Middle East studies in the News

Dutch Prosecutors Charge Arab Group With Hate Speech Over Cartoon

by Jonathan Turley
Jonathan Turley Blog
September 6, 2009

http://jonathanturley.org/2009/09/06/dutch-prosecutors-charge-arab-group-with-hate-speech-over-cartoon/

http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/8248

We have been following the trend among Western countries in rolling back on free speech with different forms of blasphemy laws, here. Much of this attack on free speech began after the controversy over the publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad. Now, Dutch prosecutors are charging an Arab group for publishing cartoons questioning the Holocaust.

Entirely unconcerned over their crackdown on political and religious speech in the city of Utrecht, prosecutors moved against the organization for stating its views in a cartoon. Simply because the cartoon insults another religion, they are bringing criminal charges against the Arab European League. The group published the cartoon online.

The cartoon shows two apparently Jewish men standing near a pile of skeletons with a sign that says "Auswitch," presumably referring to Auschwitz. One pokes a bone with a stick and says "I don't think they're Jews" and the other answers, "We have to get to the six million somehow."

Ronny Naftaniel of the Center for Documentation on Israel filed the complaint in the case.

This insidious trend appears to be growing and also now involves private acts of censorship. Recently, Yale University Press published a book on the original cartoon but cut out all of the pictures of the cartoons in a ridiculous act of self-censorship, here.

For the full story, click here.

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

receive the latest by email: subscribe to campus watch's free mailing list