Nouslife: French philosophy teacher in hiding after attack on Islam

04 October 2006

French philosophy teacher in hiding after attack on Islam

I'm surprised not to have heard of this until now. A French philossopher is in hiding after giving a frank personal appraisal of the character of Muhammed in terms that were far from complementary.

In a comment piece in Le Figaro on September 19, he said Muhammad was "a merciless warlord, a looter, a mass-murderer of Jews and a polygamist". He called the Qur'an "a book of incredible violence" and contrasted what he said were Christianity's peaceful roots and Islam's violent ones, adding: "Jesus is a master of love, Muhammad a master of hate." He said this year's ban on g-string bikinis at Paris's artificial beach, Paris Plages, was an example of the "Islamicisation" of minds in France. Egypt and Tunisia banned the edition of Le Figaro.

Of course the proper course of action by those who disagreed would be to refute it with evidence, which is how one French group saw it too,

The French Human Rights League criticised Mr Redeker's "nauseating" ideas and "hateful discourse" while condemning the threats against him. "You don't fight the ideas expressed by Mr Redeker by turning him into a victim," it said.

.... And of course a further factor needs to beborne in mind,

France has the largest Muslim population in Europe and is battling to improve community relations and end violence such as the recent defacement of mosques in Quimper and Carcassonne, in which they were painted with swastikas and slogans including "France for the French".