Unfree Speech
I was surprised by Mezba's comment in this post:
Rushdie’s writings were offensive to Muslims and I have no problem with countries banning his books and what not.
That almost-flippant remark says a lot.
No nation has absolute free speech. For example, in the US, selling information about undercover FBI agents is the kind of speech that is not free. There are other exceptions as well.
However, the situation with Rushdie is straightforward. He wrote a book that a lot of people really really don't like. Of course, most of them haven't read it but never mind that. What matters is that they really don't like it! Ergo, nobody in their society ought to read it.
November 24, 1988: The novel is banned in South Africa and Pakistan; bans follow within weeks in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Bangladesh, Sudan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Qatar.
Isn't that charming?
Is anyone forcing individual Muslims to buy or read Rushdie's book? No. There might be a few curious minds in Islamic nations who'd like to read the book, so they could figure out what the hoopla is all about.
But they can't because they need to be, somehow, protected from the written filth. What happens then if they smuggle The Satanic Verses and get caught? Muhammad's Beard! These wretched beings were trying to read, and later perhaps sell, a forbidden! book. What punishment would be adequate? A fine? A public lashing? A few decades behind bars?
I find it offensive that a Muslim who has the choice to read or not read Rushdie's book casually denies that same freedom to Muslims in other parts of the world. Even though this little kafir's fragile feelings are hurt, he won't call for the guilty comment to be banned.
Furthermore (channeling Treebeard): A blogger should know better!
- The Rushdie Rule
Daniel Pipes explains: Khomeini ... decreed that British novelist Salman Rushdie be executed on account of the blasphemies in his book The Satanic Verses. With this, Khomeini established the Rushdie Rules, which still remain in place. They hold that whoever...
- Salman Rushdie - Ingrate Of The Year
All the money we spent protecting this man, and he learned almost nothing of import about our culture. Next time you get yourself into trouble with Jihadists, why don't you have your friend Bono The Pussified Pacifist protect you, ok Salmanella?...
- How Islam Tries To Dictate What We Read
ieligious fanatics have been jailed for an attack on the UK home of a publisher. His “crime”? He dared to want to publish a novel about Aisha, the child bride of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Now, according to The Times, among others, three Islamic...
- Salman Rushdie Calls Out Random House For Censoring Book On Mohammed And Ayish
From the Gothamist: Rushdie and his smokin' hot babe Padma Lakshmi Salman Rushdie, author of the controversial Satanic Verses, said that he was disappointed in his publisher Random House for pulling an upcoming novel about the Prophet Mohammed....
- German Muslims Angry
After all, you can't expect them to put up with everything. From Little Green Footballs: Muslims are seething in Germany over a planned stage production of Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses—the dreaded unreadable novel of blasphemy. BERLIN (Reuters)...