joffe
The Times of Israel
February 27, 2014

http://www.meforum.org/3777/american-jewish-fairness

Four recent incidents illustrate how American Jewish institutions are manipulated to subvert support for Israel. Call it the fairness trap.

• Vassar Hillel announced it would join its counterpart at Swarthmore and reject Hillel International's guidelines prohibiting anti-Israel speakers and activities. The "Open Hillel" movement represents these restrictions as unfair censorship.
• Ramaz High School in Manhattan, a Modern Orthodox flagship, rescinded an invitation from a student group to Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, a passionate opponent of Israel. A petition then called for Khalidi to appear in the name of "academic equitability."
• The Museum of Jewish Heritage invited, disinvited and the reinvited John Judis to speak. Judis is the author of a shallow and tendentious new book on President Harry Truman and the origins of Israel. The museum director complained about the "ugly specter of succumbing to pressure and giving in to outside influence."
• Philosopher Judith Butler canceled her appearance at a Kafka-related event at the Jewish Museum following an outcry regarding her passionate anti-Zionism.

If You Want To Safely Support The Muslim Brotherhood, Your Best Bet Is Israel

Today it has become evident that leaders and members of the Islamic Movement in Israel enjoy more freedom and rights than the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and even -- under the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank -- Hamas.
Khaled Abu Toameh

Khaled Abu Toameh writes that Israel is the only place Where Muslims Can Speak Freely in the Middle East:

Arab journalists and columnists in Israel have been expressing their views about the Egyptian crisis without fear, while their colleagues in Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority are afraid to speak their mind.

Israel, for example, is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Muslims are permitted to demonstrate in favor of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood organization.

Pat Condell Dedicates Video To Enthusiastically Thank Those Who Block Him in "Who's Afraid of Free Speech"

Pat Condell thanks those who got YouTube to take down one of his videos as well well as those who brought his website down.

In the process, we learn a thing or two about Condell and his videos -- and about those who anonymously try to block him.

Here is the video:

The following by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with permisison of The Legal Project

Islam's Cartoon Jihad Strikes Again

by Andrew Harrod
Frontpage Magazine
July 16, 2013
http://www.legal-project.org/4164/islam-cartoon-jihad-strikes-again

A Muslim student's vandalization of a university seminar's cartoon exhibit at the Universität Duisburg-Essen (UDE) in Germany's Ruhr region has once again manifested Islamic intolerance of critical commentary and independent intellectual inquiry. The affair's aftermath, moreover, sadly shows yet again how democratic public authorities are often less than vigilant in defending freedom against the encroachments of Muslim faith.

Video: Pat Condell Has A Word to Left-Wing Students

One might think that Pat Condell might run out of fresh targets for his pointed -- and on-target -- comments. But such is not the case.

This time, Condell is not talking about Muslims in the Middle East or in the West, nor their enablers. Instead, he addresses the college students who spend their time shouting down those who do not agree with their not quite so well-formed opinions.

Following the video is a list of the sources for his video:

Read About Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff's Fight for Free Speech Against Islamists

The followinb by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with permission from The Legal Project:

Undaunted: Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff's
Fight for Free Speech

by Andrew Harrod
Frontpage Magazine
July 5, 2013

The self-proclaimed Austrian "anti-jihad" and "anti-sharia activist" Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff appeared on June 21, 2013 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, at an event co-sponsored by the Center for Security Policy (CSP) and the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET). In introducing the event, CSP's Christine Brim called people like Sabaditsch-Wolff the "defenders of freedom" in a "struggle…to preserve free speech" and "equality under the law." Sabaditsch-Wolff's subsequent presentation of her courageous struggles in no way belied Brim's introduction.

Sabaditsch-Wolff discussed her own well-publicized ordeals and subsequent activism stemming from criticizing Islam, a faith described by her as a "religion of peace" that "is not really peaceful to those who speak the truth." Daughter of a diplomat, she had already developed reservations about Islam during her childhood stay in Iran right before the 1978-1979 revolution. During her diplomatic tenure, postings to Kuwait encompassing the 1990 Iraq invasion and to Libya where she saw her landlord on September 11, 2001, blame the Jews for Al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks that day only increased these concerns.

The following by Nathaniel Sugarman is reposted here with permission of The Legal Project:

EU Challenges the UN and OIC on Press Freedom

by Nathaniel Sugarman
American Thinker

The European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg passed two resolutions Thursday, each detailing a set of recommendations to protect the rights of journalists to speak and print freely.

"The EU, as a community of values, should aspire to lead in ensuring the free word, whether blogged or spoken, and information, whether researched or photographed, are protected. Journalists and a free, pluralist media, are essential for democracies and checks on power. Freedom of speech and freedom after speech are at the core of open and free societies," said Marietje Schaake (ALDE, NL), rapporteur for press and media freedom in the world. The EP is the directly elected parliament of the European Union.

Australian National University Censors Student Satire As "Islamophobia"

The following by Mark Durie is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum:

Islamophobia Comes to Canberra

by Mark Durie
Gatestone Institute
May 31, 2013

Like student magazines all over the world, Woroni, put out by students at the Australian National University, publishes satire. It did when I attended 30 years ago, and it still does today. Much of what is written is offensive to someone or other, but it is a rare day when the university pays any attention.

However last week, The Australian newspaper reported that university authorities responded to a complaint by international students to compel Woroni "to pulp a satirical infographic which described a passage from the Koran as a 'rape fantasy'". Rachel Baxendale wrote:

Australian University Censors Speech Offensive to Islam, Threatens Students

From The Lawfare Project:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Australian University Censors Speech Offensive to Islam, Threatens Students Monday, June 03, 2013

June 3, 2013 - NEW YORK - Australian National University (ANU) administrators have given student board members and authors of the school's newspaper Woroni an ultimatum: retract a recently published infographic satirizing Islam or face disciplinary proceedings that could include expulsion. Not surprisingly, the students responded to the school's threat by removing the image from the Internet, having already published an apology to "any readers who felt victimised, while stressing that the piece was intended to be satirical."

The Istanbul Process and US Support for Islamist Censorship of Free Speech

The following by Deborah Weiss is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum

U.S. Praises Sharia Censorship

by Deborah Weiss
May 24, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4088/us-praises-sharia-censorship

The United States is silent as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) passes its most recent UN Resolution that unravels global consensus to support freedom of speech.

From 1999-2010, the OIC succeeded in passing its "defamations of religions" resolutions, which ostensibly would protect Islam from all criticism, including true statements of fact. Though the name of the resolutions indicated that it would pertain to all religions equally, in the OIC's interpretation, it applied to Islam only.

Will Calling For End to Blasphemy Laws Help Christians Persecuted By Islamists?

The following by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with permission:

Catholic Cardinal Calls for End to Blasphemy Laws

by Andrew Harrod
Frontpage Mag
May 21, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4086/catholic-cardinal-calls-for-end-to-blasphemy-laws

Once favored to become pope, Scola made his remarks at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart for the opening of a conference focusing on Roman Emperor Constantine's 313 Edict of Milan granting imperial toleration to Christianity.  Scola advocated a "healthy secularism" allowing religious freedom, defined by him as a "true litmus test" for a civilized society.  To Scola, this "freedom means above all encouraging religious pluralism and opening to all forms of religious expression," including "eliminating laws that criminally punish blasphemy."Speaking at a conference in Milan, Italy, on May 8, 2013, that city's archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola, called for the abolition of blasphemy laws worldwide.  Such a step would significantly help protect globally the freedom of speech and religion desperately needed by Christians in particular while countering Islamic fanaticism with freedom.

In Germany, UN Helps Islamist Attack on Free Speech Against Thilo Sarrazin

The following by Andrew Harrod and Sam Nunberg is reposted here with permission of the Middle East Forum:

UN Pressures Germany to Bow to 'Hate Speech' Hysteria

by Andrew Harrod and Sam Nunberg
Frontpage Mag
May 16, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4080/un-pressures-germany-to-bow-to-hate-speech

A recent decision by the United Nation's (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) foreshadows an ominous future for free societies should Muslim entities like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) achieve their goal of having "Islamophobia" defined internationally as a form of prejudice.

Former German central bank board member Thilo Sarrazin has got himself in trouble with the UN, as theTurkish Union in Berlin-Brandenburg (Türkischer Bund in Berlin-Brandenburg or TBB) stated with satisfaction in an April 18, 2013, German-language press release. The spokesman of this German-Turkish interest group, Hilmi Kaya Turan, praised a February 26, 2013, "historic decision" by the CERD condemning Germany for not having prosecuted Sarrazin's criticism of Arab and Turkish immigrants.

The Media Again Defends Islam Against Free Speech -- "The Life of Muhammad"

The following by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with permission of The Middle East Forum:

The Media's Muhammad Blackout Defers Again to Islam

by Andrew Harrod
Frontpage MagM
May 10, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4070/the-media-muhammad-blackout-defers-again-to-islam

Yet again depictions of Islam's prophet Muhammad are causing controversy. The French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo has published a special edition released in January 2013 entitled La Vie de Mahomet, 1ère partie: Les débuts d'un prophète ("The Life of Muhammad, Part One: The Debut of a Prophet"; part two will follow in June 2013). Press reaction in both France and Germany, however, has not been uniformly welcoming, demonstrating once more a media aversion to open examination of Islam.

Charlie Hebdo has previously published cartoons involving Muhammad and sharia Islamic law, with the weekly magazine's offices becoming in the process the victim of a firebombing attack. Charlie Hebdo describes online its latest presentation of Muhammad as a factual transposition of "Muhammad's life as told by Muslim chroniclers into images." "In the West," the magazine explained, "everyone is able to cite episodes from the life of Jesus, but who is able to cite episodes from the life of Muhammad? Is this normal in a country like France, where Islam is presented as the second religion?" "If the form appears to some blasphemous," Charlie Hebdo argued, "the substance is perfectly halal."

Implications of the Case of Christian Convert Imran Firasat, Narrator of "The Innocent Prophet"

The following by Sam Nunberg is reposted here with permission of Middle East Forum

'The Innocent Prophet' Narrator and Christian Convert Defeats Islamists' Hate Speech

by Sam Nunberg
The Blaze
May 6, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4051/the-innocent-prophet-narrator-and-christian

On April 29, 2013, a Spanish court dismissed a hate speech charge filed against Imran Firasat. While this is an important victory for Freedom of Expression, Imran's case is far from over. He is still under the threat of having his refugee status revoked by the Spanish government for his critique of Islam. Should he be deported to Pakistan, Imran will face certain death for his conversion from Islam to Christianity.

European hate speech laws have become a tool for Islamists to silence discussion on any Islamic related topic deemed blasphemous or offensive against Islam or Muhammad. Typically a local Islamic community leader files a report with the police claiming that a specific action or statement was "insulting." The police may then pass the report to the prosecutor under whose discretion criminal charges may be filed in court. Should the trial proceed, the defendant could face a fine or incarceration.

Bavaria Silences Criticism of Islam

The following by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with  permission of Middle East Forum:

Silencing Speech on Islam

by Andrew Harrod
American Thinker
May 4, 2013

http://www.legal-project.org/4049/silencing-speech-on-islam

Bavaria's Interior Ministry announced April 12, 2013, that the provincial Office of Constitutional Protection (Verfassungsschutz) will monitor local chapters of the website Politically Incorrect (PI) and the small conservative Freedom Party (Die Freiheit). As reported in the media, Bavaria is the first province in Germany to take this step, an important German milestone in ostracizing criticism and/or condemnation of Islam.

As the ministry website explains, the Federal Republic of Germany is a "militant democracy [wehrhafteDemokratie]." The Verfassungsschutz hereby functions as an "early warning system" against threats to a free society. Verfassungsschutz offices at the federal and provincial levels "observe anti-constitutional efforts" (including with secret surveillance) across the political spectrum and report to authorities and the public.

In Europe, You Can Go To Prison For Tearing A Koran -- But Not A Bible

The following by Andrew Harrod is reposted here with permission of The Legal Project:

Thrown in Prison for Shredding the Koran

by Andrew Harrod
Frontpage Magazine
May 13, 2013

A Bruges, Belgium criminal court convicted a man for shredding a Koran on March 6, 2013. The court imposed a four-month prison sentence and a 600 euro fine upon him. He now additionally faces a revocation of a previous suspension of an 18-month prison sentence for having set a fire in a wood. This case highlights yet again the greater restrictions on speech in free societies outside of the United States and how these restrictions can limit open debate about Islam.

Arlene Kushner on Response To Rabbis Who Denied Free Speech To Pamela Geller

From Arlene Kushner:
April 17, 2013

Gratitude Beyond Measure

Yom Ha'Atzmaut is over, and we return to "normal," whatever that means today.  But first I want to extend the theme of Yom Ha'Atzmaut for just a moment.


Credit: Dartmouth Hillel

With all of the writing I did two days ago, I have not yet, this year, done justice to what Israel means for me, and for the Jewish people (even for those Jewish people who have opted not to care).

With all of my being, I am grateful to be an Israeli, and to be part of the stream of Jewish history that leads us here. The hand of the Almighty is clear in our ingathering: Today -- with over six million Jews -- we have the largest Jewish population in the world.  It is anticipated that within 20 years the majority of the world's Jews will live here. More Jewish study goes on now here than at any time or place in our history.  Our people are happy -- every poll indicates this -- and proud to be Israeli. And we choose life -- having the highest birth rate of Jews anywhere.  This is our Jewish future.

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The story of Pam Geller -- and her talks this past Sunday on Sharia law -- is hardly over.  It has many layers, many ramifications, and information continues to come to me.

Arlene Kushner: Habeeb Ahmed's Threat Denies Free Speech To Pamela Geller at Great Neck Synagogue

From Arlene Kushner:
April 14, 2013

Caving Not Allowed

When Jews cave in the face of threats by radical Muslims or their supporters, it leads to increased Jewish weakness and more threats.  And yet sometimes, Jews do cave.   (In some places in the world Jews have become timid because they are thoroughly beleaguered -- a small vulnerable minority in a growing sea of Islamists.)  Increasingly, however, does it seem to be the case in the US, where this must not be permitted to happen. 

What I will describe here is an incident that many of you may already be aware of.  But I cannot let this day pass without writing about it, and sharing further details of which you may not be aware.

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