Michel Houellebecq is a well known French author. This past Tuesday he found himself in a French court facing up to 18 months in jail and a $70,000 fine. What was his crime? In a magazine interview he had said, “The dumbest religion, after all, is Islam.” For those words he faced charges of “provoking racial hatred.”
The case was brought against Houellebecq because of a lawsuit filed by the main mosques in Paris and Lyon, France. The Islamic forces in Europe are attempting to silence any negative comment about Islam. One of Mr. Houellebecq’s biggest defenders is Salmon Rushdie, an Arab author who was sentenced to death in 1988 by an Iranian Court for writing The Satanic Verses. Rushdie has been in hiding in England since that time.
The court held in favor of Houellebecq but only on a technicality. The court held that he had expressed hatred of Islam, but not for Muslims. Since his “words” did not encourage others to discriminate against Muslims the French court ruled that in this instance he had not violated the law.
Another author, Italian born Oriana Fallaci, also has problems in European Courts because of her new book, The Rage and the Pride. Because it pictures Islam in an unfavorable way the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among People has called for the book to be banned in France using the same law that nearly put Houellebecq in jail.
The movement to silence people, particularly Christians, has gotten out of hand in most of Europe. In Sweden the parliament has actually passed a constitutional amendment that makes it a crime to teach that homosexual behavior is immoral.
The same type of legislation that is being used to ban books and jail authors in France is being proposed here by Senators Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
Senator Ted Kennedy has many times proposed legislation making it a “hate crime” to insult homosexuals. Now it appears that he could actually get his legislation passed in the Democrat controlled Senate and pushed through the House if the Republicans do not maintain control.
Senator Daschle, Democrat leader of the Senate, is ready to allow Ted Kennedy’s Senate bill number S-625 onto the floor for a vote. The bill has 51 co-sponsors which means it is almost certain to pass unless someone has a change of heart and votes against this outrage.
Make no mistake about what this new “hate crimes” law would do. S-625 defines as a “hate crime” the intimidation of anyone “motivated by prejudice based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability of the victim.”
This is not limited to violent acts, but to what anyone can define as “hostility.” Under the Ted Kennedy bill, creating a “climate of hate” is a crime.
In my monthly newsletters I have clearly stated that Islam is not a religion of peace. I could go to jail for saying that Mohammed was a pervert, murderer and thief ... even though he was all of those things ... because I would be creating a “climate of hate.”
The situation gets worse. Under this legislation a Christian school could be shut down for refusing to hire a homosexual to coach the soccer team or refusing to hire a Muslim to teach a Bible class!
The Ted Kennedy authored bill which is promoted by Senator Hillary Clinton would destroy free speech in the United States.
Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton want the power to decide what we are allowed read, say and think. They want to establish a bureaucracy that would determine what words can no longer be said in America. The “F” word would be OK with Ted and Hillary, but the Word of God would have to be censored because it tells the truth about immorality.
Election day is just two weeks away. Will those who would silence free speech in America by promoting “hate crime” laws such as those proposed by Kennedy and Clinton take control of both the House and Senate? It depends on whether Christians go to the polls and actually vote on November 5th.
by Religious Freedom Coalition 10/25/02