plekhanov Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 London School of Economics brings back blasphemy Posted: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:24 The London School of Economics Students' Union (LSESU) has effectively made blasphemy an offence following protests from Muslim students about a Jesus and Mo cartoon posted on the LSE Atheist Secular Humanist (ASH) student group's Facebook page. At an Emergency General Meeting the LSESU proposed 'That Islamophobia is a form of anti-Islamic racism'. The motion passed by 339 votes to 179. The winning voting bloc contained people from Far Left groups as well as Muslims. The Union resolved: - To define Islamophobia as "a form of racism expressed through the hatred or fear of Islam, Muslims, or Islamic culture, and the stereotyping, demonisation or harassment of Muslims, including but not limited to portraying Muslims as barbarians or terrorists, or attacking the Qur'an as a manual of hatred", - To take a firm stance against all Islamophobic incidents at LSE and conduct internal investigations if and when they occur. The LSESU had previously told the group that unless it removed the cartoon from its Facebook page, it could be expelled from the Union - read our news coverage for the background to this. In a statement on behalf of LSE ASH, its President Chris Moos said: 'There are no reasonable grounds for the LSESU's instruction because we are in no way violating their policies or byelaws. The cartoons on our Facebook page criticise religion in a satirical way and we totally reject any claim that their publications could constitute any sort of harassment or intimidation of Muslims or Christians. 'That there was no deliberate intention to offend is illustrated by the fact that the cartoons were posted only on the LSESU ASH page and not in other spaces. But even if some people are offended, offence is not a sufficient reason for certain artistic and satirical forms of expression to be prohibited. A university should hold no idea sacred and be open to the critiquing of all ideas and ideologies'. Tessa Kendall, NSS Senior Campaigns Officer said: "The conflation of religion with race and the portrayal of the Muslim community as a homogenous entity is becoming a way to blackmail and manipulate, to stop any questioning of Islamists and their activities, even the most serious attacks on Human Rights. Freedom of expression is being held hostage by a minority of religious extremists who are manipulating well-intentioned but misguided liberals into silencing debate". "It is only through robust debate that Human Rights are protected, even if fundamentalist believers resent having their beliefs challenged. If there is no freedom of expression and open debate of ideas in an academic setting, this bodes very badly for the rest of society, especially when the media and politicians either can't or won't defend free expression". A spokesperson from the National Federation of Atheist Humanist and Secular Student Societies (AHS) said: 'This is not the first time that an AHS member has been caught up in a row over published material. In 2008, Warwick Atheists caused controversy with a poster showing religious symbols being put in a bin. Leeds and Southampton Atheists have both experienced intimidation when they proposed showing material that some Muslims took offence to'. All this because a student society had a few images on its own facebook page. I still find this alliance between far left & Islamist groups puzzling, I realise both groups are hostile to liberty and everything but you wouldn't have thought that would be enough to overcome their considerable differences. I guess some on the far left will just hook up with pretty much anyone who opposes Liberal Democracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 What I find surprising is that there are groups based round being atheists. National Federation of Atheist Humanist and Leeds and Southampton Atheists They will give us atheist a bad name, people will start thinking we have something in common with each other and a belief system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMoran Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 All this because a student society had a few images on its own facebook page. I still find this alliance between far left & Islamist groups puzzling, I realise both groups are hostile to liberty and everything but you wouldn't have thought that would be enough to overcome their considerable differences. I guess some on the far left will just hook up with pretty much anyone who opposes Liberal Democracy. Islam is just like Nazism. Dont like something? Stamp it out! It will be the jews turn again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hard2miss Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 This will just make more people dig their heals in and produce more anti Islamic sentiment here in the UK. There will be a day when all women will have to cover their heads because it offends the Muslim community if people don't start waking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 As soon as I saw the word "muslims" I stopped reading because we all know how it's going to end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hard2miss Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 As soon as I saw the word "muslims" I stopped reading because we all know how it's going to end.In protest ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamingjimmy Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 As soon as I saw the word "muslims" I stopped reading because we all know how it's going to end. How incredibly closed minded of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 How incredibly closed minded of you. If he's referring to how the thread is going to end, he's almost certainly right. In any story about Muslims or Islam, whatever the context, the thread always degenerates into a slanging match between both sets of extremists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 It's funny how the cartoons also satarise Jesus, but the Student's Union have somehow managed to refrain themselves of accusing the ASH of being Christianophobic. And how is it the intolerance of the demands of the Muslims and left wing go unchecked and escape being labelled freespeechophobic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Sidney Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I'd be most interested in our left leaning heckling posters. Their absence is a little puzzling they're usually fast out of the blocks to defend this sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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