Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes Are Choking Freedom Worldwide (101 page)

150
. James Jones, “As a Man of Faith, I Cannot Support the Religious Hatred Bill,”
Telegraph
(U.K.), October 24, 2005.

151
. “Religious Hatred Law Is No Joke,”
Telegraph
(U.K.), December 6, 2004,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/dec/07/raceandreligion.broadcasting
.

152
. Maryam Namazie, “Political Islam in the Heart of Secular Europe,” address to the International Humanist and Ethical Union Congress, July 6, 2005,
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0507/S00192.htm
.

153
. Geoffrey Robertson, “Religion Must Remain Open to Criticism,”
The Scotsman
, January 26, 2005.

154
. Salman Rushdie, “Democracy Is No Polite Tea Party,”
Los Angeles Times
, February 7, 2005,
http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/07/opinion/oe-rushdie7
.

155
. House of Commons Debates (Hansard) for June 21, 2005,
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo050621/debtext/50621-29.htm
.

156
. Stephen Bates and Julian Glover, “Christian Group May Seek Ban on the Qur’an,”
The Guardian
, October 12, 2005,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/oct/12/religion.immigrationpolicy
.

157
. “Muslims Warn Parties on Hate Bill,”
Times
(U.K.), February 6, 2005,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article511119.ece
.

158
. David Charter, “New Laws Will Keep Freedom to Insult Islam,”
The Times
, January 26, 2005,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article506510.ece
.

159
. House of Lords Debates (Hansard), October 11, 2005,
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldhansrd/vo051011/text/51011-04.htm#51011-04_head3
, and
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldhansrd/vo051011/text/51011-11.htm
.

160
. Andrew Sparrow, “Mockery Is Good for the Faithful, Says Carey,”
Telegraph
(U.K.), October 21, 2005,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1501109/Mockery-is-good-for-the-faithful-says-Carey.html
.

161
. “Government Suffers Chaotic Double Defeat over Bill to Combat Religious Hatred,”
The Guardian
, February 1, 2006,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/feb/01/religion.immigrationpolicy
. See Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006, Office of Public Sector Information, February 16, 2006,
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060001_en_1
.

162
. “Blasphemy: UK and Eire,” Caslon Analytics,
http://www.caslon.com.au/blasphemyprofile8.htm
; Sandberg and Doe, “Strange Death of Blasphemy,” 976–81.

163
. In the case, editor Denis Lemon was convicted of blasphemous libel and given a suspended sentence and fined; see Mark Thompson, “Sense Prevailed over Springer ‘Blasphemy,’”
Telegraph
(U.K.), June 12, 2007,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3644516/Sense-prevailed-over-Springer-blasphemy.html
.

164
. Chamber Judgment,
Giniewski v. France
, European Court of Human Rights—Press Release Issued by the Registrar, January 31, 2006,
http://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2006/Jan/ChamberjudgmentGiniewskivFrance310106.htm
; Dirk Voorhoof, “European Court of Human Rights—Case of Klein v. Slovakia,”
IRIS
1, article 1 (2007): 2,
http://merlin.obs.coe.int/iris/2007/1/article1.en.html
.

165
. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 1510 (2006), “Freedom of Expression and Respect for Religious Beliefs,”
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/AdoptedText/ta06/ERES1510.htm
.

166
. Janssen, “Limits to Expression on Religion in France.”

167
. Venice Commission 2008,
Report
, 16–19.

168
. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Recommendation 1805 (2007): “Blasphemy, Religious Insults and Hate Speech Against Persons on Grounds of Their Religion,” adopted June 29, 2007,
http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/AdoptedText/ta07/EREC1805.htm
.

169
. Venice Commission 2008,
Report
, 15.

170
. “Europe Is Threatened by Bigots—Not by Islam,” statement by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Press Release—590 (2007),
http://www.coe.int/t/dc/av/allreleases_en.asp
.

171
. Venice Commission 2008,
Report
, 15. The commission reported that Europe’s new hate-speech laws could “raise expectations concerning prosecution and conviction that will not be met.”

172
. Mark Rice-Oxley, “Free Speech in Europe: Mixed Rules,”
Christian Science Monitor
, February 8, 2006,
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0208/p01s01-woeu.html
.

173
. “Free Speech v. Religion.”

1
. Raf Casert, “Belgian Politician Critical of Radical Muslims Moves to Secret Location after Death Threats,”
Associated Press (AP
), November 17, 2004,
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14498646_ITM
; Sebastian Rotella, “Belgian Killing, Threats Raise Specter of Fundamentalist Violence,”
Los Angeles Times
, November 19, 2004,
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/19/world/fg-belgium19
; Raf Casert, “Arrest Made in Case of Death Threats Against Belgian Politician,”
AP
, November 19, 2004,
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/19/world/fg-belgium19
.

2
. Elaine Sciolino, “Teacher in Hiding After Attack on Islam Stirs Threats,”
New York Times
, September 30, 2006,
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/world/europe/30france.html
; Jenny Percival and agencies, “Teacher Forced into Hiding after Attacking Islam,”
The Times
, September 29, 2006,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article655333.ece
.

3
. Charles Bremner, “Philosophers Demand Help for Teacher on Run from Islam threats,”
The Times
, October 3, 2006;
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article658422.ece
; “Report: Moroccan Police Arrest Man for Allegedly Threatening tTeacher in France,”
International Herald Tribune
, January 9, 2007;
http://www.unitedcopts.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=631
.

4
. Sherna Noah, “BBC ‘Too Scared to Allow Jokes about Islam,’ ”
Independent
, April 2, 2008,
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/bbc-too-scared-to-allow-jokes-about-islam-803807.html
; Dan Sabbagh, “BBC Chief Mark Thompson Warns of ‘Over-cautious’ Islam Coverage,”
The Times
, April 10, 2008,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3724384.ece
. The Ben Elton interview is at
http://www.thirdway.org.uk/290
.

5
. “Galloway Told to Avoid His Home,”
BBC News
, April 20, 2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4467147.stm
.

6
. James Brandon and Salam Hafez,
Crimes of the Community: Honour-Based Violence in the UK
(London: Centre for Social Cohesion, 2008),
http://www.londonscb.gov.uk/files/resources/cpp/crimes_of_the_community.pdf
.

7
. “Theo van Gogh Believed Provocation Was the Ultimate Freedom of Expression,”
Agence France Presse (AFP
), July 11, 2005; Marlise Simons, “Dutch Filmmaker, an Islam Critic, Is Killed,”
New York Times
, November 3, 2004,
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E7D61F3DF930A35752C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
; Ian Buruma,
Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance
(London: Penguin, 2006), 87–99.

8
. Paul Gallagher and Marcel Michelson, “Dutch Filmmaker, Who Angered Muslims, Shot Dead,” Reuters, November 2, 2004,
http://www.rense.com/general59/shot.htm
.

9
. Anthony Deutsch, “Dutch politician threatened in letter left on body of murdered film-maker,”
AP
, November 5, 2004,
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1271036/posts
; Ronald Rovers, “The Silencing of Theo van Gogh,”
Salon
, November 24, 2004,
http://dir.salon.com/news/feature/2004/11/24/vangogh/index.html
.

10
. Toby Sterling, “Alleged Killer of Filmmaker Van Gogh Dreamed of Overthrowing Dutch Government, Prosecutors Say,”
AP
, January 26, 2005,
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-104744913.html
; David Rennie, “Contempt and defiance from Muslim accused of murdering film-maker,”
Daily Telegraph
, July 12, 2005.

11
. Buruma,
Murder in Amsterdam
, 210–12.

12
. Ibid., 189; Glenn Frankel, “From Civic Activist to Alleged Terrorist,”
Washington Post
, November 28, 2004,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16855-2004Nov27.html
; Anthony Browne, “Muslim Radical Confesses to Van Gogh Killing in Court tirade,”
The Times
, July 12, 2005,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article543212.ece
; “Van Gogh Suspect Refuses Defense,”
BBC News
, July 11, 2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4670535.stm
; Rennie, “Contempt and Defiance”; Philippe Naughton, “Van Gogh Killer Jailed for Life,”
The Times
, July 26,
2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4716909.stm
. In March 2006, nine members of the Hofstad group were convicted of membership in a terrorist organization; some received prison sentences of up to fifteen years and others were deported. See “Up to 15 Years in Prison for Nine Members of Dutch ‘Terrorist’ Network,”
AFP
, March 10, 2006.

13
. Anthony Browne, “Film-maker Is Murdered for His Art,”
The Times
, November 3, 2004,
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article502323.ece
; Toby Sterling, “Filmmaker Who Criticized Islam Slain,”
AP
, November 2, 2005,
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-11145726.html
; “Some 20,000 Dutch Gather to Pay Homage to Slain Controversial Filmmaker,”
AFP
, November 2, 2004,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2004/11/03/1233542.htm
.

14
. Glenn Frankel, “Controversial Dutch Filmmaker Is Slain,”
Washington Post
, November 3, 2004,
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-212183.html
; “Many Fear Dutch Society Has Lost Its Famed Tolerance after Filmmaker’s Murder,”
AFP
, November 3, 2004.

15
. Jan M. Olsen, “In Denmark, Leading Muslim Cleric Says Slain Dutch Filmmaker’s Critique of Islam Unacceptable,”
AP
, November 19, 2004; Carin Pettersson, “Norwegian Imam Supports van Gogh Murder,”
Nettavisen
, November 19, 2004,
http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article304803.ece
; “Norwegian Politicians March Against Muslim Violence,”
AFP
, December 4, 2004.

16
. Marlise Simons, “Militant Muslims Act to Suppress Dutch Film and Art Show,”
New York Times
, January 31, 2005,
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E6D9153BF932A05752C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
.

17
. Michael McDonough, “Hundreds of Protestors Damage Theater in Protest over Sikh Play,”
AP
, December 19, 2004; Tania Branigan and Vikram Dodd, “Writer in Hiding As Violence Closes Sikh Play,”
The Guardian
, December 21, 2004,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/dec/21/religion.arts
; Nick Cohen, “Yet Again We Cave into Religious Bigots. And This Time They’re Hindus,”
The Observer
, May 28, 2006,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/may/28/arts.comment
; Dan Sabbagh, “‘Springer’ Row a Threat to Free Speech—BBC Chief,”
The Times
, March 8, 2005,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4606085.stm
; “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,”
The Economist
, January 15, 2005,
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10015239
.

18
. Richard Owen, “Muslims Say Fresco Must Be Destroyed,”
The Times
, June 29, 2001,
http://www.hvk.org/articles/0603/86.html
.

19
. Frank Bruni, “Italy Arrests 5; Fresco Showing Muhammad Is Issue,”
New York Times
, August 21, 2002,
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/21/international/europe/21ITAL.html
;
Reuters
, “Italy Frees Fresco Suspects,”
New York Times
, August 22, 2002,
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/22/world/italy-frees-fresco-suspects.html?pagewanted=1
; Sabina Castelfranco, “Italy Thwarts Terrorist Attack Days Before Election,”
Voice of America News
, April 7, 2006,
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/italy-foils-two-terrorist-attacks
.