DEFENDING OUR FREEDOM

 Heathenism is a faith that promotes `NO HATRED' of other faiths or cultures, our holy Edda's contain no statements urging any one who follows the old god's, to hurt anyone who holds a different faith or culture. All followers of the old heathen path believe in freedom and the right of free speech. Sadly followers of other faith are not as open minded as we are.

This weekend we saw Islamic protests outside the Swedish Embassy, after copies of the Koran were burnt in Sweden. I've studied the Koran and read most of the important Islamic texts over the last twenty years and there's a lot in the Koran I find hateful and wrong. However, I believe you should always respect other peoples faiths. Burning a holy book to gain publicity for me is not right. However, nor is it right for Muslims to burn Swedish and Danish flags, which are both Christian flags in London. Such acts demonstrate the violent hateful nature of many who follow Islam.       

A few years ago, I guess your all remember  followers of the Islamic faith across the world rioted  in protest about a cartoon ,printed in a Danish magazine. That same week Sunni Muslims in Iraq blew up the al Askari Mosque also known as the Golden Mosque in Samarra. while Shias attacked 168 Sunni Mosques, killed 10 Iman's, kidnapped a further 15 (all in one week.) Such violence of course, didn’t provoke one demo anywhere in the middle east, is something I find strange. 

In 2004 a lecturer in Copenhagen was attacked by 5 masked men who opposed him reading the Koran to non Muslims during a lecture. To support the lecturer and freedom of speech, in 2005 a Danish newspaper published 12 cartoons most of them were of the prophet Mohamed. It sparked riots across the world even in non Muslim country's like USA and Canada. There was protests in Nigeria and hundreds of Christians were attacked and killed. In Libya 10 people were murdered, here in London a huge demonstration took place outside the Danish embassy social media was reporting people being attacked while police stood by. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait organised a boycott of Danish goods.

On 7th January 2015 two Muslim brothers forced way into offices of French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people injured 11 others. In 2011 it had published a cartoon of the prophet Mohamad its offices were firebombed. So they understood the risks but the response was mad, building a mosque is the greatest way a Muslim can honour the prophet. Yet no one in Islam it seems cares if a mosque is bombed  but will protest, riot and kill if a western paper print a cartoon. In February  Danish newspaper republished the Charlie Hebdo cartoon in support of those who were killed. Within days, a Muslim terrorist cell had killed two and wounded 5 police officers in response. The reaction of the Islamic world to the cartoons, showed a double standard I found distasteful. In many Islamic country's the media regularly publish images of Jews as vampires and child killers no one complains. No one protests against it, the Islamic world and its government's stay silent. In my own personal view the violent reaction are a sort of counter enlightenment which we must defend . I don't like the left wing views of magazines like Charlie Hebdo but I respect their right to say things I find unpleasant and to say things some from the Middle East dislike. Muslim law has no place in a non Muslim country, I understand its forbidden for them to do or say things, but we are not Muslims and are not living under Islam laws. They live under our laws and must respect our ways and our ancient rights. Just as we would, if we lived in the Middle East of their ways. The right to criticise all religions was fought for in Britain over many century's our ancestors fought and died in wars, so that we would be free of tyranny and have freedom of speech. 

The current law makers have no back bone no stomach to tackle the attacks on our freedoms so they try to criminalise those who speak out against the violence. Because they fear they will be called racist. Islam is a `religious idea' it has no racial identity so publishing the cartoons was not racist. This is the problem when you ban freedom of speech and honest debate it doesn't bring harmony it encourages strife. freedom of expression reason and humour must be respected part of a healthy society those who are offended have the freedom to ignore it.

RUSHDIE ATTACKED

Late last year i learnt via the news on BBC is that Salman Rushdie had been stabbed 15 times and is hospital on a ventilator after he was stabbed in eye and liver. His attack was a young man carrying a fake driver licence in the name of  a dead Hezbollah leader. I don't  know the motive for the attack but radical Islamist's have  have been baying for his blood since he published the `Satanic Verses' in the 1980's. At the time Iran issued a Fatwa calling for the 75 year old Rushdie's death. 

A number of people connected to the `Satanic Verses' have been killed or seriously injured. In 1991, the book's Italian translator was stabbed multiply times in Milan by an Iranian. In Japanese translator Hitoshi Igarashi was stabbed to death.  The books  Norwegian publisher William Nygard was shot three times in the back by an Iranian diplomat.  Rushdie is an Indian liberal author who calls himself British but holds American citizenship, he is every thing I hate in this world, but his right to write and criticise must be defended by us all.  It's time our politicians stood up to Islamic extremist's, before it's too late.