Austrian Woman Charged for Criticizing the Koran
From Eye on the World:
VIENNA, Austria (CBN) -- Burning Korans and criticizing religions may generate anger in America, but it's still freedom of speech guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
However in Europe, speaking out against Islam can lead to a jail sentence.
CBN News interviewed one Austrian citizen facing hate crimes charges for criticizing the Koran.
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff still remembers her first exposure to Islam as a small child. It was 1979 and her father, an Austrian diplomat, was stationed in Tehran during the Iranian revolution.
"Millions of people were congregating and screaming 'Allahu Akhbar,'" she said.
That incident began an eye-opening journey for Sabaditsch-Wolff, who would be stationed in several Islamic countries during her own diplomatic career. She was living in Libya nine years ago when the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. occurred.
"My landlord came running down, banging on my door. And I opened the door and he ran inside my apartment and said, 'The Jews did it!' That was the first words he said," she recalled.
Experiences like that led her to study the Koran and Islamic culture extensively.
"I've read the Koran. I've studied the books from both sides -- the pro and the con. And I can tell you from what I've studied -- Islam is a political ideology disguised as a religion."
Back in her home country of Austria, Sabadistch-Wolff lectured on the subject and her comments on the Koran outraged a writer for a left-wing Austrian magazine.
"She took it to her editor and they apparently then decided they would take it to the lawyer and take it to the public prosecutor's office," Sabadistch-Wolff noted.
The Vienna prosecutor charged her with hate speech against Islam. She told CBN News she merely quoted directly from the Koran.
"I quoted the Koran. I told them even in the lecture, which Koran I used, which quote. Some of them even had their little Korans with them and they were flipping the pages, you know, checking on me," she said.
This is the latest case of a European charged with hate speech against Islam.
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9 comments:
The Vienna prosecutor charged her with hate speech against Islam. She told CBN News she merely quoted directly from the Koran.
Yep.
Can't people see what's going on here?
yeah dont tell everyone whats in thier book.
dont expose them as liars.
dont break the unwritten rule that we are pretending islam is a peaceful religion
dont point out the giant raging maniac standing in the corner with a smile and a big knife.
becuase he isnt really there....
shoot the messenger
I'll be leaving for NYC very early in the morning, so good night all and I'll wave at the camera. (Unless it belongs to CNN or MSNBC in which case I will flip the double bird to the camera and let's see them air that as "comment".) Will take pictures.
Did anyone else read CNN's sickeningly ass-kissing widdle saga of two 20-something Pakistani mooslimbs visiting mosques in the US during Ramadan? Check it out, but not while you've got a mouthful of anything. Oh, and they also remind us that Muslims Are In America To Stay And We Must Accept That. The whole thing was explicitly aimed at depicting those of us -- the 9/11 families included -- who will be protesting tomorrow as bigots and racists.
I’ve been reading some of our Founding Fathers’ speeches right before the revolution. It’s clear that the British government’s actions on the colonies were far more indignities than hardships. What was clear is that precedents were being set that would lead us down the road to servitude, passive acceptance, and moral corruption. Some of today’s historians call the Founders paranoid. I take the view that one can never be too wary of losing liberty. The Founders constantly referred to the loss of liberty in Europe and around the world. They saw worse and knew better. They were right!
I absolutely defend the rights of those who decide to burn their personal copy of the Koran. Burning the Koran isn’t an important way of expressing an opinion and as long as one’s prose doesn’t lead to prosecution one has the most important weapon one needs. Still, I hate to surrender a modicum of liberty in the face of media taboo, government censure, or savages running wild on the other side of the earth. It's the principle of the thing.
We still have our freedom of speech ... but look at Europe. They are losing it fast!
Jason,
You wrote: Some of today’s historians call the Founders paranoid.
I reply: Of course, if they were merely paranoid, they would not have created a Constitution ensuring the Freedom and Equality of all Individuals. They would have, instead, created an authoritarian state, like every other state in history (except that of the Greeks, of course).
:)
Good point, Pastorius. Perfect reply.
Thank you for posting my interview! The case is still pending and under investigation, no charges yet, and it's been almost 5 months! I wonder what is taking them so long.
Sure.
Would you come on my radio show for an interview?
Yes. Would love to. Please get in touch with AOW. She has my contact details.
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