On the Blog Talk Radio program I did for a month or two, and at every opportunity I have, I point out that freedom of speech has only one function. That of protecting criticism of religious authority in all forms. Why? Because once you concede to religion as protected from criticism all things will be put under their purview as quickly as possible.
This news story featured at Jihad Watch is the perfect example.
Jakarta Post’s editor faces blasphemy charge for cartoon mocking Islamic State
Indonesian police have declared the editor-in-chief of a prominent English-language daily newspaper a suspect in a blasphemy case over the publication of a cartoon mocking the jihadist group Islamic State.
[…]
The editor said: “What we produced was a journalistic piece that criticised the ISIS movement, which has carried out violence in the name of religion,” using the acronym of the extremist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
“It means that the ISIS caricature was not blasphemous,” he said. “We all know that ISIS is an organisation that is banned in Indonesia and across almost the entire world.”
The Jakarta-based Alliance of Independent Journalists, or AJI, slammed the declaration of Suryodiningrat as suspect.
So it starts with a law that says you cannot criticize or in any way represent the deity with the most aggressive fan base in a given area. Then, you may also not represent any avatars that deity has attributed to him in a way other than the narrative originally assigned, or that impedes the advancement of the agenda of the supremacy of those who promote that agenda.
And then it becomes political. Anything associated with the deity is now legally above criticism except in certain ways and even then…
Then its everything. You cannot pick your own colors for clothes, you cannot pick your own styles of things and your choices are made for you by panels of religious experts on all matters cultural and personal.
Granted this particular article appears to be about the contents of his cartoon. But the chill effect will be exactly the same. Everyone in publishing will know what the real reason is and speak accordingly.
For those of us who understand this issue I would suggest the time to speak openly, loudly and often about Islam and its threat to liberal society is now. Make and wear T shirts. Exercise your freedom of speech. Preserve the enlightenment and do it now. The clock is ticking in Canada while it runs out in Indonesia.
Eeyore for VladTepesBlog
House Leaders Made False Promise to Get My Crucial Vote
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30431988
Brixton slavery case: suspected cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan is charged
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11287348/Brixton-slavery-case-suspected-cult-leader-Aravindan-Balakrishnan-is-charged.html
Speech control laws are thought control laws, if you can’t talk about a subject you will end up not thinking about it.
And if you do say anything, you have to worry who you say it to, because they’ll rat you out.
Yup that is what gets a lot of people in trouble.
Old Russian saying, when three people set down to talk revolution two are fools and the third is a p0lice spy.
Caroline Glick tells off Danish ambassador
http://youtu.be/AYojm0TRGPg
If they’re itching to violate free expression, why not go after “gas the jooozz”?
Indonesia = “moderate” Islam. Goes to show ya…
When they get a heavy dose of returning jihadis, they may not be so finicky.
Because that would be attacking a protected minority.
Vlad, It sounds like you’ve stopped doing the radio show. I’m sorry to hear that. It was a good show.