Obama’s Religious Freedom Appointee Involved in Muslim Event Calling for Limiting Freedom of Speech

(CNSNews.com) – America’s free-speech model is in desperate need of an update, says an American-Muslim human rights activist who recently spoke at an event linked to an Obama administration appointee.

Dr. Qasim Rashid argued that cyber-bullying laws could be used to limit freedom of expression – such as the burning of Korans — in war time:

“When a nation is at war, many things that might be said in times of peace are a hindrance to this effort,” Rashid said on March 19 at Howard University.  “And their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight and…no court can regard them as protected by any constitutional right.”

Rashid began his remarks by personally thanking Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in June 2011. Al-Hibri founded Karamah, a group devoted to the rights of Muslim women, and it was this group that invited Rashid to speak.

“I do want to start by thanking Karamah,” Rashid said.  “I was fortunate enough to have several constitutional scholars look at this paper and provide feedback. Dr. al-Hibri, of course…”

The topic of the March 19 event at Howard University was titled, “The Limits of Free Speech in a Global Era: Does America’s Free Speech Model Endanger Muslim Americans?”

“Our understanding of free speech today is not some long-held 227- or 235-year understanding,” said Rashid, a member of the Muslim Writers Guild of America, who presented a paper titled “In Harm’s Way: The Desperate Need to Update America’s Current Free Speech Model.”

Rashid quoted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who in 2011 said, “Free speech is a great idea, but we’re in a war.”

Read the whole thing

Lars Hedegaard: Too Hot for American TV

by Andrew G. Bostom

American television nertworks, Fox News Channel among them, have decided that the attempted assasination of a leading critic of Islam in an American ally is unworthy of attention, so we must look northward for our information.

Danish historian and journalist Lars Hedegaard was interviewed by Canadian Sun TV’s Michael Coren for the third time since Hedegaard survived an assassination attempt in early February, ostensibly for his criticism of Islamic supremacism, and was forced into protective seclusion.   During this interview (Monday 3/18/13), Hedegaard observed,

Anyone who stands up and criticizes Islam is fair game. It’s like Mao said, “Kill one and frighten thousands.”

Hedegaard concluded that Islam must be freely criticized like any political ideology if the West is to harbor Muslim populations, yet maintain its bedrock freedom, freedom of speech.

Please watch the full interview

 

Deborah Weiss on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Freedom of Speech

The Uninvited: Robert Spencer & Pamela Geller at CPAC

Why is defending against the global jihad controversial and must be silenced?

Robert Spencer

Pamela Geller

Q&A

 

Sign the Letter to Congress and the State Legislatures to Defend Free Speech

Most Americans have never heard of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation).

They’ve never heard of UN Resolution 16/18.

They’re unaware that Europeans have been charged—and even been convicted—for speaking out against the threat of radical Islam.

They don’t know that a survey found that 6 in 10 Muslims in America believe criticism of Islam and Muhammad SHOULD BE PROHIBITED. Or that 45% of American Muslims surveyed believe that those who criticize Islam should face criminal charges.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/11/sixty_percent_of_us_muslims_reject_freedom_of_expression.html

These are not Muslims in Saudi Arabia. They’re our neighbors here in America.

In a national webcast on March 11, 2013, ACT! for America announced “Americans United to Defend Free Speech.”

Guy Rodgers, ACT! for America Executive Director, documented a long list of threats to free speech, which can be seen on the ACT! for America website.

But the most organized threat—UN Resolution 16/18—is actually getting help from our own State Department. (See the Forbes article, “Could You Be a Criminal? US Supports UN Anti-Free Speech Measure.”)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailesman/2011/12/30/could-you-be-a-criminal-us-supports-un-anti-free-speech-measure/

A recent headline in a Saudi Gazette article makes it clear how the OIC views UN Resolution 16/18: “OIC gears up to get denigration of religions criminalized.”

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130218153611

There is a rapidly growing chorus demanding the muzzling of free speech, both internationally and in America.

This is why we have launched “Americans United to Defend Free Speech.”

Step One of this effort is our Open Letter to Congress and the State Legislatures.

This letter calls on Congress and the state legislatures to introduce and pass resolutions opposing the implementation of UN Resolution 16/18.

Over the next few months, we need tens of thousands of concerned citizens to sign this letter.

Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands would be even better.

We need to awaken people everywhere. And we need to show our elected officials that we are dead serious about opposing this threat to our First Amendment right of free speech.

For some time now ACT! for America has been monitoring the growing worldwide demand to suppress speech that supposedly “defames” or “offends” Islam.

This demand to criminalize free speech can no longer be ignored.

We can’t ring the alarm bells loudly enough.

Please don’t assume that the restrictions on speech that exist in Europe or Canada can’t ever happen here.

Join us today for Step One of our campaign to oppose the criminalization of free speech by signing our Open Letter.

Then forward it to everyone you know.

And stay tuned!

Thank you.