Indeed he would be. And he also says: “Instead of responding to attacks against freedom of expression, voices were raised to cry blasphemy and propose compromise with terrorism. There is no blasphemy in a democracy.” That’s right as well: as soon as blasphemy laws are enforced, democracy ceases to exist, for those groups that are […]
Denmark: Royal Theater in Copenhagen cancels “Satanic Verses” play to avoid offending Muslims
On September 11, 2001, Mohamed Atta told passengers on the hijacked jetliner racing toward the Twin Towers in New York: “Just stay quiet and you’ll be okay….Nobody move. Everything will be okay. If you try to make any moves, you’ll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.” Atta’s words are emblematic of the global […]
Salman Rushdie: world learned “wrong lessons” from his Iran fatwa
“The writer said that the controversy that surrounded the PEN prize to Charlie Hebdo this year convinced him that, if the attacks against ‘The Satanic Verses’ had occurred today, ‘these people would not come to my defence and would use the same arguments against me by accusing me of insulting an ethnic and cultural minority.’” […]
Six PEN members protest award to Charlie Hebdo
“If PEN as a free speech organization can’t defend and celebrate people who have been murdered for drawing pictures, then frankly the organization is not worth the name,” Mr. Rushdie said. And for once, he is right. PEN is supposed to oppose censorship and defend the freedom of speech — except, apparently, when to do […]