Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird
The insanity lies in making any form expressing a critical opinion or attitude a "defamation"
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That would be insane indead.
The mistake here is that is that meaning of "defamation" in the general language use is different from the legal definition of "defamation" as a criminal offense according to the criminal code. In that sense a critical opinion can never be a "defamation". A defamation requires a statement of facts. Facts can be either true or false. A hearing of evidence will tell you if the fact is true or untrue.
Opinions in the sense of value statements on the other hand can not be measured as "right or "wrong", there are no "right" or "wrong" opinions because opinions are opinions, they make sense or no sense.
When you are making false statements of facts with the intent to defame someone, then you don't have the constitutional freedom of opinion on your side.
You have to check your facts carefully before you are ruining someone's reputation.
So to say that criticism of Islam is seen as a criminal offense is just plain ridiculous.
Same mistake here:
"We're living in a 'here and now' where no one's allowed to say anything bad about Islam, it seems," says Dan Gainor, vice president of business and culture at the Media Research Center.
"No one's allowed to say" is meant the way that the author has the opnion that there are social norms, "Political Correctness", that do not "allow" to say something in the sense of "you can't/should not say that", "no one dares to openly discuss".
Skybird misunderstands Dan Gainor and thinks that Gainor is saying that there are actually legal norms that in a strict legal sense don't "allow" you to say something and make it a crime. You can even get punished for it!, "you get punished for criticising Islam".
Only that way you can come up with nonsense like "in europe criticism of Islam now is a crime you can get sued over. It it happens."