Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Imprisoned for criticizing Islam - and we not allowed to know why

In March I blogged about the astonishing case of Darren Conway who was sentenced to a year in prison for posting 'anti-Islamic materials' in the window of his ground-floor apartment in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.  No information about the actual posters was provided in any news reports. There were concerns that the material was simply standard factual information about Islam and Mohammed (including the fact that, by having sex with the  9-year old Aisha, Muhammad would be classified as a pedophile in any Western society).

In order to find out exactly what the posters were I filed a Freedom of Information Request to the Crown Prosection Service.

I have now had a response from The Crown Prosecution Service. They have refused the request for information about the posters on the grounds that it is 'not in the public interest'.  Here is their justification:
There is a substantial public interest in many circumstances in protecting from disclosure information gathered for the purposes of a criminal case. The defendant in this case was prosecuted as he publically displayed the offensive posters referred to in your request. As displaying this material was proven to be a criminal offence in a criminal court, and the graphic and violent images depicted in these posters caused offence in the neighbourhood in which they were displayed, there is a very strong public interest in these articles not being distributed any further.
This is truly Kafkaesque. Because it was deemed to be criminal we are not allowed to know why even though that was the very reason for my request. I was not even asking for a copy of the posters. All I asked for was information about their content. If we are not allowed to know precisely what was 'illegal' about them, then how is that possibly in the 'public interest'?

Surely it is in the public interest to know what we are now not allowed to say about Islam. Is it or is it not now a criminal offence to suggest that Mohammed was a pedophile, and if it is then is it also a criminal offence to suggest that Jesus or Moses was a pedophile? Is it now a criminal offence to display an image of the aftermath of an Islamic terrorist attack and state that this was an Islamic terrorist attack? Is it now a criminal offence to simply point out that Islam is a supremicist ideology? Is it a criminal offence simply to report on, say, incidents of Muslim anti-semitism?  At what point does it now become a criminal offence to say or display something that one person finds  'offensive' - and who exactly determines whether it is reasonable or not to be offended? The CPS have consistently decided that Jews being offended is never sufficient grounds for criminal proceedings, so what exaclty is different when Muslims are 'offended'? And why is it perfectly OK to perpetuate the myth that Jews are 'baby killers' (which you can see in posters at every anti-Israel demonstration and in posters, tea-shirts and badges sold openly throughout the West End of London) but possibly criminal to say that Muslims have committed acts of terrorism? Am I now committing a criminal offence by writing this blog?

Since the CPS are not even prepared to describe the posters, I suspect that what they really fear is that people may be angry to find out that you can now be imprisoned in the UK for expressing an opinion about Islam based on truth.

38 comments:

Scottish Infidel said...

I have a note to remind myself to ask what happened to your FOI request. Looks like the Justice system is only interested in punishment not deterrance.

Mike L. said...

This is simply unbelievable.

Or, rather, I do believe it, yet remain flabbergasted.

Is Sharia taking over Europe? It's certainly starting to look that way.

Sadly.

Israel Thrives

http://israel-thrives.blogspot.com/

Sarah AB said...

Seems appalling Edgar - I expect they were pretty unpleasant, and I wouldn't have had a problem if he had just been asked to take them down (that would seem compatible with the approach to eg pictures of animal testing) but - a whole year in prison? And I completely agree that their reasoning in refusing your FOI request seems extremely suspect.

Empress Trudy said...

I can hardly wait for the screaming torch wielding lynch mobs to bring the Olympics to a halt.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, it seems like the UK is developing a two tier justice system, just like they developed a two tier immigration system.

Anonymous said...

The Germans have invented a fitting title for this kind of dhimmified two-tier legal posturing: "Kebab justice."

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with this British morons? Don't go to muslim lands don't support them in anyway.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure that the government would say that the ruling was not based on the fact that the posters were directed at Muslims. We also know that if the same things were said about Jesus or Moses the perpetrator would not be prosecuted. This leads to only one conclusion, which is that the determining factor was that the assertions about Islam are true, whereas the statements about Jesus and Moses, like the statement about Jews, would be false.

This situation is much worse than it might otherwise appear, because it is a direct attack on the ability to speak the truth.

Islam Is a Crock said...

Justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done. Not allowing the details of this man's posters to be released is an appalling lack of transparency in the British justice system.

Anonymous said...

Hey Britons! Everyone reading this article!

You should gather a big protest event to get that guy released! Just do it! Push your politicians as long as needed before it is too late.

Anonymous said...

But the trouble is that he has been found guilty and committed to jail for insulting a religion that is NOT a religion, but dangerous cult. islam was started by a psychologically deranged paedophile, Mo. Yes, he loved playing with and diddling little girls. He "played" with Aisha when she was just SIX years old, and then married her so he could continue his "playing" in more depth (he "thighed" her, which is permitted in islam); and then he took her virginity when she reached the ripe old age of NINE. And this is the dangerous and deranged and mentally unstable person that founded islam and all his cult members regard as the "perfect" man????? It is NOT a religion, but a deadly cult.

This was recognized by Sir Winston Churchill, even when he was a young man... he wrote in his book "The River War" in 1899:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.”

Anonymous said...

The Chief Crown Prosecutor is...:

Nazir Afzal.

Any questions?

Anonymous said...

This is riduculous and disgusting. This case sounds like it could have taken place in a country ALREADY under sharia law. In Pakistan, the details of blasphemy trials are not allowed to be made public either, under the logic that the person making the details public would also be guilty of blasphemy. Apparently the evolution of 'England-i-stan' is progressing more quickly than I realized. When will the nonsense around this evil cult end??? WAKE UP! Your human rights are evaporating with each passing day!!!

Anonymous said...

Total double standard. The aame government that bays for the blood of sanguinary war criminals from MIlosevic, Gaddafi and Charles Taylor to Kony and Assad penalises mention of the crimes of the biggest wally of them all because it hurts some voters' feelings. It's all written up in glowing terms in his authorised biography, the Siraat Rasuul Allah. HMG truly takes the biscuit.

Anonymous said...

I have many anti-islam comments on my car. One says 'Islam is a far greater threat to the well-being of mankind than fascism and Communism ever were' Another tells of Muhammad's marriage to Aisha and a third declares 'Be aware of the evil that is Islam'. The 2006 Racial and Religious Hatred Act permits one to 'criticize, express antipathy, ridicule and insult particular religions and the beliefs and practices of its adherents.' Nevertheless, the police in Torbay Devon are attempting to shut me up. My solicitors tell me I am committing no offence. Stuart Parsons

Anonymous said...

Come on Brits. Grow a pair. Stick up for your right of free speech. Take this to the EU courts.

Anonymous said...

Try to get your local MP to ask a question under parliamentary privilege. Get the truth out there!

Anonymous said...

Don't forget about the case of Emma West who was just jailed for precisely describing the out come of decades of multiculturalism saying that London looks like the UN but she wouldn't mind if the immigrants respected British laws.

Freedom of thought and expression are now illegal if criticising Islam or multiculturalism. Describing Islamic jihad violence, sexual grooming or intolerence as something to do with Muslims is now hate speech. In Sweden last year evey single rape case in Stockholm was committed by a foreigner if whom at most are Muslim but the Swedish media will never name the rapists religion or status. In some cases the victims rights are clearly regarded as less importan than protecting the rapists identity. The same goes on in Belgium and France where "youth" is now media double speak for Muslim criminal.

Eurabia.

Anonymous said...

The UK must van sharia.

Most UK Muslims came to the UK to escape sharia and Islamic justice/government. Yhe ironic thing is that with Saudi money they are often forced to abide by Wahabi ideals I'm england.

What's next, forcing Muslims in the UK to abide by Saudi law?

Anonymous said...

Ban*

(someone please redo iPhone autocorrect)

Shirl in Oz said...

Why not get a transcript of the 'Kangaroo Court trial'?

Watcher said...

Winston was lucky to have published when he did. Fatwa material if ever there was.

What would happen to someone who quoted Britain's wartime Prime Minister in public?

Anonymous said...

They can't even spell the word "publicly". That's a good indication of the quality of intellect that lies behind these decisions.

Daphne Anson said...

Edgar, on a different topic, since you are apparently one of the few Anglo-Jews with a backbone as well as being one of the most cerebral bloggers around, I'm bringing this to your attention in the hope that something can be done about it. What is wrong with the so-called Jewish leadership in Britain that they seemingly shrug their shoulders at this sort of thing? Surely the JC should be giving this outrage more publicity? Apparently there is a lady who visits schools to counter this propaganda, but why should it be left to one individual? She can't be in all schools everywhere that include this evil in their classrooms. And why is such propaganda as this permitted in state schools in the first place?
http://daphneanson.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/force-feeding-british-schoolchildren.html

Aayushi Gupta said...

I remember something similar happening here, when Salman Rushdie was told not to attend a certain literary fest mainly because he wrote a book 'offending' Islam.

In this case, prima facie, it look like another case of government trying to 'maintain order' by appeasing the religious sentiments of the minority.

http://aayushi-notsosimple.blogspot.in/2012/01/salman-rushdie-and-freedom-of-speech.html

hellosnackbar said...

It's just occurred to me that a display of Winston Spencer Churchill's quote about Mohammedanism could be posted
everywhere.
This would cause a bit of a dilemma for the Gramscian politically correct shits that have basically created a dogma based religion.
Liberty if it means anything is the right to tell others that which they may not want to hear.

Anonymous said...

Note to self: Cancel vacation in the UK.

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