All entries by this author

Annoyed Iranians Re-name Danish Pastries *

Feb 19th, 2006 | Filed by

Now called ‘Roses of the Prophet Muhammad’ peace be upon his apple filling.… Read the rest



Sixteen People Killed in Nigerian Cartoon Protests *

Feb 19th, 2006 | Filed by

Witnesses said most of the dead were from Maiduguri’s minority Christians. … Read the rest



Not Too Sweet

Feb 18th, 2006 7:35 pm | By

The book has arrived, and the result was an immediate and dramatic improvement in the weather. So that’s the end of that tedious story, at last.

But this piece brought a little of my colour back, even before I opened the mailbox at midday (the post comes late around here).

Among those who decline to show the caricatures, only one, the Boston Phoenix, has been forthright enough to admit that its editors made the decision “out of fear of retaliation from the international brotherhood of radical and bloodthirsty Islamists who seek to impose their will on those who do not believe as they do. This is, frankly, our primary reason for not publishing any of the images in question.

Read the rest


Ronald Dworkin on Free Speech *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

‘Free speech is a condition of legitimate government.’… Read the rest



Onora O’Neill on Freedom of Speech *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

We may doubt that powerful media should enjoy unconditional freedom of expression.… Read the rest



Is This a Parody? *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

No problem, no caving in to pressure, no worry about beheading thing, model of moderation.… Read the rest



The Cartoons are ‘Essentially Racist’ *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

But are they?… Read the rest



AI on Execution of Children in Iran *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

Girl sentenced to death for stabbing to death one of three men who attempted to rape her.… Read the rest



‘Weed out textbooks offensive to Muslims’ *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

School textbooks should be reviewed by experts overseen by the EU and Islamic leaders.… Read the rest



Qatari Woman Imprisoned by her Parents *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

Beaten, deprived of meals, company, light, any book but the Koran. AI fears for her life.… Read the rest



Hidden Motives Behind Cartoon Riots in Pakistan *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

Aamer Ahmed Khan says message may be aimed at liberal government rather than Danish cartoonists.… Read the rest



Ten Killed in Libya in Cartoon Riot *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

Berlusconi said policy of Italian government was ‘one of respect for the Islamic religion.’ … Read the rest



Cartoons not Published for Fear of Retaliation *

Feb 18th, 2006 | Filed by

The prattle about sensitivity is mere smokescreen.… Read the rest



Book

Feb 16th, 2006 6:19 pm | By

I’ve had some emails asking what’s going on with Why Truth Matters, which means there are probably other people who wonder, who haven’t emailed; so I might as well tell you what I know, which is almost nothing. I thought the book was published and about to be in shops and sent out by online places, but the Amazon UK site says the book is ‘usually dispatched within 1 to 3 months.’ JS received one copy on February 3, and two more (I think two) on February 11. Those three plus the editor’s copy are the only ones I know to exist. I have received none. That’s all I know; I’m not kept informed.… Read the rest



Muslim Cultural Institute Dares Ahmadinejad *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

To visit Auschwitz. ‘In this place of horror he can again deny the Holocaust, if he has the courage.’… Read the rest



Neil Berry Breaks the News *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

Tony Blair in cahoots with Jews.… Read the rest



Sharia in Malaysia *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

Very difficult and risky publicly to renounce Islam, and above all, to renounce it in favour of secularism. … Read the rest



Does Prayer Work? *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

Not so much.… Read the rest



Not Very Veiled Threats *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

Repercussions, deeper grave, that sort of thing.… Read the rest



Irving Trial Tests Free Speech *

Feb 16th, 2006 | Filed by

Historian argues Germany and Austria have a moral obligation to fight Holocaust denial.… Read the rest