The Word Is Out To Get Maajid Nawaz

Mohammed Shafiq (pictured above) is known to play a dangerous game – to whip up hysteria at the drop of a hat or the showing of a t-shirt – that could potentially endanger others. It is irresponsible as it is callous.

See previous post where he made a fatuous claim about Tom Holland’s documentary on Islam, and wrongly claimed Maajid Nawaz (pictured below) had said the veil should be banned when he had said the exact opposite here.

Nawaz tweeting a Jesus and Mo cartoon T-shirt of The Prophet saying “How Ya Doing” the following happened on twitter:

You can disagree with what Nawaz has to say about showing the t-shirt to his followers on social media – having taken part on a BBC programme which showed it (see here).

What you do not get to do is endanger someone; but that is part of Shafiq’s game. To make it too dangerous for others to dare do anything which offends his sensibilities or interpretation (even when in Tom Holland’s case wrong). No regard for others safety in the process, much less human rights to freedom of expression and free speech.

Why am I posting so much about this T-Shirt?

Because if a Muslim showing this on their twitter feed is subjected to a global hate campaign which endangers them and numerous death threats, we all have an issue. Fear and intimidation have no place in public discourse – civil society cannot function in such a climate.

Shafiq you have shown your measure of faith as personal vendetta clothed as religious zealotry. When you could have said peace, disregarded as self promotion rather than Nawaz encouraging civil public debate, you have instead flamed the desire for vengeance for blasphemy. Do not start what you cannot control if this was never your intent.

The word is now out to get Maajid Nawaz in Islamic countries. Some will use keyboards to respond, but we fear worse.

Please show your solidarity to Nawaz – this tragically has the makings of a Rushdie moment.

Be on the right side of history.

Historical Representations of The Prophet Mohammed

“A man asked about the touching of the Black Stone.Ibn ‘Umar said,”I saw Allah’s Apostle touching and kissing it.”

“Muhammad visiting the inhabitants of Hell on the back of his winged horse, Buraq”

“Painting from 1808 from Kashmir depicting Muhammad and his followers entering the Kaaba and destroying the idols”

“Muhammad before the battle of Badr – Persian miniature”

“A depiction of the ‘miracle’ of Muhammad splitting the moon in half”

“Muhammed receiving the submission of the Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe he defeated at Medina.”

But this is the offensive one in the current day:

Have your sensibility – but do not expect to be taken seriously that this should be outlawed. Which presumably is why careers and life are threatened by some, who would rather be part of a rancid protest mob than one whose God and Prophet are above such pettiness. Where freedom of speech allows a cartoon saying hi just as historical record depicts the Prophet’s exploits.

The threat to Maajid Nawaz life:

And Mohammed Shafiq complaining to a political party for Maajid is a Parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats. Not the first time Shaifq has complained.

Peace be upon you all. And common sense.

Descriptions above with historic images posted on twitter by Council for Ex Muslims of Britain (please support).

Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog

Follow @JPSargeant78

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Free Speech and Islam

Does the picture above depict the Prophet Mohammed?

I honestly do not know, and had not even considered the question in my previous post when I used it as a contrast to the top photo of a Muslim demonstration against Islamist terrorism in the US. As well as an example of cherry picking. I felt it showed the difference between two ideas of Islam as proposed by the two sides in the Oxford Union debate “Is Islam a peaceful religion?” I subsequently edited it out after being made aware it may be an issue for more people coming to the post to view the debate.

So I include the picture here, because I am assured Islam is peaceful. I am a non believer living in the UK. I edited it out of the previous post but wanted to make clear there should be no issue using it. Therefore whatever the truth behind the picture above I can sleep soundly. I am not being naive but living in the world I want to live in by acting as if it is so, where a cartoon depiction is nothing to worry about or fear.

On the subject of free speech and Islam do read this post from Kenan Malik:

A 2006 debate, in fact, between myself and Imran Khan (the lawyer not the cricketer) on the issue of Islam, free speech and the Danish cartoons for a special Channel 4 Dispatches programme. I had not realized that the broadcast was available on YouTube. The issues we debated remain strikingly relevant. Perhaps the most telling moment came when the moderator Jon Snow announced an audience poll to see whether the cartoons should be shown on the programme. The audience overwhelmingly voted ‘Yes’. But… you can probably guess what happened next.

I was, however, and still am, deeply infuriated by the way that Channel 4 framed the debate. I had agreed to discuss the question of whether free speech should include the right to offend. Channel 4 wanted to pose it in terms of ‘Muslims versus free speech’, which I rejected. I got an agreement from the producers that the final question to the audience would not be ‘Are Muslims a threat to free speech?’, as was originally proposed, but ‘Should free speech include the right to give offence?’ On the night of the debate, however, the producers restored the original question without informing me. Afterwards, Channel 4 claimed to have got the questions ‘muddled up’. As if.

Read more and watch the video here.

Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog

Follow @JPSargeant78