Pericles wrote:

"Words have been employed throughout history to kill people.

"In fact, I'd go so far as to say that they have been the direct cause of every single war. Ever."

Absolutely true. Words can be and frequently are dangerous. Even more so, images. Even where they don’t kill they can cause terrible hurt.

So what is your solution Pericles.

Censorship?

Or is it perhaps censorship but I won’t call it that? Instead I'll use weasel words like "responsible free speech code"?

I am sure that many Christians were deeply wounded by the appearance of "Piss Christ" at an exhibition in Melbourne. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ

They were probably as hurt as were Muslims by the Muhammad cartoons.

Would you censor "Piss Christ"?

Or the Muhammad cartoons?

Many Jews are deeply hurt by criticisms of Israel. Like this Leunig cartoon.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2002/492/492p22c.gif

In fact the Age refused to publish it. Were they right?

Would you censor Leunig?

Moving images can be even more hurtful. See:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL0C2QvqIlo

This appeared on Cable TV in Australia as part of the Optus "ART" (Arab Radio & TV) offering a few year ago. Would you censor it? (Perhaps one could justify banning this one on the grounds that it is child abuse.)

What is your solution Pericles.

My guess is your solution is censorship but you'll use weasel words to pretend it isn't.

Words are dangerous. Censorship, whether so-called or disguised by weasel words and euphemism is orders of magnitude more dangerous.

There are no free lunches. If you want the benefits of democracy you have to have free – truly free, not quasi-censored by Pericles – speech. That means you have to accept the dangers of free speech as well

Wow. I express disgust at the mindless polemic against Islam that litters this thread, and suddenly I'm in favour of censorship?

What crap.

I am expressing an opinion.

And my opinion is that there is a bunch of yellow-bellied self-righteous hypocritical christians on this thread who, as soon as someone explains to them the fact that they are a bunch of yellow-bellied self-righteous hypocritical christians, start to whinge and bitch about censorship.

I have as much right to my opinion of these people, as they themselves have when they "spew their bile", as rstuart so accurately and picturesquely describes it.

>>Why would anyone respect your request when you are so vile with words yourself?<<

Which request was that, TheMissus?

I have not requested anyone to refrain from voicing their opinion, at any time. So that's just an attempt at deflection on your part, isn't it?

Everyone has the right - as you point out, within some reasonable boundaries - to their opinion.

Including me.

And once again, in case you missed the point, there are some people on this thread who take every opportunity to insult the religion of others. The manner in which they accomplish this, I find despicable, and if I choose, I shall continue to tell them so.

Now, if you can find a single sentence of mine that actually advocates censorship, let me know, and I'll donate $100 to your favourite charity.

“... the mindless massacre at Srebrenica.” (Pericles)

The unfortunate event that took place is the direct result of Islam and what the Islamists did to the Serbian people.

“To understand this battle in the context of Serbia, one must look back to the 14th century when Kosovo was the center of the Serbian empire and site of its most sacred churches and monasteries.

In 1389, the Serbs lost the land of Kosovo and later Serbia to the Ottoman Turks in a decisive battle fought in Kosovo Polje, the Field of Blackbirds. The Battle of Kosovo is an event entrenched in the Serbian, Montenegrin, Croatian (and all southern Slav) consciousness, uniting all Serbs who treasure Kosovo as their Jerusalem, their holy land.

After this battle, what is Kosovo and Albania today was occupied by the Ottomans who unleashed a merciless tyranny on the people of these lands.

Over the next 500 years, the Ottomans forcibly converted many Albanians to Islam and once the entire population was converted, they forced these novice Muslim Albanians to leave their homeland to settle in Kosovo to alter the demographic balance in favor of Muslims and make the ethnic Christian Serbs a minority.

Under Milosevic, the Serbs tried to undo these historical injustices by reclaiming the territory of Kosovo that they had lost to the Ottomans who resettled Kosovo with Ottomans and Kosovar Muslim converts from Albania”

http://www.historyofjihad.org/serbia.html?syf=contact
http://www.emperors-clothes.com/bosnia/svijet.htm#4

The ideology of Islam is a 1000 times more evil than Nazism because whereas Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews, the Islamists want to destroy everything and everyone that is non-Islamic. This fact is documented in detail http://www.historyofjihad.org/

Pericles, those responsible at what took place in Srebrenica have been brought to justice but what about the 700 Jewish men of Banu Qurayza beheaded (their wives and daughters raped, property looted) under Muhammad’s order; who’s going to plead their cause for justice?

Pericles, Your opinion is against an individual ie personal abuse.

My husband and I disagree on religion, politics and UFO'S. We respect the fact that we can hold different views. If he told me he pukes due to my views, that I was a bigot or some such nonsense I would suggest that could incite female initiated domestic violence lol. However we are truly tolerant because we allow such divergence of opinion without the need for personal attack.

Therein lies the difference. However I did snigger under my breath once that only a fool would believe in UFO's. oooops.

Here is your club Pericles, next we will have outlawed speech against denial of UFO'S.

http://tinyurl.com/yzgz9qq

Be careful what you wish for.

pericles, i agree wholeheartedly with what you're saying. but i have no idea what you're doing in this cesspool. how can you tolerate the stench?

Hi Phillip,

Can you name the source, the historian, you use as the basis of your description of events under the Ottoman Empire (a real name not a website). We should in fact get some serious scholars and examine what they say happened in Albania and Kosovo. What do you say?

Would you like to begin by nominating serious scholars and historians that we can use?

We can start with your contention that that Islam was spread by the sword in Kosovo.

By the way, what religion do you follow that would justify Srebrenica?