I think I will burn another Quran
Below are some excerpts from the accompanying article at CBN:
VIENNA, Austria — Burning Korans and criticizing religions may generate anger in America, but it’s still freedom of speech guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
However in Europe, speaking out against Islam can lead to a jail sentence.
CBN News interviewed one Austrian citizen facing hate crimes charges for criticizing the Koran.
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff still remembers her first exposure to Islam as a small child. It was 1979 and her father, an Austrian diplomat, was stationed in Tehran during the Iranian revolution.
“Millions of people were congregating and screaming ‘Allahu Akhbar,’” she said.
That incident began an eye-opening journey for Sabaditsch-Wolff, who would be stationed in several Islamic countries during her own diplomatic career. She was living in Libya nine years ago when the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. occurred.
“My landlord came running down, banging on my door. And I opened the door and he ran inside my apartment and said, ‘The Jews did it!’ That was the first words he said,” she recalled.
Experiences like that led her to study the Koran and Islamic culture extensively.- - - - - - - - -
[…]
This is the latest case of a European charged with hate speech against Islam.
Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders expects a verdict in his hate crimes trial later this year.
In addition to Austria and the Netherlands, hate speech charges have also been filed in the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Denmark, Belgium and Finland — all against critics of Islam.
Sabaditsch-Wolff’s case is still under review in Austria. In the meantime, the self-described feminist says she will continue to speak out for the sake of future generations.
“Maybe we’re all wrong. Maybe this is the way to go. Maybe Islam really is peace and we’re wrong. I look at my daughter and I think ‘no.’ You have the right to live as you would like to live,” she said.
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, 38, is the daughter of a retired diplomat. She spent parts of her childhood during the Khomeini Revolution in Iran. She later spent time in Iraq and Kuwait. In 1990, she and other Austrians were held hostage during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. She was employed at the Austrian embassies in Kuwait and Libya. From 1995-7 she was a member of the then-vice-chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel. Sabaditsch-Wolff represents the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa on an international level.
via europenews.dk
