Sunday, May 03, 2009

International Islamic law academy demands suppression of free speech

Don't these Islamic legal scholars know about Islamic tolerance? Anyway, note well that when they speak about maligning Islam, they mean -- as many Islamic spokesmen have made clear over the years -- "associating Islam with terrorism." And that of course is something that they insist non-Muslim spokesmen do, while steadfastly ignoring the abundant evidence that it is Islamic jihadists who have most firmly and lastingly made this association by carrying out terrorist attacks and justifying them by reference to Islamic texts and teachings.

Consequently, the call to free societies to stop "maligning Islam" is essentially a call to them to become supine and mute in the face of advancing Islamic supremacism, and consent quietly to their subjugation under Sharia.

"Freedom of expression should not be misused," by Badea Abu Al-Naja for Arab News, May 2 (thanks to Sr. Soph):

SHARJAH: Protecting freedom of religion and opinion was underscored in a statement issued by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy at the conclusion of its international conference on Islamic jurisprudence in Sharjah on Thursday.

The five-day conference, which commenced on Sunday, was hosted by Sharjah ruler Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qassimi.

The final communiqué recommended Muslim countries enact laws allowing freedom of expression and not to exploit freedom to malign Islam and its sacred symbols or cause chaos in society.

The communiqué defined freedom of expression as the expression of views on personal or public matters that are beneficial to society and the person communicating the views. “Freedom of expression is a protected right in Islam to be practiced within certain legal restraints,” the statement said.

He defined legal restraints as not abusing the dignity of others, adherence to truth and objectivity, and not being irresponsible.

The method of expression of one’s views should be legitimate, it said, adding that the objective of the expression of one’s views should be the welfare of Muslims and the general public.

It also urged Muslim countries to strive to persuade other countries to make laws to protect sacred religious symbols of Islam and stop distorting them in the name of freedom. It also demanded the international community avoids different standards in applying its charters on judging Muslim issues and issues of other religions.

The communiqué declared that religious freedom, an important principle of Shariah, is aimed at securing the dignity of man.

“Religious freedom is guaranteed to every member of society on the basis of a clear directive of the Holy Qur’an, which says: There is no coercion in religion,” the communiqué said. The statement also demanded that non-Muslims respect Islamic symbols and stop abusing the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him), and called on Muslims to strive to overcome their differences.

On the other hand, the statement warned against the tendency of some people to spread ideas that endanger the security and stability of the Ummah.

The statement also urged Muslim rulers to guarantee their subjects responsible freedom, food, housing, treatment, education and employment opportunities so they are not carried away by dangerous ideologies.

The statement stressed that freedom of expression should not be an excuse to attack the religion and its symbols, or to disrupt law and order and create disunity. The communiqué also stressed the need for Shariah-based monitoring of the activities of Islamic banks.
Thanks Jihad watch

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