Fear of being murdered is a perfectly rational one, but it is eating away at cultural elite’s myths.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Annoyed Iranians Re-name Danish Pastries 
Feb 19th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Now called ‘Roses of the Prophet Muhammad’ peace be upon his apple filling.… Read the rest
Sixteen People Killed in Nigerian Cartoon Protests
Feb 19th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Witnesses said most of the dead were from Maiduguri’s minority Christians. … Read the rest
Not Too Sweet
Feb 18th, 2006 7:35 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe book has arrived, and the result was an immediate and dramatic improvement in the weather. So that’s the end of that tedious story, at last.
But this piece brought a little of my colour back, even before I opened the mailbox at midday (the post comes late around here).
… Read the restAmong those who decline to show the caricatures, only one, the Boston Phoenix, has been forthright enough to admit that its editors made the decision “out of fear of retaliation from the international brotherhood of radical and bloodthirsty Islamists who seek to impose their will on those who do not believe as they do. This is, frankly, our primary reason for not publishing any of the images in question.
Ronald Dworkin on Free Speech
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Free speech is a condition of legitimate government.’… Read the rest
Onora O’Neill on Freedom of Speech
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We may doubt that powerful media should enjoy unconditional freedom of expression.… Read the rest
Is This a Parody?
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
No problem, no caving in to pressure, no worry about beheading thing, model of moderation.… Read the rest
The Cartoons are ‘Essentially Racist’
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
But are they?… Read the rest
AI on Execution of Children in Iran
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Girl sentenced to death for stabbing to death one of three men who attempted to rape her.… Read the rest
‘Weed out textbooks offensive to Muslims’
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
School textbooks should be reviewed by experts overseen by the EU and Islamic leaders.… Read the rest
Qatari Woman Imprisoned by her Parents
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Beaten, deprived of meals, company, light, any book but the Koran. AI fears for her life.… Read the rest
Hidden Motives Behind Cartoon Riots in Pakistan
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Aamer Ahmed Khan says message may be aimed at liberal government rather than Danish cartoonists.… Read the rest
Ten Killed in Libya in Cartoon Riot
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Berlusconi said policy of Italian government was ‘one of respect for the Islamic religion.’ … Read the rest
Cartoons not Published for Fear of Retaliation
Feb 18th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The prattle about sensitivity is mere smokescreen.… Read the rest
Book
Feb 16th, 2006 6:19 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’ve had some emails asking what’s going on with Why Truth Matters, which means there are probably other people who wonder, who haven’t emailed; so I might as well tell you what I know, which is almost nothing. I thought the book was published and about to be in shops and sent out by online places, but the Amazon UK site says the book is ‘usually dispatched within 1 to 3 months.’ JS received one copy on February 3, and two more (I think two) on February 11. Those three plus the editor’s copy are the only ones I know to exist. I have received none. That’s all I know; I’m not kept informed.… Read the rest
Muslim Cultural Institute Dares Ahmadinejad
Feb 16th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
To visit Auschwitz. ‘In this place of horror he can again deny the Holocaust, if he has the courage.’… Read the rest
Neil Berry Breaks the News
Feb 16th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Tony Blair in cahoots with Jews.… Read the rest
Sharia in Malaysia
Feb 16th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Very difficult and risky publicly to renounce Islam, and above all, to renounce it in favour of secularism. … Read the rest
Not Very Veiled Threats
Feb 16th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Repercussions, deeper grave, that sort of thing.… Read the rest
