by Shiraz Maher, STONEGATE INSTITUTE
These have not been good times for free speech in the UK. Islamist students and cowardly student bodies – which, ironically, would identify themselves as liberal and progressive – have clamped down on the right of secular and atheist societies to voice their opposition to Islam (as they do to other religions too).
An event organized by the “One Law for All” campaign group at Queen Mary University in London was cancelled at the last minute after an Islamist made death threats against everyone attending. Anne Marie Waters, a spokeswoman for the National Secular Society had been due to address the room on Shariah law [Muslim religious law] and human rights. The room filled with students, but shortly before Waters was due to begin, a man entered the lecture theatre and filmed everyone in the audience. He then told them he could identify them all and knew where they lived – and that if anything insulting about the Prophet Mohammed was said, he would “track down” the audience members. Other students were also told that they, along with their families, would be murdered if any insult was perceived.
The event was cancelled and the police were called. The President of Queen Mary’s Atheism, Secularism and Humanism Society, who had organized the event, later commented:
This event was supposed to be an opportunity for people of different religions and perspectives to debate at a university that is supposed to be a beacon of free speech and debate.
Only two complaints had been made to the Union prior to the event, and the majority of the Muslim students at the event were incredibly supportive of it going ahead. These threats were an aggressive assault on freedom of speech and the fact that they led to the cancellation of our talk was severely disappointing for all of the religious and non-religious students in the room who wanted to engage in debate.
This was not an isolated incident. A few days earlier the Atheist Secular Humanist group at University College London (UCLASH) had been asked by the Students Union to remove an advertisement which depicted Jesus and the Prophet Mohammed sharing a beer. As ever, threats were made; the Students Union caved to pressure after several students protested.
The circumstances could not be more ironic. University College London (UCL) was founded in 1826 as a secular alternative to the strictly religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It was the first institution of higher education in England to accept students of any race or religious or political belief, and was described by Thomas Arnold as as “that Godless institution in Gower Street.” That religious intolerance should now threaten its student societies marks a staggering turns of events. UCLASH was forced to remove its publicity material, and the President of UCLASH noted:
That student representatives of the country’s first secular university should attempt such an act of censorship is disheartening.
In the past, atheist groups have caused controversy also at Warwick University, with a poster showing religious symbols being put in a bin; while students at Leeds and Southampton have experienced intimidation when they proposed showing material that to which some Muslim students took offense.
Maryam Namazie, who leads the “One Law for All” campaign, explains:
This is not about lacking cultural sensitivity or discrimination…It is not about racism and ‘Islamophobia’. It is not our fault for raising the issues. We are not to blame for ‘provoking’ the Islamists; they need no such provocation…
It’s about being able to criticize and speak out against that which is taboo and the barbarism of our century. Free expression is all we have at our disposal.
That very principle may now be under threat on some campuses. The London School of Economics (LSE) has passed a motion effectively making it impossible for students on campus to criticise Islam. The motion denounced “Islamophobia,” which it defined in broad brush strokes as:
A form of racism expressed through the hatred or fear of Islam, Muslims, or Islamic culture, and the stereotyping, demonization or harassment of Muslims, including but not limited to portraying Muslims as barbarians or terrorists, or attacking the Qur’an as a manual of hatred.
The linguistic ambiguities in the wording of the motion and its broad construction make it prone to misuse. Indeed, some critics have denounced it as a “blasphemy law.” The director of Student Rights, a pressure group which fights extremism on campus, has denounced the move:
This is an extremely worrying day for the London School of Economics. Shutting out people from voting online, effectively leaving the Union in the hands of political extremists who turn out day-in day-out, and passing what is a flimsy motion on Islamophobia means that freedom of speech, expression and effective representation is being curtailed on campus by those with a distinct political agenda.
A rally was to be held on February 11 to push back against rise of reactionary group and the curtailment of free speech on campus. Hailed as “a day to defend free expression,” protesters will rally opposite the House of Lords. A remarkable coalition has come together to lend their support to the movement including progressive and liberal Muslims who are working with atheists, Jews, Christians, and others to ensure that the most important guarantee of religious freedoms – secularism – is not irreparably eroded in Britain.
Why do the Brits put up with it? Out of fear of being branded racists, and because human rights and political correctness, it has knocked the stuffing out of them. They are not the same generation or the same people with the backbone that stood alone against Nazi Germany until America entered the war, after Pearl Harbour. And let’s face it, unlike Americans, the majority of British people sympathise with the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, and as a consequence they are also anti-Semitic and so are the churches here.
musloid–I gave them more importance than they deserved.Won’t happen again!
My sister & I simply stopped the musloid after he grabbed hold of the policewoman, who was about half his size, and threw her to the ground.Of course, the musloid was all so proud of himself and he was acting very smug so he was very shocked when two women grabbed him and held on until reinforcements arrived, which didn’t take long as the local police station wasn’t too far away.The musloid’s friends threatened us but they looked foolish and we told them so.
We would have testified in court but because the musloid reoffended while on bail we didn’t have to.
Yes Andy,this is the real question.
What happened to our men, how have we lost the righteous instincts.
Next we know will be a musloid is raping our wive or daughter and we will be standing there and just calling 911.
We, in the Western civilization have become almost totally dis-empowered. How did it happen, and what do we need to do to change that?
Perhaps we should improve the 2nd amendment.
Instead of right to bear arms, it should be the duty to bear arms.
Every able-bodied man must bear arms on him and must use it to protect himself and other from violence.
Why didn’t they mob the sumbitch and tear him to shreds?
WOW!
Bravo, how did you do that?
One thing; in my opinion the word “musloid” refers to a certain psycho-pathology, not to an religion, or nation, I therefore believe it should be spelled with lower case “m”, just like the word “mongoloid” which refers to a genetic pathology.
If I had been in the audience I would have made a citizens arrest against this idiot with the camera.I made a citizens arrest once,of a huge Muslim who attacked a policewoman in broad daylight.The coward got 9 months and he reoffended once he was released–Musloid and born stupid! The Musloids don’t intimidate me.
Frankly I don’t see the connection between Godlessness and this suppression of free speech.
But Marxism, yes, because of it hatred of the capitalist society allied itself with the musloid barbarians.
In a proper society, extreme violence would have been visited upon this maker-of-threats. That he was not arrested speaks to the depravity of British authorities. How do the British live with themselves from day-to-day?
This is what happens when ignorant fools and immoral people embrace Godless Marxism–evil is promoted and good is repressed!
This is not the definition of Islamophobia. A phobia is an irrational fear. There is nothing irrational in fearing Islam as virtually every terrorist in the world is a Muslim even if not every Muslim is a terrorist. Virtually every war zone on the planet today has Muslim involvement if not instigation of the conflict.
What I don’t get and which may be more troubling is the “guy” who filmed everyone and made the death threats had to have been recognizable by the entire crowd if not know to any or some. Why was he not arrested and charged with uttering death threats? How does his behavior get a pass while the right to free speech gets thrown under the proverbial bus?
Islam must be outlawed.
Musloids deported.
Every person in the UK who is fed up to the back teeth with islamic intolerance and threats against UK citizens should parade down every high street in every town & city with a cartoon of mohammed and tell those extremists to go to Hell.It’s about time that these scum were thrown in prison and to Hell with their human rights.
I’ve no hope that any British government will really crack down on these sad excuses for human beings so it’s up to the British public to stand up and fight to protect our beliefs, Christian & non-Christian, our rights to free speech and basic British law.Enough is enough!!