[extropy-chat] Protect ourselves to prevent a return to the middle ages

[Dirk Bruere]

On 2/8/06, Mehran <mehranraeli at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>
> Protect ourselves to prevent a return to the middle ages
>
> The recent events which followed the publication of caricatures of Mohamed
> in a Danish paper, with the burning of embassies in Arab countries, death
> threats against the caricaturists and journalists etc indicate the extent
> of the danger that the basic fundamental freedom in the west is in.
> However
> we mustn't forget that this freedom was only acquired after many years of
> struggle against the dominant religion of Christianity. Though today,
> anyone can caricature Jesus, god or the pope in modern countries without
> any danger, only a few hundred years ago anyone daring such a thing would
> have risked being burnt alive at the stake.
>
> The muslim world still lives in a medieval culture where any lack of
> respect, even humorous, against religion is not tolerated.
>
> That these countries don't respect human rights on their own territory and
> freedom of expression in their own papers is condemnable, and even though
> we should struggle to help improve this situation, that is their own
> internal problem.
>
> But what is totally unacceptable is when they dare to attack the freedom
> of
> modern countries. They can do what they want in their own countries, but
> please respect the freedom so carefully acquired over the centuries in
> western countries, especially the right to atheism, the right to blaspheme
> and the right to laugh at anything.
>
>
Well, it looks like our 'liberal elite' in Britain has suddenly awakened.
For years Abu Hamza has mouthed off with assorted threats and condemnations.
Now, he's just got 7yrs for incitement to racial hatred and murder.
I bet the furore over the cartoons did him no favours when it came to
sentencing.

However, one does have to ask why it took so long for us to apply the law in
his case.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4690224.stm

Dirk
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