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Thursday, 1 Jun 2006
Oh man, my head hurts!
Think I’m exaggerating? Here’s the report on Denmark
released yesterday by the European Commission against Racism and
Intolerance. And here’s the section — under the heading “vulnerable
groups” — on Danish Muslims. Quote (footnotes omitted):In September 2005, with the stated intention of
verifying whether freedom of speech is respected in Denmark, a
widely-read Danish newspaper called on cartoonists to send in
caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad; such drawings are considered to be
offensive by many Muslims. This newspaper thus published 12 such
cartoons, one of which portrayed the Prophet as a terrorist. The issue
has caused widespread condemnation and a protest march was organised in
Copenhagen as a result. The fact that, according to a survey
carried out regarding the publication of these drawings, 56% of the
respondents felt that it was acceptable is a testimony of the current
climate in Denmark. ECRI considers that the goal of opening a democratic debate on freedom of speech should be met without resorting to provocative acts that can only predictably elicit an emotional reaction.Here’s the poll I think they’re getting that number from. Via WorldPublicOpinion:
A majority—56 percent—of Danes in the Feb. 3 Epinion
poll agreed with the statement “Respect for freedom of speech should be
more important than the consideration of religious sentiment.” Only 37
percent agreed with the statement “Out of respect for the Muslim faith,
the cartoons should not have been published even though this could be
considered a limitation on the freedom of speech.”Proof positive of a climate of intolerance.
June 1st, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I fear the point has eluded them.
*sigh*
June 1st, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Awww, Sandmonkey, you didn’t even get to the recommendations!
wow. Muslim clerics engage in a months-long campaign involving false statements and made-up cartoons in order to incite riots, and the recommendation by the ECRI to the Danish government is to penalize Danish citizens for hate speech against Muslims?
Somebody please tell me this report is a parody. It would be funny as a parody.
June 1st, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Reports like that are written by bureaucrats. Bureaucrats loath freedom.
June 1st, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Sounds like it was right out of a UN report.
*sigh*
June 1st, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Guess you’ve never dealt with the EUSSR.
I have never come across an organization that was more screwed. The kind of stuff that makes sense to them …
Two years ago they postulated that Scottish isles cannot be called islands. Not sure what they renamed them into. Perhaps shipping hazards?
June 1st, 2006 at 6:01 pm
I’m danish. I’m no racist. I don’t understand this report!
In fact I’m a scholar. I studied Cultural Studies. I still don’t understand this report!
In fact I’m also a documentarist. I’ve helped immigrants stuck in immigration laws. I still don’t understand this report!
Will somebody get real soon, or I will definitely become a racist - because I feel racism against me and my people. I have no more patience! What is this sharade?
June 1st, 2006 at 6:07 pm
The so called ”rapport” was mainly base on hear say and political observations of the ”scientists” behind it! = bias. – it’s nothing but a 2 kg essay on political correctness.
Some of you probably still remember the “against racism placard” with a Lego on it! Well that was produced for the UN – so if I get to ad the UN – I will second the earlier statement about the EUSSR!
June 1st, 2006 at 6:19 pm
More proof that the west’s tolerance of the intolerant is a one way street to shiara law..
June 1st, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Thanks for sticking your neck out for us, sandmonkey.
I have been trying to get people to mail the Egyptian embassy in Denmark in relation to the arrests of the Egyptian bloggers (+ the other protestors).
We´re in this together. Proponents of modernity vs. the forces of tradition, supported by the naive PC crowd.
Good luck to us all.
/Limagolf
June 1st, 2006 at 7:47 pm
Sticks and stones you cry babies.
Freedom of speech should be defended as an absolute. I may not like what you have to say, but I will die fighting to protect your right to say it.
June 1st, 2006 at 8:05 pm
“climate of intolerance.” Wha’d'you mean, SM? Should we outlaw cartoons ?
http://www.sandmonkey.org/2006/02/17/ban-the-c-word/
I remember you being _very_ pro free speech.
http://www.sandmonkey.org/2006/02/11/7-questions/
Just puzzled.
June 1st, 2006 at 9:09 pm
[...] Finally, Sandmonkey’s got an op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor today that’s well worth your time. He’s a brave man to be taunting Mubarak when, by his own count, the ministry of information is visiting his site 30 times a day. So brave, in fact, that I’m not even going to complain that his latest post is awfully similar to this one… [...]
June 1st, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Supporting Free Speech Proves Danish Intolerance - Is This Goodbye Europe Hello Eurabia???
… one could say with little danger of being very far off base, that Europe has indeed crossed the line of reason and has entered into the realm of the end of Europe as we know it - it is undoubtedly becoming what Bat Ye’or calls Eurabia.
June 1st, 2006 at 9:18 pm
So the most violent people should be treated best? Or, put simply, “might makes right”? “The sword is mightier than the pen”?
I feel badly that trees died to promulgate this crappy report.
June 1st, 2006 at 9:23 pm
To InfidelDane:
Sandmonkey har ikke ændret mening om tegningerne eller ytringsfrihed eller tolerance i det hele taget.
Han er ironisk i dette indlæg.
June 2nd, 2006 at 8:02 am
Man this report stinks. I just read most of it in its entirety and is still bewildered why the %&#! we even have these kinds of politically biased institutions. It seems that the report forgets to mention of how tolerant we are when it comes to creating these kinds of institutions so incompetent law and social science students will have something to do instead for becoming unemployed.
ECRI seems to want special laws in securing minority groups against intolerance, furthermore they want taxpayer money to promote religion.
“It also strongly recommends that the Government carry out awareness-raising campaigns throughout the country, in which members of Muslim communities, NGOs, the media as well as members of local and national authorities are involved, in order to present a more objective and balanced view of Muslims and Islam and to foster a constructive debate on living in a plural society.”
Well as long as some religious Muslims, claiming to represent Islam, keeps condemning the cartoons instead of acts of terror I don’t want any of my hard earned money to allow them to promote their religion and participate in any form of debate. Most of the Muslims that I know are pretty successful breaking their social heritage, becoming doctors, administrators, etc. They are all not very religious and do not want:
“the Danish Government continue to meet with members of Muslim communities in order to work with them on issues of particular concern to Muslims such as, inter alia, access to education and employment.”
Because they can represent themselves and are tired of the association to overly religious or political Muslims, who are meeting government officials speaking on their behalf. Giving special consideration and laws towards a specific minority group will only reinforce a negative stereotype of the group as being weak, leading to providentialism where they become passive and reliant on others to protect and integrate them.
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:13 am
Fortunately, not all Danes believe that freedom of speech should be “respectful”. Have a look at http://www.speakup.dk.
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:29 am
The problem is not “racism” but religious intolerance, something there is not a single word for. If I say “Religionism”, you will know what I mean.
An awareness campaign could make Danes and others much more aware of the threat to their culture and civilisation from religious fanatics who plan to bully them into accepting Sharia Law. So I would support these awareness-raising campaigns. They could with luck end up in deportation of some highly undesirable people.
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:38 am
The question is, where to deport religious fanatics to? They do as much harm in the Middle East as in Europe.
Maybe Japan, or North Korea, or one of the moons of Jupiter.
June 2nd, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Don’t understand why the “usual suspects” here from the US are shrieking about Europe when it was a UN report ? The UN is not the same thing as Europe folks !!!
June 2nd, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Eva Smith is the bandit behind this report, and she truly has a hard time defending it.
“I DR-P1 i formiddag i udsendelsen “Krause på tværs” udtalte Eva Smith blandt andet at “hvis vores rapporter skal have større kvalitet og ikke bare bygge på rygter, ammestuesnak og von-høren-sagen, skal vi have helt andre ressourcer end vi får idag”.”
“Translated” she said: “if our reports should be better and not only rely on rumours and gossip, we would have to require more money for research”
But its nice to hear that Anders Fogh just threw it in the trashcan.
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Don,
The problem is not “racism” but religious intolerance, something there is not a single word for.
“Bigotry” works pretty well
Anon,
The UN is not the same thing as Europe folks !!!
The report was aimed at Europeans.
Besides, most of the member states of the UN do not have an immigration problem. Many of them do have a refugee problem (Egypt for instance) but that’s not really the same thing.
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
Please visit my blog for a various discussions on the infringements of rights and sovereignty as well as the recent Danish cartoon row.
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Why Europe is doomed, part 1,483,294……………..
June 3rd, 2006 at 3:13 am
Don Cox @ 9:38 am, we in Canuckistan have a spot at the North Pole which I think will do nicely.