Well, yes. The freedom of expression, if it is recognized and protected, does allow one individual or group to say or do something that offends others, without fear of arrest or violence. Also, Şentop should consider the old adage, “Physician, heal thyself,” and deal with the plight of Christians and other religious minorities in Turkey before pointing fingers, but Islamic supremacists never, ever do that under any circumstances. What he wants is for Sweden and the West to outlaw burning the Qur’an, and all criticism of Islam. Given the near-universal lack of understanding of what the freedom of expression even is, and why it is important, and the near-universal anxiety over “Islamophobia,” he may get his wish.
“‘Islamophobia, racism allowed under cover of freedom of expression,'” Daily Sabah, April 20, 2022:
Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop strongly condemned the ongoing incidents involving the burning of the Quran by far-right supporters in rallies in Sweden, as he said racists are getting a free pass under the guise of freedom of expression to spread Islamophobic and racist policies.
“We’re witnessing a period when anti-Muslim and racist policies are carried out under the cover of freedom of expression,” Şentop told a meeting Tuesday with diplomats of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s parliamentary union members in Ankara.
He continued by saying that he strongly condemns disrespectful acts against the Quran in Sweden, as he urged all countries and global institutions to take a “principled stance” against such attacks and take necessary precautions to prevent them, as such hostility threatens world peace.
The burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book Quran by far-right extremists sparked riots in several Swedish towns over the Easter weekend.
Turkey on Monday strongly condemned the attacks and provocations against Islam around the world during the holy month of Ramadan, singling out an Islamophobic incident in Sweden in which a far-right politician burned the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Ankara called on all countries and international organizations to take the necessary measures to combat Islamophobia and racism.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry had summoned on Sunday Sweden’s charge d’affaires, Hakan Rooth, over the burning of the Quran. The ministry had warned that the burning “bears grave implications on Sweden’s relations with all Muslims.”
GreekEmpress says
Turkish hypocrites.
Screaming Islamophobia as they try to annihilate the few Greek/Armenian/Assyrians left in Anatolia,
and any trace of Christianity.
PRCS says
+1.
mortimer says
Not all Turks are bigots, but it is government policy.
ALL Muslims, however, are required to hate KAFIRS ‘for the sake of Allah’, and they will go to Islamic hell if they do NOT hate dirty kufaar. Even with that Sharia law requirement, however, most Muslims do NOT hate the kufaar … they have kafir friends.
A strong minority of Muslims do, however, realize that it is their duty to live lives separate from the kufaar.
Turkish supremacism is not directed against one ethnicity. Traditional Turkish racial bigotry was directed against non-Turkish Muslims as well, against the Kurds, Arabs and African Muslims.
Today, Turkish Muslims are among the most hated of Muslims BY OTHER MUSLIMS.
Bikinis not Burkas says
Turkey has banned Turkish citizens from using Ancestry.com DNA testing as it shows they are mainly of Greek origin.
Can’t have the truth released!
Bikinis not Burkas says
Quran 5:51
O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.
— English Translation (Pickthall)
Quran 3:28
Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoso doeth that hath no connection with Allah unless (it be) that ye but guard yourselves against them, taking (as it were) security. Allah biddeth you beware (only) of Himself. Unto Allah is the journeying.
— English Translation (Pickthall)
Infidel says
Very much so!
gravenimage says
Yes, GreekEmpress. Mustafa Şentop lauded Azerbaijan’s seizure of the Armenian city of Shusha.
PRCS says
The term Islamophobia, which actually means an irrational fear of an ideology, was concocted and is perpetuated not by free speech advocates but by those desperate to suppress it.
And racism? C’mon, man! How many black or brown Muslims live in Albania?
born saturday says
in fact, albania has aggreed to import muslims from afganistan and has done so, in order to settle them at the area where the long percecuted christian minority is, in order to subjugate them to the imported muslims, exterminate them and wipe them out, which they so gracefully want….
Bikinis not Burkas says
What about the WHITE MUSLIM?
Muhammad was WHITE!
http://quranx.com/Hadith/Muslim/Reference/Hadith-2340/
Plus he was a fat dwarf!
Muhammad was a dwarf and fat!
http://sunnah.com/abudawud/42/154
I didn’t make this up it is written in their own sacred texts!
Please spread this where ever you can!
No wonder they don’t want drawings of their Fat White Dwarf self proclaimed prophet!
mortimer says
What the Turkish bigots do not understand is that freedom of expression and the freedom FROM HEARING something that you find offensive ARE INCOMPATIBLE.
The freedom of expression inherently includes the right to express something that another will find either offensive or simply ‘rubbish’.
The cost of the freedom of expression is that we must accept that we will hear a lot of ‘rubbish’.
For Muslims to demand the universal extension of Sharia blasphemy law, then it means that ONLY MULLAHS and ISLAMIC KORAN SCHOLARS will have a right to speak about Islam … even Muslim laity will not have a right to speak about Islam without permission from the leading mullahs.
The Islamic version of ‘free speech’ is nothing less than ISLAMIC THEOCRACY run by the mullahs.
Islamic ‘free speech’ means free speech for the MULLAHS ONLY.
Ray Jarman says
+1
Well written Mortimer.
gravenimage says
Spot on, Mortimer.
raja says
Seems all of the Islamic world has latched on to the antipathy of “racism” in the West. islam is attacking the West in a gruelling way and there is no end in sight to this vicious cycle- at least not for now.
The West should give up being men-pleasers all the time, especially to the ones who are war with the hosts.
gravenimage says
Turkey: MP claims that in Europe, ‘anti-Muslim and racist policies’ advance ‘under cover of freedom of expression’
……………
Never mind that this Qur’an burning in Sweden never even happened–Muslims rioted anyway.
And note characterizing any criticism of the horrors of Islam as “anti-Muslim” and “racist”–what race is Islam, again?
This thug in a suit Mustafa Şentop has also condemned the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE, characterizing not murdering Jews as a “betrayal of the Palestinian cause”.
And good cartoon from Bosch Fawstin.
Devasur says
Can this hypocrite show how religiously diverse his turkey is? Let him give the statics. When you wipe out non-Muslims in your country and cry islamophobia in non-muslim countries where Muslims live freely.
How shameless and disgusting can you be? learn from Muslims.
Rotten Eye says
Turkey admits Islam is NOT compatible with Western Values
Rotten Eye says
Turkey admits Islam is NOT compatible with Western Values.
Turkey admits Islam is NOT compatible with Western Values!
Turkey admits Islam is NOT compatible with Western Values!!
born saturday says
infact, sharia blaspheme laws have been imported by the bribed modern traitor politicians, to the constitutions of european countries already….
even child mariage laws have been imported in the hellenic constitution by the previous goverment…. blaspheme laws from the current…
the leaders of europe are mostly bribed, corrupt, and treacherous, making fortunes from bribes from turkey and the sauds to import more of islam before the final complete islamization of europe which is not as far as some might think…
Michael says
There are no greater enemies to Muslims than members of other sects, Sunni v Shia v Druze v Alawites.
Having a foot in all camps Turkey does not discriminate. It wreaks general havoc, is well paid for it by the EU and well protected by NATO.
JCA Reid says
Hypocrite. would like to see someone going through Airport Security in Turkey & there baggage is being searched. In the suitcase the Officer finds a Bible or Sheindlin’s book, “Ten questions Muslims won’t answer”, or, indeed anything by Robert Spence. also you’ll be taken awa for an “interview” if you had copies of Orwell’s “1984” & “Animal Farm”
Islam deserves to be treated with contempt..
Norman Gardner says
Sweden made a big mistake allowing too many Muslims into their country, now they are being victimized by riots, rapes, crime and a huge welfare cost. They are not being assimilated, they do not wish to be assimilated and Sweden will pay the price for their disasterous policies on immigration..