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August 22nd, 2008 1:07 pm

A Modest Proposal. Let The Brave Danes Speak at Both Conventions

Denmark’s Free Speech Library has offered to publish Sherry Jones’ The Jewel of Medina–the very book that Random House just canceled.The Free Speech Library is an independent company under its own management but with close ties to Denmark’s Free Press Society.

Both Salman Rushdie and Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who penned the drawing of a prophet with a bomb in his turban, criticized Random House for their decision.

Westergaard expressed his dismay that “one of the large publishers is now bowing to intimidation. That is not a good omen for free speech. If the major publishers lose their nerve then I’m afraid that others will follow suit. The big publishers ought to set a good example. The fanatics have won.”

Although every major publisher (including Random House) supports Rachel Ehrenfeld in her battle to protect free speech in America,  they are not funding that battle. They have only submitted amicus briefs.

Perhaps the most radical American writers (those who tell the truth about Islamic gender and religious apartheid and about Islamic imperialism, jihad, and slave ownership, and who believe that Israel, America, and the West are countries worth fighting for), will have to turn to Denmark to be published. Indeed, the Library is about to publish a Danish translation of Bruce Bawer’s book entitled While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within.

I might just ask them to consider publishing my own The Islamification of America. I hope I’m wrong but I doubt that Random House will want it. Make my day, prove me wrong!

May I make a modest proposal? I suggest that both Obama and McCain invite Kurt Westergaard and a representative of the Danish Library to speak at their respective Conventions? So far, neither candidate has shown any understanding of how rapidly Free Speech has been eroded in America due to fear of Muslim protest–and alas, due to our own doctrine of political correctness.

Let me go further: Why not replace Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy–yes, and Dick Cheney–with the brave Danish cartoonist and the brave Danish publisher?

Yes, Kennedy is ill and may be dying; yes, he is JFK’s last living brother. But, for the record: Robert Kennedy, our former Attorney General, was assassinated by Palestinian activist, Sirhan Sirhan, who claimed that he did so for political reasons, because he was angry that America sold military equipment to Israel. Sirhan was deemed insane and has been psychiatrically hospitalized ever since. Since every Arab and Palestinian leader say the same thing (and worse): Shall we psychiatrically hospitalize them all –and for life?

Let Obama and McCain invite some true contemporary heroes. In addition to Westergaard and the Danish Press, I propose Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Taslima Nasrin, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

I would like to thank my esteemed colleague, Carol Gould for bringing the Denmark Free Speech Library to my attention.

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10 Comments

1. George Jochnowitz:

It’s unlikely that anyone who has been invited to speak at a convention will be replaced. But without replacing anybody, Westergaard and a representative of the Danish Library could and should be invited to speak at both conventions.

Speaking at one convention in no way implies that one can’t speak at the other convention. Both parties ought to say that commitment to our country’s values—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—takes precedence over partisanship.

Aug 22, 2008 - 1:34 pm 2. BL:

The First Amendment is the bedrock of our or any democracy. It allows Neo-Nazis to march in Skokie, IL, it allows exploitive/violent pornography to be produced, it allows the minority to criticize the tyranny of the masses. But at the mere thought of offending Islam, it is thrown out the door. Democracy’s most cherished right cannot bend to thugs, killers, or the potentially offended politically correct! The American patriots knew it, the Danes know it, when WILL Americans begin to fight for it again. Dr. Chesler, continue to expose the hypocrisy, shout it at the ocean, the mountains, and the moon. I stand behind you in seizing our right to say what is true and trust the masses to weed out the false. Weakness allowed Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels to exploit and silence the sanity of the German masses, we will not allow this to happen again! The Word is indeed mightier than the sword, let the words reign, we will deal with the sword shouting at the top of our lungs!

Aug 22, 2008 - 5:21 pm 3. loraxel:

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who was mentioned in the article above, publishes the only newspaper in the Islamic world which supports Israel. He is a Muslim who writes against Islamic extremism and in favor or interfaith understanding. He is presently on trial in his native Bangladesh for treason, sedition and blasphemy, all spurious charges with no basis in fact. His trial makes a mockery of justice. There is no jury, and his defense lawyers are not permitted to call witnesses on his behalf. He may be sentenced to death by hanging if he is found guilty on even one of the charges, and it is likely that he will be found guilty on all three. Choudhury is the winner of several awards for moral courage, and both the U.S. House of Representatives and the European Union have passed resolutions calling on the government of Bangladesh to drop the charges against him.
He would not be permitted to leave his country to speak at one of these conventions, although he would be honored to be invited.
PLEASE ASK YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO CONTACT THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND REQUEST URGENT DIPLOMATIC MEETINGS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL BETWEEN OUR EMBASSY IN DHAKA AND THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT IN BANGLADESH. LOWER LEVEL DIPLOMACY HAS HAD NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER.

“Shoaib” Choudhury has been attacked and threatened countless times.

Mr. Choudhury has been offered asylum in the U.S., but he does not wish to abandon his cause or his people. He needs a guarantee of safety and freedom from further prosecution. Right now he needs police protection while he is free on bail. Please call your legislators.

Aug 22, 2008 - 9:16 pm 4. Peter Buch:

Danes like me sometimes have a bit of difficulty in understanding – Robert Spencer does not seem to have any trouble at Regnery. If you contact them I guess they´ll print your books too.
Still locally some like to read in danish. Few readers & writers in a little market having their share of the perils and pleasures in the times we live in.

Aug 23, 2008 - 2:53 pm 5. massaraksh:

Although it looks like Ms. Jones’s novel doesn’t have much historical or even literary value, it still shouldn’t be cancelled because the publishers are afraid of the Muslim violence. Glorifying the “marriage” of a middle-aged man to a six-year old child isn’t something to cheer about.

We need a long-overdue discussion on the negative impact Islam has had on our way of life – it’s bad enough we have to spend billions of dollars on security measures unheard of before 9/11; the things we used to take for granted, like freedom of speech, are sacrificed as well.

This is a rather slippery road – the Islamists use a salami-like tactics to chip away at our freedoms and slowly but surely turn us into dhimmis. After all, this has been their MO for 1400 years, and if we don’t wake up, we’ll wind up the same way the Egyptian Copts or Iranian Jews had.

We should be grateful for people like Dr. Chessler – she’s one of the few courageous, intellectually honest, and decent people unafraid to tell the truth.

Aug 23, 2008 - 5:01 pm 6. Sunita Paul:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Taslima Nasrin, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, they all are heroes of this contemporary world. Yes, but, clearly Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is a clear exception. He is a Muslim [and he is proud to be a Muslim], who confronts the culture of hatred, says no to jihad and demonization of Jews and Israel and he has been suffering continuously right by staying in his own country. Bangladeshi authorities are trying this extra ordinary human being of today’s world for promoting inter faith understanding. Shoaib Choudhury can be murdered anytime for his courageous role by the Bangladeshi regime. Taslima Nasrin already fled Bangladesh, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali is extremely silent, enjoying private life in United States. Yes, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is another hero who is in Burmese camtivity. We can mention Aung San Suu Kyi and Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury together for what they are courageously facing.

Just this March armed members of notorious Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] abducted Shoaib from his office with the ulterior motive of killing him. But, because of timely actions by Rep. Mark Steven Kirk and Jewish activist Dr. Richard Benkin, Shoaib’s life was saved. Bangladeshi authorities withdrew police protection from Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury’s residence in May. Now, from August 31, 2008, this rarest treasure of the international community will face mock trial. He is destined to be murdered by Islamist affiliated government in Bangladesh. Please raise your voice against this injustice. Where is Amnesty International or those big mouth of human rights defenders? Where is large media outlets in the world? Why are they silent? Just because Shoaib is a Muslim Zionist who defends Jews and Israel?

Aug 24, 2008 - 2:43 am 7. Virginia/Greenconsciousness:

DO YOU KNOW WHO IS ACTUALLY GOING TO SPEAK??????

Dr. Ingrid Mattson is Director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT. A native of Canada, Dr. Mattson has traveled the world and lived in Pakistan where she worked with Afghan refugee women. In 2001 she was elected Vice-President of ISNA and in 2006 she was elected President of the organization. Dr. Mattson is the first woman and the first convert to Islam to lead the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

Imam Abdur-Rahim Ali of the Northeast Denver Islamic Center

Aug 25, 2008 - 7:01 am 8. Virginia/Greenconsciousness:

DR Ingrid will speak in full Muslim slave garment drag giving democrat women their cultural relativist talking points. My only solace is that these arrogant misogynist demons will never win this election. Too bad they will drag down every progressive thing in this country along with them. Still women believe in the democrat party as their only hope. They will believe until they lose every right won with their mother’s blood. First kill the mother and BO has done this.

Aug 25, 2008 - 7:07 am 9. Virginia/Greenconsciousness:

Dr Ingid will speak in full slave garment drag.

Aug 25, 2008 - 7:09 am 10. Virginia/Greenconsciousness:

As you can see, I am furious — go to this page and draw your own conclusions.

http://www.demconvention.com/first-ever-convention-interfaith-gathering-to-feature-diverse-array-of-leaders-from-the-faith-community

Aug 25, 2008 - 7:16 am

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