France, a nation sometimes held up as a pioneer in the ideas of liberty, has banned protests over the anti-Islam film, the Innocence of Muslims.
CNN reports that authorities in France would not approve permits for protests this weekend, and added that police are ready and standing by in the event that protesters attempt to organize anyway.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is of the belief that the American-made film that has sparked violence across the Middle East is not France’s problem.
“There is no reason to bring conflicts in our country that do not concern France,” he said.
The anti-American protests over the film began in Egypt and Libya with violence. In Egypt, property was destroyed, but in Libya, several people including the U.S. ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, and three others.
Euronews.com reports France hasn’t been free of violence on this issue. More than 150 people were arrested as protests turned ugly near the U.S. Embassy in Paris. France has the largest Islamic community of any Muslim nation and the problems Wednesday likely contributed to the decision to ban further protests.
“I will not allow that fully veiled women, street prayers or hostile slogans against our allies to be heard on our streets, so I will be very firm,” Manuel Valls, the French Interior Minister, said. “Also, these few people shouldn’t be confused with the vast majority of our fellow citizens they are caricaturing Islam as it is practiced in our country.”
A French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, fanned the flames, publishing images of the prophet Mohammed in cartoon form in an issue that hit stand Wednesday. Authorities have stationed extra security at the magazine office.
“In France, we always have the right to write and draw. And if some people are not happy with this, they can sue us, and we can defend ourselves. That’s democracy,” Charlie Hebdo journalist Laurent Leger told CNN. “You don’t throw bombs, you discuss, you debate. But you don’t act violently. We have to stand and resist pressure from extremism.”
France’s decision to ban protest isn’t the only European move related to this story. Germany has banned a controversial pastor with connections to the film from entering their nation.
The key element of the right to free speech is that it be independent of its content, and that it be applied equally across the board — no matter what the subject being discussed — or who agrees or disagrees with what is being said.
The French government, therefore, violated this basic rule when it prevented Muslims from peacefully protesting in France. Though it may have done this to keep the peace, this is not a good enough reason to cut off free speech and peaceful assembly.
France should thus reverse course and allow Muslims to protest — to prove its tolerance for dissent and to show how things are done in a mature, civilized country.
Aren’t we just sick and tired of hearing Muslim apologists calling for calm and understanding every time their fundamentalist brothers cut loose causing bloodshed, terror and despair throughout our world.
Supposedly responsible Islamic leaders are just so quick to distance themselves and their communities from these atrocities, however, they don’t seem to appreciate that they themselves subscribe to the same basic belief system as their extremist brothers and cousins.
The only difference is that of the extent that apologists will go to in order to proliferate their dogma compared to their fundamentalist counterparts. This then, by definition, labels them as moderates.
Many might think that the relationship stops there but it doesn’t.
As each atrocity is committed, the wider world is shocked. Moderate Muslim leaders and communities repeat their routines of distancing and denial and the cycle continues.
But understand this clearly!
The “forests of moderate Muslims” are the very forests in which the extremists are created, nurtured, and hide, awaiting their opportunities before planning and executing the atrocities that we witness daily throughout our troubled world.
As long as the apologists maintain and legitimise the nurseries of mosques stocked with hate filled Imams, this stream of poisoned minds in the form of terrorists, hijackers, suicide bombers and all forms of insane sub life, will roll off the production lines to service the needs of the Jihad.
Our world is now at the eleventh hour in confronting a problem which is vastly more threatening and sinister than climate change.
What a load of absolute BS Snow – using your logic we should condemn all Americans, Brits, the whole world actually every single country, religion, person.