Well so much for our European readers. The so-called Court of Human Rights has negated the Right of Freedom of Speech, from Mike LaChance, Legal Insurrection:
In 2009, an Austrian woman conducting a seminar on Islam argued that Muhammad’s marriage to a six year old girl meant he was a pedophile. She was convicted for this by an Austrian court, and now the European Court of Human Rights agrees.
Story, from DW:
Calling Prophet Muhammad a pedophile does not fall within freedom of speech: European court
An Austrian woman’s conviction for calling the Prophet Muhammad a pedophile did not violate her freedom of speech, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday.
The Strasbourg-based ECHR ruled that Austrian courts carefully balanced the applicant’s “right to freedom of expression with the right of others to have their religious feelings protected, and served the legitimate aim of preserving religious peace in Austria.”
The woman in 2009 held two seminars entitled “Basic Information on Islam,” during which she likened Muhammad’s marriage to a six-year-old girl, Aisha, to pedophilia.
Reax, Jim Treacher:
In 2018 Europe, you can’t say that Mohammed was a pedophile or the law will come after you. Punishing you for insulting a man who’s been dead for 1,400 years isn’t a violation of your human rights, because you’ve offended a protected class. You’ve pissed off the wrong people, and now you’ll pay.
Think about this phrase: “The right of others to have their religious feelings protected.” Isn’t that wonderful? You’d better watch what you say, because other people have religious feelings and they have the right to be protected from your harmful words. They have the right to “religious peace,” so you’d better not disturb it by saying something you shouldn’t.
A human right is protection that is afforded to all members of a group. A privilege is power granted to some, but not others, members of a class. Those according to the ECHR, a non-Muslim right of free speech stops when some jurist rules that such speech might offend a Muslim. This is far closer to George Orwell than Thomas Jefferson.
You might well argue that this Austrian woman slandered Mohammad. Fine. Let Mohammad sue her for Slander.
