MIXED VIEWS ON THE BIG ISSUE

Dear Sir, JUST as there is no “right of free expression” to shout “Fire!” in a crowded theatre, nor to shout “Bomb!” and “Hijack!” on a plane, nor to deny the Holocaust in Germany, to show the Prophet Mohammed as a suicide bomber has nothing to do with so called “press freedom”: it is simply a clear incitement to racial hatred. It drives in further the wedge of religious prejudice which is dividing our tiny, fragile planet into Western Christian and Eastern Muslim camps. Today's planet and our global society need unity, not division and strife. All our hard fought for “rights” are intimately twinned to responsibilities. The great power of the journalist to influence the masses brings with it great professional responsibility and the exercise of fine tact and prudence. The Danish cartoonist, unfortunately for the Danish economy, displayed no such wisdom in his recent work. One billion Muslim consumers have now stopped buying tasty Danish produce. This is also their “right”. The trampling underfoot of the Danish flag no doubt evokes the same angry response in Danes that the cartoon of Mohammed incited in Moslems. The Danes can, no doubt, now feel the hatred unleashed by the journalists uncontrolled pen. Is the silly cartoonist still in denial, still playing the victim, still proud of his imagined “right” to make Islamophobic cartoons? Did he have attention deficit syndrome or did he want simply to increase sales of his paper? Will he now further assert his “right of free speech” and make anti–semitic cartoons insulting, say, Ann Frank? I doubt it. Western prejudice paints all Muslims as “terrorist”, islamophobia is not only tolerated, but actively encouraged. The same prejudices were found in Nazi Germany, the people's fear of the alleged “Jewish threat” was confronted by Hitler. Anti–semitic cartoons were published in the Volkishe Beobachter, to enrage and incite anti–semitism in the German Volk, prior to their deportation and extermination. This shameful Danish cartoon is in a similar vein to Nazi newpapers; the irresponsible repeating of it by the BBC and the other blind sheep of the western press is not “press freedom”, but crusading, gutter Islamophobia, hiding behind the protection of a pious “free press”, intending and succeeding to incite religious and racial hatred. Our western press is sadly still not “free ” of religious prejudice. Go and stand in the corner. THE irony of the timing of the religious hatred Bill in the UK parliament, the acquittal of the BNP leaders and the publication of a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed sparking protests from Muslims across Europe and the Middle East surely must finally send a message to those who are not yet aware of the real danger from the Muslim world. Whilst the Western world is trying to legislate for tolerance the Eastern world is completely intolerant, not only in the East but expects the Western world to toe their line! I am not a supporter of the ultra–right wing British National Party but a recent comment from Nick Griffin, their leader, in my opinion, is spot on. Griffin emerged from Leeds Crown Court saying he was vindicated over calling Islam a, “wicked, vicious faith” and said he had nothing to apologise about in relation to the speeches he made which landed him in the dock. He added, “We don't hate anyone from the ethnic minority, or blame asylum seekers for seeking a better future for their kids. We blame the government for putting their people above our people – for turning our once decent, stable country into a multicultural mess which looks increasingly like a future Bosnia.” Whilst this is happening automatic gunfire, slogan writing, flag burning and death threats are the Islamic reactions to a cartoon– this is no laughing matter!