Clinton Calls For Conviction Of Mohammed Cartoon Publishers Updated: Clinton Probab
Oh my...
Convict them for what, Bill? Free speech? Should we start arresting all the cartoonists who poked fun at the Catholics during and after the clergy sex scandals too?
First Al Gore goes to Saudi Arabia and tells audiences that America "indiscriminately" rounded up Muslims after 9/11, now Clinton is over in Pakistan advocating against the free press and freedom of expression. Denmark just had to recall their ambassador from Pakistan, for crying out loud, and Bill is over there basically conceding that the rioters have a point?
Whose side are these guys on?
Update:
It appears now as though the Pakistani newspaper quoted above got the quote wrong from Clinton. Please see this post for more details (with video as well).
Clinton did, however, make this statement (as quoted by the BBC):
I'm still not real keen on that bolded statement. Newspapers, artists and individuals have the right to be blasphemous if they want to. Clinton should be sticking up for that.
ISLAMABAD: Former US president Bill Clinton on Friday condemned the publication of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) caricatures by European newspapers and urged countries concerned to convict the publishers.
Talking to reporters after meeting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Islamabad, Clinton said he disagreed with the caricatures and that the publication was against religious and ethical norms. Clinton said he had no objection to peaceful demonstrations being held worldwide, but this was not the time for violence. He said it was the time to promote inter-faith harmony and stand together on the issue.
He said the people’s religious convictions should be respected at all costs and the media should be disallowed to play with the religious sentiments of other faiths. He said the media could criticise any issue including governments and people, but nobody had the right to play with the sentiments of other faiths.
Convict them for what, Bill? Free speech? Should we start arresting all the cartoonists who poked fun at the Catholics during and after the clergy sex scandals too?
First Al Gore goes to Saudi Arabia and tells audiences that America "indiscriminately" rounded up Muslims after 9/11, now Clinton is over in Pakistan advocating against the free press and freedom of expression. Denmark just had to recall their ambassador from Pakistan, for crying out loud, and Bill is over there basically conceding that the rioters have a point?
Whose side are these guys on?
Update:
It appears now as though the Pakistani newspaper quoted above got the quote wrong from Clinton. Please see this post for more details (with video as well).
Clinton did, however, make this statement (as quoted by the BBC):
"I strongly disagree with the creation and publication of cartoons that are considered blasphemous by the Muslims around the world," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
"I thought it was a mistake."
But he lamented the escalation of differences over the issue.
"I had no objections to Muslims who were demonstrating in a peaceful way their convictions.
"I thought [the cartoons issue] was also a great opportunity which I fear has been squandered to build bridges," AFP reports.
I'm still not real keen on that bolded statement. Newspapers, artists and individuals have the right to be blasphemous if they want to. Clinton should be sticking up for that.
