Green Energy
Via Spanish Eowyn/Blueslord, check out what the EU Parliament is up to:
Regarding the Danish cartoons, MEPs and members of parliament from the 25 EU member states as well as the ten Euromed partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) strongly condemned "any offence against religious values" and urged governments "to ensure respect for religious beliefs (...) and to promote the values of tolerance, freedom and multiculturalism".
The resolution also defends the freedom of expression as a fundamental value, which should however respect the rights and values of others. The Euromed parliamentarians called on "governments and political leaders to refrain from making any declaration or speech which might bring to mind the expression 'clash of civilisation'."
Debate
In the morning, the Euromed MPs held a wide-ranging debate.
On the Danish cartoons, Egyptian parliament speaker Ahmed Sorour said that the cartoons and other recent events showed the existence of a cultural deficit, while stressing that freedom of expression cannot be unlimited.
Jordanian MP Hashem Al-Qaisi said it was not enough to deplore the cartoons, as these things might then happen again in another country.
Danish MP Troels Poulsen stressed that Danish society was based on both freedom of expression and religious tolerance and that the government could not influence the media. He felt that the violent reaction to the cartoons was disproportionate.
Turkish representative Zeynep Uslu said freedom of expression was an essential value, but not a limitless freedom, something the Court of Human Rights had also stated. Freedom of expression must be exercised with respect for religions, she said. She stressed the goal of an alliance of civilisations, not a clash between them.
Pasqualina Napoletano (PES, IT) said that the cartoon crisis was a real problem, but that EMPA was a lay assembly: "We must separate political from religious activities. We cannot allow people to divide us by using religion as a means."
Why are these uncivilized Turkish and Jordanian "representatives" given a table at a European Union Parliament meeting?
Yes, that's from the website of the European Parliament. Arab Muslim countries are already "partners" in the European Union, and, as such, they are rendered a voice and a vote in Europ ... uh, Eurabian affairs.
I didn't know that.
- U.s. & Egypt-backed U.n. Resolution Chips Away At Free Speech
Always remember to hang/paste/tack/tape 'em high, folks... UN rights body approves US-Egypt free speech text By FRANK JORDANS (AP) – 1 day ago GENEVA — The U.N. Human Rights Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution Friday deploring attacks...
- Ecri: Support For Free Speech Proves Danish “climate” Of Intolerance
This is very worrying... Hot Air » Blog Archive » 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...
- Eu And Un Move To Give Away Free Speech
Both the EU and the UN are considering banning "religious defamation." Here's the info about the EU: LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union may try to draw up a media code of conduct to avoid a repeat of the furor caused by the publication across...
- Ibn Warraq On What's At Stake
From Ibn Warraq, Muslim dissident, in Der Spiegel: "The cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten raise the most important question of our times: freedom of expression. Are we in the west going to cave into pressure from societies with a medieval...
- Europe Criticises Copenhagen Over Cartoons
The Council of Europe (CoE), an organisation of 46 European countries, has criticised the Danish government for invoking the “freedom of the press” in its refusal to take action against “insulting” cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The CoE Committee...
Green Energy
Eurabia Is Already Here: European Parliament Condemns Danish Cartoons
Via Spanish Eowyn/Blueslord, check out what the EU Parliament is up to:
Regarding the Danish cartoons, MEPs and members of parliament from the 25 EU member states as well as the ten Euromed partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey) strongly condemned "any offence against religious values" and urged governments "to ensure respect for religious beliefs (...) and to promote the values of tolerance, freedom and multiculturalism".
The resolution also defends the freedom of expression as a fundamental value, which should however respect the rights and values of others. The Euromed parliamentarians called on "governments and political leaders to refrain from making any declaration or speech which might bring to mind the expression 'clash of civilisation'."
Debate
In the morning, the Euromed MPs held a wide-ranging debate.
On the Danish cartoons, Egyptian parliament speaker Ahmed Sorour said that the cartoons and other recent events showed the existence of a cultural deficit, while stressing that freedom of expression cannot be unlimited.
Jordanian MP Hashem Al-Qaisi said it was not enough to deplore the cartoons, as these things might then happen again in another country.
Danish MP Troels Poulsen stressed that Danish society was based on both freedom of expression and religious tolerance and that the government could not influence the media. He felt that the violent reaction to the cartoons was disproportionate.
Turkish representative Zeynep Uslu said freedom of expression was an essential value, but not a limitless freedom, something the Court of Human Rights had also stated. Freedom of expression must be exercised with respect for religions, she said. She stressed the goal of an alliance of civilisations, not a clash between them.
Pasqualina Napoletano (PES, IT) said that the cartoon crisis was a real problem, but that EMPA was a lay assembly: "We must separate political from religious activities. We cannot allow people to divide us by using religion as a means."
Why are these uncivilized Turkish and Jordanian "representatives" given a table at a European Union Parliament meeting?
Yes, that's from the website of the European Parliament. Arab Muslim countries are already "partners" in the European Union, and, as such, they are rendered a voice and a vote in Europ ... uh, Eurabian affairs.
I didn't know that.
- U.s. & Egypt-backed U.n. Resolution Chips Away At Free Speech
Always remember to hang/paste/tack/tape 'em high, folks... UN rights body approves US-Egypt free speech text By FRANK JORDANS (AP) – 1 day ago GENEVA — The U.N. Human Rights Council approved a U.S.-backed resolution Friday deploring attacks...
- Ecri: Support For Free Speech Proves Danish “climate” Of Intolerance
This is very worrying... Hot Air » Blog Archive » 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...
- Eu And Un Move To Give Away Free Speech
Both the EU and the UN are considering banning "religious defamation." Here's the info about the EU: LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union may try to draw up a media code of conduct to avoid a repeat of the furor caused by the publication across...
- Ibn Warraq On What's At Stake
From Ibn Warraq, Muslim dissident, in Der Spiegel: "The cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten raise the most important question of our times: freedom of expression. Are we in the west going to cave into pressure from societies with a medieval...
- Europe Criticises Copenhagen Over Cartoons
The Council of Europe (CoE), an organisation of 46 European countries, has criticised the Danish government for invoking the “freedom of the press” in its refusal to take action against “insulting” cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The CoE Committee...