Robert Redeker is a French philosphy professor who had the audacity to publish an article critical of Islam's response to the Pope in the French paper `Le Figaro'. As a consequence of that, he has been the object of a particularly nasty fatwa targeting himself and his wife and three children for death, and has been forced into hiding.
Redeker and his family are now recieving round-the-clock police protection and changing addresses every two days after wrote an article describing the Koran as a "book of extraordinary violence" and Islam as "a religion which ... exalts violence and hate".
He told i-TV television he had received several e-mail threats , and that his photograph and address were available on several jihad internet sites.
"There is a very clear map of how to get to my home, with the words: 'This pig must have his head cut off'," he said.
The threats started after Redeker wrote the piece in reaction to the violent tantrum unleashed in Muslim countries by Pope Benedict XVI's references to Islam in his speech in Germany two weeks ago.
Under the title "In the face of Islamist intimidation, what must the free world do?", he denounced the "Islamisation of spirits" in France and claimed that "Islam is trying to make Europe yield to its vision of mankind."
No, really?
Comparing Islam to Communism (a comparison my good friend the Baron at Gates of Vienna made a short while back in a wonderful piece called `The Islamintern), Redeker said that "violence and intimidation are the methods used by an expansionist ideology ... to impose its leaden cloak on the world".
He also compared the Prophet Mohammed unfavourably to Jesus Christ, describing the founder of Christianity as a "master of love" and the founder of Islam as a "master of hate".
"Exaltation of violence, a merciless war-leader, a pillager, a massacrer of Jews and a polygamist — this is the picture of Mohammed that emerges from the Koran," he wrote.
After the piece appeared on September 19th, al Jazeera and several other Muslim outlets made sure that Redeker's piece got wide publicity so that the jihadis could get good and worked up and into a real head choppin' frenzy. And of course, that particular issue of le Figaro was conficated and banned in several Arab countries.
Le Figaro, to its credit, printed a front-page open letter from the editors Friday expressing solidarity with him and "condemning with the greatest severity the grave attacks on freedom of thought and expression that this affair has provoked."
As for the French Government, while PM Dominique de Villepin said such threats were "unacceptable" and the French DST intelligence agency is investigating the death threats, not everyone in the French government has been so supportive.
Interviewed over the telephone from a safe house by Europe 1 radio Friday, Redeker said that "the education ministry has not even contacted me, has not deigned to get in touch to see if I need any help."
On Thursday Education Minister Gilles de Robien expressed "solidarity" with the teacher, but also warned that "a state employee must show prudence and moderation in all circumstances." (Go-ood dhimmi!!)
Redeker said his interview that "if Robien is correct, then we would never have had any intellectual life in France. The function of politics is not tell us what we are allowed to think, but to defend our freedom to think and speak out."
Redeker was intuitive enough to say that the jihadis had "already won a victory of sorts."
"I cannot do my job. I have no freedom of movement. I am in hiding. Already they have succeeded in punishing me ... as if I was guilty of holding the wrong opinions."
Not only that, Monsieur le professeur, but they have undoubtedly intimidated more than a few of your fellow countrymen from `holding the wrong opinions'.
We in the West will eventually have to stand up to these bullies..and the sooner, the better.
5 comments:
Islam is a religion of hate and intolerance. Mohammed a false prophet and liar. Don't believe me, watch how the Muslims react to any negative comments. No government can ever give in to this kind of terrorism. Freedom of speech must be fought for, so let WWIII begin.
You are absolutely right.....Mr. Anonymous.
I think the picket sign says it best...
Jada, I truly feel for you, as I do for all peace loving, decent Muslims in your predicamant. Unfortuntely, you're in a minority, especially in being willing to speak out.
I will look at your site later and see if I feel I can add it to my blogroll, along with Irshad Manjie and other Muslim site with a similar attitude.
You are completely correct in most of what you say.
The problem is that the Hadiths, the life and times of Mohammed are revered by most Muslims, and Mohammed is deemed to be the human model. The Islamic clergy feeds on this.
Divorcing the Qu'ran from the Hadiths, in view of this, is virtually impossible for most Muslims.
That being said, there are also severaL Qu'rannic references that likewise trouble me. Here's a sample:
`The unbelievers are your inveterate foe.' —Koran 4:101
`Believers, take neither the Jews nor the Christians for your friends. They are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number. God does not guide the wrongdoers.' —Koran 5:51
`Fight and kill the disbelievers wherever you find them, take them captive, harass them, lie in wait and ambush them using every stratagem of war.'-Qur’an:9:5
“So fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief [non-Muslims]) and all submit to the religion of Allah alone (in the whole world).” - Qur’an:8:39
“Sufficient for the Jew is the Flaming Fire!” - Qur’an 4:55
There's lots more, as you know, in Suras 2-9 which, according to the Islamic doctrine of Abrogation, take precedence over other, more tolerant scripture.
And of course, there's much more in the Hadiths.
None of this would be important if it were not the reality that it is the jihadi part of Islam that many Muslims are apparently so ready to act on.
seeing is, unfortunately, believing.
May we both find the strength within ourselves to work for change and above all, to be decent to one another.
Maybe it is time for the decent, peace loving Muslims to stand against the rest of the Islamic world (what seems to be the majority of Islamic practicaners)with the West as show of solidarity. There is a conflict brewing between two faiths, one of freedom and expression (non-islamic)and one of complete repression (Islam). I find it so ridiculous that a Muslim can hold a sign up that shouts to cut of someones head if they say Islam is violent, and fail to see the utter hypocricy in that.
We cannot co-exist.
It is time that we all stand and do the same to Islam everytime they insult other religions and demand that we curb or beliefs and lifestyles so as to "not offend" thiers. Get noisy.
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