Does religious tolerance dictate silence about those things that a faith says may not be discussed? Does the freedom to speak critically about historical figures, theology, and uncomfortable truths endure even when such speech offends religious believers? That is an issue that is being faced today in France, and in much of the Western world.
Most, I suspect, would agree that murders, looters, polygamists and such deserve little respect. Why then cannot there be an honest debate over whether Mohammed was -- as M. Redeker alleges -- a "merciless warlord, a looter, a mass murderer of Jews and a polygamist"? Simply because Islam allows of no debate when it comes to Allah, his prophet, and his word. And the French government is fine with that.That's where provocateurs like M. Redeker come in. Redeker is simply trying to kick-start that debate, even at the price of his own hide. That takes guts, I think, something the French politicians lack. And something Muslim intellectuals like Prof. Tariq Ramadan, the French university lecturer, cannot comprehend. Ramadan ominously warned M. Redeker that he can write what he likes, "but he must know what he wanted -- he signed a stupidly provocative text."
It is clear, in the case of Tariq Ramadan, that those who speak uncomfortable truths or dare to critically examine things held sacred by some believers deserve to be attacked verbally and physically – and indeed have chosen a course to action that merits such assaults and even death. Strangely enough, Ramadan does not extend his crabbed view of freedom to those who, like himself, espouse the hateful teachings of jihadi Islamism. After all, he is currently suing in a federal court demanding that he be allowed to travel to the US to take a position at a major university, and makes the claim that a denial of a visa is illegitimate because it is based upon a desire to censor his views. Perhaps we simply need to clarify to this Islamist swine that until he learns to respect the rights of non-Muslims to speak negatively about Islam (or any other religion), he is not welcome on our continent.
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Comments on When Free Speech And Islam Collide
So if Islam is not a religion of peace and tolerance, then why are we allowing public schools nationwide to teach young students that it is, and even encouraging the celebration of Ramadan to honor "diversity"?
Isn't it about time we call administrators to task like they're doing in California about this?
|| Posted by Islamist_Revisionist, October 12, 2006 08:51 PM ||As a world history teacher, I find what is going on in such classrooms disturbing on a number of levels. Setting aside the fact that requiring this for three weeks is too long, I have three major objections.
1) Such simulations paint a false picture of Islam.
2) Such simulations disrespect the beliefs of the students in the class.
3) Such simulations disrespect the the faith of Muslims.
I think the first is self-explanatory. By sugar-coating the negative aspects of Islam, students never gett he chance to think critically about their suject matter.
The second is equally obvious. To require students, day in and day out, to profess religious beliefs that run contrary to their own is a gross violation of the religious liberty of each and every student.
The third might shock you. Today, between classes, one of my more precocious young ladies raised this topic with me. This young lady, a self-described pagan/wiccan, did not like the notion that in such a class she ould be required to express beliefs she finds antithetical to her own. But I responded by noting that treating faith as a game is also disrespectful to those who hold that belief. She stuggled with that one a bit, until I pointed out that if such a unit were done regarding Catholicism it would require a fake mass and the distribution of fake communion. She got it then.
I'm not a fan of Islam, but I have to teach about it. Indeed, I taught that unit last week. I strive to be respectful, but I do try to point towards some of the more troubling aspects of Islamic history right up to the present. But in a similar vein, I don't sugar-coat Christian history when dealing with issues like the Crusades and the Inquisition. The result is that my students get a well-rounded view of those faiths (and several other major religions) over the course of the year.
|| Posted by Rhymes With Right, October 12, 2006 10:02 PM ||America does not have the problematic issues with Islam many European countries have. Any negatives taught about Islam should be balanced with sharp critiques of Judaism. Professor Israel Shahak's works are great material, as he is the Jewish equivalent of Moslem apostate Shoebat.
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