Islam Criticism: The Enemy - Islamophobia and the Istanbul Process with Sabatina James

• published: 11 Dec 2012
• views: 3290

This video first appeard 17 August 2012 at: http://www.alhayattv.net This talk features the Pakistani-born author, Sabatina James: Islam-critic and convert from Islam to Catholicism since 2003. James' family had arranged a forced marriage with her cousin in Pakistan. When she refused, she was forcefully sent to a Madrassa, an Islamic Koran school. Her conversion to the Catholic life earned her a death-threat from her father. Today she is in Germany under police protection. This discussion of "Islamophobia" and the Istanbul process appeared on the German portal, Politically Incorrect, on 20 August 2012 (http://www.pi-news.net/2012/08/video-sabatina-james-uber-feindbild-islamkritik/). THE STRUCTURE OF THE TALK Sabatina James' talk, in its form, reveals a two-stage development in the response of the modern secular state, and most of the media, to criticism of Islam. The two stages are progressive in nature, the first leading to the second, and they have been well recognised in the emergence of totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. Stage 1: The critic, in this case the Islam critic, "is mocked, defamed, vilified and is denied every public platform." Initially criticism of Islam is called "Islamophobia", a pseudo-psychiatric disorder [inventions characteristic of totalitarian regimes]. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has announced the arrival of this stage in remarks she made on July 15, 2011 at the 'Organization of the Islamic Conference' (now 'Organisation of Islamic Cooperation') on July 15, 2011 when she promises to revive the techniques of the totalitarian state: ". . . to use some old-fashioned techniques of peer pressure and shaming so that people don't feel that they have the support to do what we abhor", which for her audience, was to criticise Islam (http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/07/168636.htm). Stage 2: The "techniques of peer pressure and shaming" never being enough to silence critics, they now expand to the criminalisation of speech. In the case of Islam criticism, Sabatina James points to the coming of the "blasphemy law" to the West: "This effort goes under the name of the "Istanbul Process" and its purpose is to make criticism of Islam punishable internationally. Therefore In future, not only will critical utterances about customs, clothing and behaviour of Muslims be punished, but also scientific criticism." This second stage is also prefigured in the pro-Islamic Barack Hussein Obama's speech on 25 September, 2012 before the UN when he said: ""the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Sabatina James summarises the two stages as follows: "In future, even the pointing out of human rights violations such as the forced marriage of Muslim minors, . . . will first qualify as Islamophobia, and then it will also be punishable." Here is the full quotation in the video which is taken from UN Resolution 13/16 (15 April 2010) and which specifically mentions "Islam and Muslims in particular": "Noting with concern that defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general could lead to social disharmony and violations of human rights, and alarmed at the inaction of some States in combatting this burgeoning trend and the resulting discriminatory practices against adherents of certain religions and, in this context, stressing the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions and in this context, stressing the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions and incitement to religious hatred in general and against Islam and Muslims in particular" (UN Resolution 13/16, p. 2: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/category,LEGAL,UNHRC,,,4bd6a5cd2,0.html). Although Sabatina James does not mention it, there is also resolution 16/18 (12 April, 2011) which Hilary Clinton's department backed in December of 2011. The formal title of the resolution is the seemingly harmless: "Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence against persons based on religion or belief." This resolution was put forward by the 57 member 'Organization of Islamic Cooperation' (OIC), there being only one purpose, to silence criticism of Islam. The key word in the document is "incitement", and it is repeated 7 times. For example, "incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" or "incitement to religious hatred." A cartoon and a movie can "incite" violence, and anyone with the means can decide what is incitement, and those reacting with violence are not responsible for their actions (Resolution 16/18: http://www.ifex.org/international/2011/11/15/un_resolution_16_18.pdf).