Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Valiuth ·
September 27, 2012 at 10:12pm
Well, well, well ... I didn't think I would read this headline. From NBC Online news comes to us of Egypt enforcing its ridiculous blasphemy laws ... against a Muslim!
In protest against the recent slights to Islam, the cleric in question tore up and burned a copy of the New Testament in front of the U.S. embassy. Acting on its anti-blasphemy laws, Egyptian authorities have arrested the man and intend to prosecute.
So, fellow Ricochetiers are you, like me, slightly surprised? I thought Egypt's anti-blasphemy laws were a smoke screen for Islamist dominance. But, what to make of this? Is this just a show, or are they mad enough to actually enforce their laws evenly?
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Apr '12
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Jesus is revered as a prophet in Islam. Not THE Prophet, but a prophet. They refer to Jews, Christians, and Muslims as People of the Book. They think the other two religions didn't get the whole story or that it was corrupted, but their ancient texts are still revered. In that context, this action makes sense. Bet they wouldn't do it for a Pagan.
Jul '12
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Window dressing... If the man is actually prosecuted, I'll be shocked. If he's prosecuted and convicted, I'll faint. If he's prosecuted, convicted, and punished as a Koran burner would be, I'll die of shock.
Aug '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
What would they say if we suggested that this man not be prosecuted, because he was simply exercising free speech?
Apr '12
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
This is a show for the idiot press. Look, you had Coptic Christians being forced to convert, murdered, and driven from their homes with little government intervention.
Aug '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Now would be a great time for Christians to come to the cleric's defense.
Burning a copy of the New Testament is a dick move, but it shouldn't be a criminal offense.
(I'm assuming that the cleric in question has never committed actual violence against Christians.)
Apr '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
I wonder? I bet they would probably continue to prosecute. Though this would be a good chance for the administration to show some spine about sticking up for freedom of speech. I mean its not like the administration likes the New Testament any way.
Jul '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
It's all a show. The man himself was likely instructed to do this. This is illusion to reinforce this never insult Islam garbage.
Sep '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
In the past 3 months it is estimated 100k Christians have fled Egypt. I would think most of them would say it is a sham.
Jul '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Potentially at Obama's request even or at least to get their money train flowing.
May '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Do you suppose they think this appeals to our sense of fairness?
It comes across as an overzealous father who makes a show of punishing his children for a little harmless mischief, thinking it will earn him a good reputation among his neighbors, but instead the neighbors are appalled at his brutality.
Apr '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
I am always tempted to accuse foreign autocracies of conspiring on this level, on the other had are they really this organized? I mean this is clearly a show, to prove the even handedness of their blasphemy laws. I bet on any given day you can find at least one crazy cleric burning a Torah or a Bible in Egypt, if you bother to look.
Maybe what we should do is force the Islamic Brotherhood to prosecute more of these people by constantly pointing out all the cases of religious intolerance by their devotes. Do you think foreigners can bring law suits in Egyptian courts for blasphemy offences?
Jan '12
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
This is akin to the ACLU, who, in a vain attempt to appear objective and committed to everyone's rights, brings suit on behalf of some Nazi or white supremist group.
Permit me to say, that this is so 'Alice in Wonderland-ish', as to not be worth much discussion!
Jul '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Valiuth
I am always tempted to accuse foreign autocracies of conspiring on this level, on the other had are they really this organized? I mean this is clearly a show, to prove the even handedness of their blasphemy laws. I bet on any given day you can find at least one crazy cleric burning a Torah or a Bible in Egypt, if you bother to look.
Maybe what we should do is force the Islamic Brotherhood to prosecute more of these people by constantly pointing out all the cases of religious intolerance by their devotes. Do you think foreigners can bring law suits in Egyptian courts for blasphemy offences? · 13 minutes ago
We should have little to do with them. They are never to be trusted.
Mar '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Yes. We must protest this as much as if it were a Christian being prosecuted for burning a Koran. We want a society where everybody is free, not where nobody is free. This is not about equal treatment. It's about freedom of speech. I wonder if they truly don't understand this and they think they are somehow ingratiating us by their equal treatment or if they are just making a point that they are playing the game fair even though we would not approve.
Aug '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
I'm with Doc, I don't believe it. Have you seen the judge ?
May '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
What the cleric did was disgusting. What the Egyptian government is doing is even more disgusting.
Dec '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
Don't you see? This is a poke in the eye of free speech. To show the superiority of their system. If he had burned a Koran, he'd be dead already.
Oct '11
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
The Israeli and USA Embassy invasion, and the riots were bearable ... but not burning a copy of the New Testament, that just crossed the line !
Nov '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
They're projecting their way of thinking onto us. They think that if they make a show of "respecting" Christianity then we'll stop calling them barbarians. They think that Christianity is to us what Islam is to them, when the truth is we don't want anyone prosecuted, not even Andres Serrano.
Aug '10
Re: Egypt Charges Islamic Cleric with Insulting Religion!
They are simply trying to cover their nakedness with a fig leaf. And, as Barbara Kidder says above, we see this in the U.S. too. The Southern Poverty Law Center puts a few leftist organizations on its "hate group" list so they can point to it when the SPLC is accused of being a leftist organization itself.
Likewise, the ACLU will offer to defend a conservative once in a while to cover its own nakedness.
Everyone knows that the SPLC and the ACLU are leftists—hard and aggressive leftists. Their purpose is to destroy conservatives.
What's happening in Egypt confirms what many conservatives say about Western "Progressives" and Islamists: they share a love of authoritarianism, which they promote by perverting the legal system and the franchise. They share the idea that they alone are the dictators of correct thought, which they promote through demagoguery and intimidation.