"The Middle East Forum has a stated goal, according to its website, of protecting the "freedom of public speech of anti-Islamist authors -"
Just the sort of confrontation you have to look forward to if you want lift the yoke of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, yes? I'm sure the MEF will be happy to take donations from Pakistanis, but perhaps a Pakistani NGO aimed at promoting such goals would be more effective?
Freedom of Hate Speech
Member of the Dutch parliament Geert Wilders published an open letter titled Enough is enough. He wrote: Ban the Quran, saying the Holy Quran has no place in our constitutional state.
On Pope Benedicts visit to Turkey, Steve Doocy, the co-host of Fox News Fox and Friends, asserted: This is the Popes first visit to a predominantly Muslim country. Now, keep in mind, it was just a couple of months ago that the Pope had some comments about Islam and violence. Next thing you know, Islam turned violent and essentially proved the Popes point.
On a report about a meeting between the Pope and Muslim envoys to address tensions over Pope Benedicts remarks, Pat Robertson, host of the Christian Broadcasting Network Club, said: Its amazing how the Muslims deal with history and the truth with violence. They dont understand what reasoned dialogue is.
After the killing of Osama bin Laden, columnist Debbie Schlussel wrote on her blog, 1 down, 1.8 billion more to go. During the American presidential race, she wrote: Should Barack Hussein Obama be president when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam?
The most quoted reference about Islam by the US Senate foreign policy consultant Republican James George Jatras was: In short, Islam is a self-evident outgrowth not of the Old and New Covenants but of the darkness of heathen Araby.
Televangelist Rod Parsley, a key ally of then-presidential candidate John McCain, called for eradicating the false religion. Parsley has written several books outlining his fundamentalist religious outlook, including the deeply anti-Islamic Silent No More.
Jim Welker, a Republican from Colorado, sent emails to his constituents titled: Beware of Islam in America. Part of the text read: Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and loyal citizen? He must submit to the mullah, who teaches annihilation of Israel and destruction of the Great Satan, America.
Winston Churchill III, grandson of British statesman Winston Churchill, is an author and former member of the British Parliament. Speaking at an American university he condemned radical Islam, terming it a threat to western civilisation similar to that as the Nazis and the Soviets.
Sean Hannity hosts the second-highest-rated talk show Hannitys America on Fox News Channel. He is also the author of two New York Times bestselling books. In response to the desire of Congressman Keith Ellison, a Muslim, to be sworn in on the Quran, he commented: It will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones.
The Savage Nation aired through 400 stations across the US has a weekly audience of over 10 million. The host, Michael Savage, said on his show: Keith Ellison wont swear to uphold the oath of office on the Bible. This is unbelievable. So what is next? A witch gets elected, and she says she shall only be sworn in with her hand over a pentagram? Tell me when this ends, the tyranny of the psycho, whacked-out minority. In another show he said: To save the United States, lawmakers should institute outright ban on Muslim immigration and on the construction of mosques. Michael Savage, who holds a doctorate from the University of California, is a recipient of the Freedom of Speech Award.
In a CNN Headline News programme, Glenn Beck said, The Middle East is being overrun by 10th-century barbarians; if they take over we are going to have to nuke the whole place.
Columnist Ann Coulter had this to say about the Muslim world: We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We werent punctilious about locating and punishing Hitler and his top officers only, we carpet-bombed German; we killed civilians. Thats war and this is war.
At a press conference, on a suggestion that an Al-Jazeera reporter be allowed to field the first question as a sign of respect to the Arab world, Gen Tommy Franks, then commander of the United States Central Command (Centcom), retorted, Sure, right after I cut off his head and take a **** down his throat. The Centcom commander oversaw US military operations in a region stretching across 25 countries, including the Middle East.
Member of Congress and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo had a despicably audacious suggestion: The radical Islamists have to be scared of a nuclear attack on US soil. If it were me, we will announce that an attack on the homeland would entail this kind of an assault on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina.
One can continue to post more Freedom of Hate Speech