hugo

SPIEGEL: Hirsi Ali, you have called the Prophet Muhammad a tyrant and a pervert. Theo van Gogh, the director of your film "Submission," which is critical of Islam, was murdered by Islamists. You yourself are under police protection. Can you understand how the Danish cartoonists feel at this point? DPA Hirsi Ali: "The cartoons should be displayed everywhere." Hirsi Ali: They probably feel numb. On the one hand, a voice in their heads is encouraging them not to sell out their freedom of speech. At the same time, they're experiencing the shocking sensation of what it's like to lose your own personal freedom. One mustn't forget that they're part of the postwar generation, and that all they've experienced is peace and prosperity. And now they suddenly have to fight for their own human rights once again. SPIEGEL: Why have the protests escalated to such an extent? Hirsi Ali: There is no freedom of speech in those Arab countries where the demonstrations and public outrage are being staged. The reason many people flee to Europe from these places is precisely because they have criticized religion, the political establishment and society. Totalitarian Islamic regimes are in a deep crisis. Globalization means that they're exposed to considerable change, and they also fear the reformist forces developing among ?migr?s in the West. They'll use threatening gestures against the West, and the success they achieve with their threats, to intimidate these people. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of the most sharp- tongued critics of political Islam -- and a target of radical fanatics. Her provocative film "Submission" led to the assassination of director Theo van Gogh in November 2004. The attackers left a death threat against Hirsi Ali stuck to his corpse with a knife. After a brief period in hiding, the 36- year- old member of Dutch parliament from the neo- liberal VVD party has returned to parliament and is continuing her fight against Islamism. She recently published a book, "I Accuse," and is working on a sequel to "Submission." Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia where she experienced the oppression of Muslim women first hand. When her father attempted to force her into an arranged marriage, she fled to Holland in 1992. Later, she renounced the Muslim religion. more... SPIEGEL: Was apologizing for the cartoons the wrong thing to do? Hirsi Ali: Once again, the West pursued the principle of turning first one cheek, then the other. In fact, it's already a tradition. In 1980, privately owned British broadcaster ITV aired a documentary about the stoning of a Saudi Arabian princess who had allegedly committed adultery. The government in Riyadh intervened and the British government issued an apology. We saw the same kowtowing response in 1987 when (Dutch comedian) Rudi Carrell derided (Iranian revolutionary leader) Ayatollah Khomeini in a comedy skit (that was aired on German television). In 2000, a play about the youngest wife of the Prophet Mohammed, titled "Aisha," was cancelled before it ever opened in Rotterdam. Then there was the van Gogh murder and now the cartoons. We are constantly apologizing, and we don't notice how much abuse we're taking. Meanwhile, the other side doesn't give an inch. SPIEGEL: What should the appropriate European response look like? Hirsi Ali: There should be solidarity. The cartoons should be displayed everywhere. After all, the Arabs can't boycott goods from every country. They're far too dependent on imports. And Scandinavian companies should be compensated for their losses. Freedom of speech should at least be worth that much to us. SPIEGEL: But Muslims, like any religious community, should also be able to protect themselves against slander and insult. Hirsi Ali: That's exactly the reflex I was just talking about: offering the other cheek. Not a day passes, in Europe and elsewhere, when radical imams aren't preaching hatred in their mosques. They call Jews and Christians inferior, and we say they're just exercising their freedom of speech. When will the Europeans realize that the Islamists don't allow their critics the same right? After the West prostrates itself, they'll be more than happy to say that Allah has made the infidels spineless. SPIEGEL: What will be the upshot of the storm of protests against the cartoons? Hirsi Ali: We could see the same thing happening that has happened in the Netherlands, where writers, journalists and artists have felt intimidated ever since the van Gogh murder. Everyone is afraid to criticize Islam. Significantly, "Submission" still isn't being shown in theaters. SPIEGEL: Many have criticized the film as being too radical and too offensive. AP Police at the scene of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh's murder. Hirsi Ali: The criticism of van Gogh was legitimate. But when someone has to die for his world view, what he may have done wrong is no longer the issue. That's when we have to stand up for our basic rights. Otherwise we are just reinforcing the killer and conceding that there was a good reason to kill this person. SPIEGEL: You too have been accused for your dogged criticism of Islam. Hirsi Ali: Oddly enough, my critics never specify how far I can go. How can you address problems if you're not even allowed to clearly define them? Like the fact that Muslim women at home are kept locked up, are raped and are married off against their will -- and that in a country in which our far too passive intellectuals are so proud of their freedom! SPIEGEL: The debate over speaking Dutch on the streets and the integration programs for potentially violent Moroccan youth -- do these things also represent the fruits of your provocations? Hirsi Ali: The sharp criticism has finally triggered an open debate over our relationship with Muslim immigrants. We have become more conscious of things. For example, we are now classifying honor killings by the victims' countries of origin. And we're finally turning our attention to young girls who are sent against their wills from Morocco to Holland as brides, and adopting legislation to make this practice more difficult. SPIEGEL: You're working on a sequel to "Submission." Will you stick to your uncompromising approach? SPIEGEL FORUMS Discuss this story in SPIEGEL FORUMS. The Cartoon Jihad: Did European newspapers make the right decision by reprinting controversial Danish caricatures that disparagingly depicted the Prophet Muhammad? Hirsi Ali: Yes, of course. We want to continue the debate over the Koran's claim to absoluteness, the infallibility of the Prophet and sexual morality. In the first part, we portrayed a woman who speaks to her god, complaining that despite the fact that she has abided by his rules and subjugated herself, she is still being abused by her uncle. The second part deals with the dilemma into which the Muslim faith plunges four different men. One hates Jews, the second one is gay, the third is a bon vivant who wants to be a good Muslim but repeatedly succumbs to life's temptations, and the fourth is a martyr. They all feel abandoned by their god and decide to stop worshipping him. SPIEGEL: Will recent events make it more difficult to screen the film? Hirsi Ali: The conditions couldn't be more difficult. We're forced to produce the film under complete anonymity. Everyone involved in the film, from actors to technicians, will be unrecognizable. But we are determined to complete the project. The director didn't really like van Gogh, but he believes that, for the sake of free speech, shooting the sequel is critical. I'm optimistic that we'll be able to premier the film this year. SPIEGEL: Is the Koran's claim to absoluteness, which you criticize in "Submission," the central obstacle to reforming Islam? Hirsi Ali: The doctrine stating that the faith is inalterable because the Koran was dictated by God must be replaced. Muslims must realize that it was human beings who wrote the holy scriptures. After all, most Christians don't believe in hell, in the angels or in the earth having been created in six days. They now see these things as symbolic stories, but they still remain true to their faith. INTERVIEW: GERALD TRAUFETTER

Had a buddy who was banned from a chinese buffet restaurant.

Whenever you see someone protesting public supported Christmas decorations it is almost always an atheist, not a Muslim

When I was 8 my parents bought me a child size iron maiden.

Yep, it's on Nancy Grace tonight along with the capture of a yeti.

It would be impossible to convince a Texas jury either of the scenarios. Maybe, some dumb s in California would let him off.

He also could have said that the nine people were trying to gang rape him.

It is sad that such a book even exists.

Not sure which word has been rendered more meaningless--oppression or racism.

Newest evidence seems to point to the direction that Maddy's parents grilled and ate her.

Bringing this debate back to reality: The primary purpose of government is to protect the lives, liberty and property of its' citizens from internal and external aggressors. Any law that restricts an individual from protecting his own, or his neighbor's, property is acting counter to the primary purpose of government. It is not a coincidence the rise of socialism and the rise of laws deterring citizens from using force to defend property against thieves coincides. Disrespect of property rights links the two.

Yes, and insane people can choose to kill in self defense because they thought the other mall shoppers were evil mutant ninja turtles out to kill him. Please, get real. They do have anti-psychotic drugs nowadays.Let us outlaw shooting tin cans because some moron may mistake small children for tin cans.

Please, you are ignoring the word "reasonable" in the Texas law covering defense of property with force.

It's a old cliche, but a true one "When guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns."

Actually, if it happened in Texas there would have been a good chance an armed citizen, with a license to carry, would have blown the punk away.

I distrust the Communist News Network.

I used to make my kid ride in the trunk. Of course, I've always been an asshole.

Quanell X is the local Al, Jesse, Louis wannabee.

Protest over slain burglars takes a confrontational turn Supporters of Pasadena man who shot two try to drown out Quanell X rally By JENNIFER LEAHY Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Pasadena protests collide Dec. 2 Activist Quanell X and dozens of other protesters Sunday faced hundreds of homeowners and supporters of Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two men he suspected of burglarizing a neighbor's home more than two weeks ago. Families of the slain men, Miguel Antonio DeJesus, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30, also were present. Yard signs lined the 7400 block of Timberline in Pasadena, where the incident took place, as well as on nearby streets. Residents and Horn supporters waved American flags and carried signs reading, "We love our neighbor for protecting our neighbors" and "Burglary is a risky business." Motorcyclist Aaron "Blowout" Morrow, 43, and dozens of his fellow bikers lined Timberline, loudly revving their engines each time Quanell X attempted to speak. "I support our rights as Americans to protect ourselves and support our Second Amendment rights," Morrow said. Quanell X, who said he is not certain the shooting was racially motivated, said he "wouldn't be surprised" after Sunday afternoon's events. "Our protesters were peaceful in spite of racial slurs," he said. Some attendees screamed "USA! USA!" when Quanell X tried to speak while others booed the activist. Numerous Pasadena police officers were on hand during the confrontation as were members of the SERT, Special Event Response Team, in riot gear but no arrests were made. "I just can't believe that we've got a race riot going on in our neighborhood," said Michelle Howell, who lives several doors down from Horn. "First of all, this is a quiet place, secondly we've got neighbors of all different races. This has nothing to do with race." Quanell X has called for Horn, who is white, to be charged with murder for shooting DeJesus and Ortiz, who were black. "Our position is that we do not condone their actions. We condemn their actions," Quanell X said. "But Horn acted as police officer, judge, jury and executioner all at the same time." Maritza Munoz marched with the members of the New Black Panther Nation. "Yes, they broke into people's houses, but it wasn't his right to kill them. What he (Horn) did was criminal," she said. Carrie West grabbed a bullhorn and taunted Quanell X during his second formal attempt to address the crowd and media. "We're just citizens standing up for another citizen who chose to protect himself," West said. Supporters came from as far away as Onalaska and from all corners of Harris County. Many took photographs and videos of the event. Most were outraged at the protest of Horn and the insinuation that race played a factor in the shooting. Hundreds signed the back of signs that read "I support Joe Horn" with bluebonnets and a Texas flag in the background. "It's really simple ? don't break into people's houses and you won't get shot," said Kim Jackson, who waved an American flag while yelling "Go home" at members of the New Black Panther Nation. Horn, 61, shot DeJesus and Ortiz on Nov. 14 after telling police he saw them steal from a neighbor's home. Horn told a 911 operator that he intended to confront and shoot the men. The blinds were closed at the Horn home Sunday and two "No trespassing" signs were on the lawn. One noted "Violators will be prosecuted." It has not been determined if Horn will face charges for the homicides. "We will be turning the case over to the Harris County District Attorney's Office in 7-10 days, and at that point it's out of our hands," Pasadena police spokesman Vance Mitchell said Sunday evening.

It's like arguing if cow manure or horse manure smells better.

Sadly, I think she would be better than Obama or Edwards.

Actually, the government only takes about 40% of my cup.

Adam Smith:: Every individual...generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. The Wealth of Nations, Book IV Chapter II The rich ... divide with the poor the produce of all their improvements. They are led by an invisible hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life which would have been made, had the earth been divided into equal proportions among all its inhabitants. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part IV Chapter 1 Man has almost constant occasion for the help of his brethren, and it is in vain for him to expect it from their benevolence only. The Wealth of Nations, Book I Chapter 1 It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our necessities but of their advantages. The Wealth of Nations, Book I Chapter II

Do you know how many people make under $2 a day? I know---tax the rich. Greed has done more to help the human condition then a charitable spirit.

It don't take much to impress you.