Monday, 9 January 2012

Thought Police to Monitor Anti-Islam Sites in Germany

19:25 | Posted by Cheradenine Zakalwe | Edit Post
German authorities have announced a plan to place anti-Islamic websites under surveillance because of growing concern that they are becoming more radical and fomenting right-wing violence.

The domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, said last week it had set up a working group to assess whether German-language sites such as Politically Incorrect and Nürnberg 2.0, whose stated aim is to oppose the "Islamisation of Europe" are in breach of the constitution.

The attack by Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who killed 77 people in July and posted a "manifesto" on the internet, threw a spotlight on the role played by websites as a forum for spreading hatred of Muslims in Europe.

Right-wing populists and websites condemned Mr Breivik as a crazed loner. But many of the arguments in his 1,500-page declaration matched their own rhetoric, sparking accusations that they have been breeding violence by railing against Muslims.

In Germany, calls for greater scrutiny of the far-right intensified after the revelation in November that a neo-Nazi terrorist cell murdered at least 10 people, eight of them Muslim immigrants of Turkish origin, in a killing spree spanning more than a decade. The case has embarrassed German authorities and exposed them to criticism that they have been blind to the threat posed by racists.

The head of the Hamburg branch of the intelligence agency, Manfred Murck, said there were clear signs that the operators of many anti-Muslim sites "had a disturbed relationship with the democratic rule of law" and often espoused "infringements of human rights protected under our constitution".

A member of parliament for the opposition Left Party, Ulla Jelpke, [Jelpke is a Marxist; her party, Die Linke, is the successor to the Communist party that held power in East Germany] said closer supervision of such sites was long overdue. "Blogs and websites such as Politically Incorrect or Nürnberg 2.0 clearly promote a racism that extends deep into society," said Ms Jelpke.

"They call into question the dignity and the rights of a whole group of people solely because of their origin or their faith. They thereby clearly run counter to core values of the constitution."

She said it was "scandalous" that authorities had been ignoring such sites, and alleged that institutional racism may be to blame for the lack of determination to crack down on them. "Prejudice against Muslims isn't a problem of the periphery but of the heart of society. That's why it's so dangerous."

Separately, the state prosecutor's office in Munich said last week it had launched an investigation into Michael Stürzenberger, a politician who has written blogs for Politically Incorrect, on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred.

Mr Stürzenberger, a former spokesman for the conservative Christian Social Union party, wrote on January 5: "The totalitarian claim to power inherent in Islam and its legitimisation of violence and killing cannot have a place in a democratic and free society."

Politically Incorrect was founded in 2004 by Stefan Herre, 46, a physical education teacher based in Cologne who insists his site doesn't breach the constitution. He has said it caters for peaceful people and is dedicated to publishing opinions and articles that other media do not want to cover.

With more than 60,000 readers per day, the website is one of Europe's largest anti-Islamic sites. Its operators say they don't tolerate defamatory or insulting commentaries but that they don't have enough staff to delete every problematic comment posted in its forums.

When Sebastian Edathy, a lawmaker for the opposition Social Democratic Party, called for stronger action against anti-Muslim incitement, one commentator posted: "Only a dead Edathy is a good Edathy."

And when Germany was shocked by the news about the existence of a neo-Nazi terror cell last November, Politically Incorrect commented that "Islamic conquests" and "Marxist crimes" had killed more people than the neo-Nazis and the Holocaust.

The website Nürnberg 2.0 has a similar stance. Its home page says it is dedicated to "documenting the systematic and unlawful Islamisation of Germany".

Critics say the opinions espoused by such sites match the views of hardcore right-wing organisations such as the National Democratic Party, which glorifies the Third Reich and faces a possible legal bid to outlaw it.

Aiman Mazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said in a recent interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, a leading newspaper, that it was time authorities clamped down on such sites.

"We must be clear that the lines between right-wing populists and right-wing radicals are blurred. The one can pave the way for the other. Right-wing populists like to fan fear of Islam, and the resulting hostility to Islam is used by neo-Nazis as an entrance ticket into mainstream society.

"Those who sow hatred and transport blatant racism cloaked as criticism of Islam aren't representing an opinion but committing a crime. No one minds criticism but there is no right to spreading racist ideology, which is precisely what inflammatory internet sites are doing."
Source: The National

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thought Police in Sweden

Lennart Svensson was arrested by the Swedish thought police and was fired in 2011, about which you had a post CZ. He is an excellent author, judging from his blogs, and I just looked up his blog to find news about him.

He seems to be busy, though.

Svensson has written several books - which I have not read - and has now landed another one "Camouflage" which he proudly presents on his blog. In general, he underlines that he is wary of avoiding clichés.

This novel is written in Swedish, but as Svensson writes English perfectly well, it would be interesting to see if Svensson himself, or somebody else, would like to translate it.

The novel opens with

"Winter city

This is a novel about a soldier, Camouflage. His name is Camouflage, that is what he is called, this is his nom de guerre.
..."

Personally, based on these first lines, Cervantes comes to mind. Not because of his style, of course, but the setting.

Miguel Cervantes grew up in the liberated Spain, only a century after 1492. What was Spain like after the reconquista? Cervantes himself was a soldier and a slave. He was held captive in Algeria. Back home, after his parents had paid him free, he started his career as an author.

We are living in times of the re-reconquista. What novels can a brilliant and well informed mind create in tumultuous times like these?

“I've been a soldier and a slave.

I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I've held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing.

No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with confusion, questioning "Why?" I don't think they were wondering why they were dying, but why they had ever lived.

When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - -to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Totally by accident when leafing through Svensson's Camouflage, I happened to see what Camouflage is thinking about madness, which makes it even more interesting.

Camouflage is afraid of turning mad.

Svensson says he has rewritten this novel, as it first was presented in 2009 as "this soldier in prison in Oslo".

Only leafing through the novel, it looks very interesting, all the more, at is a product untouched by the hands of the leftists.

Personally, I find, this is a book I want to read.

"Don Quijote" was chosen as "The World's Best Novel" in 2002.

Would those 100 authors who chose this novel then, do it again in 2012? What did they know about Cervantes' personal life? What did they know about Spanish history at the time?

Could this novel possibly be chosen again in 2012, ten years after?

Would The Global Thought Police allow that?

9 January 2012 23:47
Anonymous said...

Edit

Thought Police in Sweden

Lennart Svensson was arrested by the Swedish thought police and was fired in 2011, about which you had a post CZ. He is an excellent author, judging from his blogs, and I just looked up his blog to find news about him.

He seems to be busy, though.

Svensson has written several books - which I have not read - and has now landed another one "Camouflage" which he proudly presents on his blog. In general, he underlines that he is wary of avoiding clichés.

This novel is written in Swedish, but as Svensson writes English perfectly well, it would be interesting to see if Svensson himself, or somebody else, would like to translate it.

The novel opens with

"Winter city

This is a novel about a soldier, Camouflage. His name is Camouflage, that is what he is called, this is his nom de guerre.
..."

Personally, based on these first lines, Cervantes comes to mind. Not because of his style, of course, but the setting.

Miguel Cervantes grew up in the liberated Spain, only a century after 1492. What was Spain like after the reconquista? Cervantes himself was a soldier and a slave. He was held captive in Algeria. Back home, after his parents had paid him free, he started his career as an author.

We are living in times of the re-reconquista. What novels can a brilliant and well informed mind create in tumultuous times like these?

“I've been a soldier and a slave.

I've seen my comrades fall in battle or die more slowly under the lash in Africa. I've held them in my arms at the final moment. These were men who saw life as it is, yet they died despairing.

No glory, no brave last words, only their eyes, filled with confusion, questioning "Why?" I don't think they were wondering why they were dying, but why they had ever lived.

When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - -this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - -to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Totally by accident while leafing through Svensson's Camouflage, I happened to see what Camouflage is thinking about madness, which makes it even more interesting.

Camouflage is afraid of turning mad.

Svensson says he has rewritten this novel, as it was first presented in 2009.

Only leafing through the novel, it looks very interesting, all the more, at is a product untouched by the hands of the leftists.

Personally, I find, this is a book I want to read.

"Don Quijote" was chosen as "The World's Best Novel" in 2002.

Would those 100 authors who chose this novel then, do it again in 2012? What did they know about Cervantes' personal life? What did they know about Spanish history at the time?

Could this novel possibly be chosen again in 2012, ten years after?

Would The Global Thought Police allow that?

10 January 2012 00:00
Cheradenine Zakalwe said...

Very interesting. Of course, Cervantes fought against the Mohammedans at the battle of Lepanto. In fact, it was partly the injuries he suffered in that battle that led him into writing, because he had lost the use of his left arm.

10 January 2012 03:18
V said...

Politically Incorrect is one of the most brilliant blogs in Europe. We need this blogs!
The world is totally twisted when critic agains horrible actions and hate from muslims is racism! My god!:(

10 January 2012 07:15
Anonymous said...

"Twitter-racism" only weeks after new major owner entered the company

What could possibly this strictly good Mohammed's intentions with ownership in Twitter be?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2083789/Stan-Collymore-Twitter-Man-charged-racial-abuse.html
(Ownership, influence, control)

10 January 2012 18:26
Anonymous said...

@CZ

Rethinking Cervantes and "Don Quijote" with the Europe we know today, gives

Fighting windmills

a whole new meaning, and a better understanding of both history and our own times confronted with a certain ideology.

"The president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the communist Fausto Bertinotti, has had removed a painting showing a scene from the Battle of Lepanto from the hall in which he receives visitors to this lower house of parliament."

Battle of Lepanto-painting removed

"step by step , The Muslims manage to erase history, to remove all recollection of a particular religion or countries heritage...they do by instilling fear....

...fear and the ever present threat of deadly violence are mainstays of the Islamic religion..."


0000

10 January 2012 18:47
Cheradenine Zakalwe said...

There something similar going on in Austria now: demands that the school history texts be rewritten to remove or revise references to the Turkish sieges because they might hurt the feelings of Turks. I've been meaning to make a post about this.

10 January 2012 22:03
Anonymous said...

Just goes to affirm that this is orchestrated all over Europe. And it is unbelieavable that enlightend West's leaders choose to go backwards into the future.

Will Hungary be the country to seek refuge in?

12 January 2012 17:49
Anonymous said...

In comparison, USA colleges and academia
- What is going on there?

"What can't even be described as an open secret are the anti-Western attacks, both overt and covert, that are a part of the work of American Academia.

In nowhere is this phenomenon more prominent than in colleges. There, except for specialized scientific or other courses such as those related to business, one is subjected to an incredibly broad range of attacks that are designed to undermine the realities of the factors that provide the foundation of Western societies."

13 January 2012 04:39

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