Jihad Watch
"We sent a clear message to the West regarding the red lines that should not be crossed."
That sounds like the statement of a victor in a war, dictating terms to the vanquished. And it may well be: Free speech is under attack in Canada - with the prosecution of Maclean 's Magazine and author Mark Steyn - and in the United States by Islamic groups whose goal is to end free speech when it is aimed at exposing the truth about Islamic terrorism.
Their goal is positively Orwellian: Replace "Big Brother" with the "Organization of the Islamic Conference" and you have the world the OIC wants to impose on us all.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, boasted that "the OIC has become an indispensable player at the international level, in many domains." Notably, he said, the OIC has been actively "defending the image of Islam, and combating the phenomenon of Islamophobia."
The OIC, said Ihsanoglu, has placed the issue of Islamophobia "at the top of our priorities and preoccupations, while conducting a large-scale worldwide effort to confront it."
Remote Dimmer LD-DI-12-WLThey've already accomplished a great deal. "We have been able to achieve convincing progress," observed Ihsanoglu, at "the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and the UN General Assembly."
The Associated Press reported that "Muslim countries have won a battle to prevent Islam from being criticized during debates by the UN Human Rights Council." Council President Doru-Romulus Costea explained: 'This council is not prepared to discuss religious matters in depth, consequently we should not do it."
Now they're setting their sights on the United States. "We have established an OIC group in Washington, D.C.," Ihsanoglu explained, "with the aim of playing a more active role in engaging American policy makers." This will involve agitating for laws restricting free speech.
"And in confronting the Danish cartoons and the Dutch film Fitna," Ihsanoglu continued, "we sent a clear message to the West regarding the red lines that should not be crossed." Ihsanoglu says it's already working. "As we speak, the official West and its public opinion are all now well-aware of the sensitivities of these issues. They have also started to look seriously into the question of freedom of expression from the perspective of its inherent responsibility."
In other words, "irresponsible" speech - which is defined as speech he disagrees with - should be banned.
Mark Steyn is on trial in Canada right now for telling the truth. Canadian journalist and politician Peter Worthington commented acidly about the Steyn proceedings: 'Truth is no defense before a human rights tribunal. Steyn's accuracy is not at issue, just his opinions. Under hate legislation, opinions are punishable if they offend a particular group. If you think about it, this is an abomination."
It is telling that when Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and the OIC think of "defending the image of Islam," they don't mean working in Muslim communities to combat the influence of the jihad ideology. They don't have in mind developing initiatives to combat Osama bin Laden's version of Islam, The organization hasn't ever acknowledged that it could end "Islamophobia" right away by rejecting Islam's doctrines of violence, supremacism and conquest.
Instead, they have made themselves the enemies of honest men like Mark Steyn who have called attention to this supremacist agenda. They will be working with American policymakers to restrict Breitling Fake free speech - that is, honest discussion of the elements of Islam that the jihadists use to justify their actions and gain recruits.
Can honest discussion really be outlawed? You bet it can. As long as free people do nothing to stop it from happening. As the OIC presses American politicians to use anti-discrimination and hate speech laws to "stem this illegal trend," we need to stand up and tell them that what they're doing to Mark Steyn in Canada must never happen here. We must tell our elected officiais to stop this outrage, resist OIC lobbying, and reaffirm in no uncertain terms our commitment to free speech.
So much depends on this - possibly even including our survival as a free people.
Mr. Spencer is director of Jihad Watch und author of The Politically incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth About Muhammad and Religion of Peace? (all from Regncry - a HUMAN EVENTS sister company).
