Indian officials have arrested former Uttar Pradesh minister and BSP leader Haji Yakub Qureshi after he defended the terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. India has a law — similar to U.S. laws — have make it a crime to incite violence but the country appears to impose a relatively lower standard as evidenced in this case.
Under section 505 1 (c), it is a crime with intent to incite, or likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offense against any other class or community. However, Qureshi was arrested after engaging in free speech — obnoxious and offensive speech to be sure but still free speech. He believes as do some Muslims that whoever shows disrespect to the Prophet can be put to death. Qureshi does not appear to see any contradiction in declaring “Prophet Mohammad had conveyed a message of peace to the entire world and if anyone makes certain cartoons on him will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists in Paris,”
While some reports state that Qureshi offered a huge reward to the killers of the Paris journalists, he has denied those reports.
However, in 2006, Qureshi had offered a reward for anyone who would kill the Danish cartoonist who had created a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. That does cross the line from speech to conduct, as distinction reflected in in my Sunday Washington Post column. However, his current comments rejoicing in the murder of journalists remains free speech and should be protected. The arrest shows how these laws can be used to attack unpopular speakers. I find Qureshi a disgraceful human being who seeks to silence others to satisfy his own religious sensibilities, much as the Irish Muslim scholar discussed today. However, it is the great irony of free speech that it often protects even those who advocate against it.
People do get too worked up here. It is a good blog. I learn quite a bit here every day. Many folks brings some good perspective. I ain’t itchinBay about nuthin today. I don’t live in France anymore and hope that we don’t go to war in Yemen or some other place. I lost several friends in Nam and I am not sure why we were there. Ike had it right, right on the last day in office when he warned us about the Military Industrial Complex.
Ike should know all about the Military Industrial Complex. I always thought that was weird when people would say how wise he was about that when we were in Korea and all now that should get us itchinBay maybe idk. But I lost friends that were summertime heroes to me in Nam. If they didn’t die, they might as well have. I can’t stand what we do sometimes. I think we were supposed to fight communism with the South Vietnamese. I am not sure. That was weird. All I know is what my Husband tells me from time to time on recon missions with the Marines as he was a SEAL then. He doesn’t talk about it much.
Barkin Dog – No, I wasn’t there then. But I took every History Class I could up there when the Credits were 15 dollars an hour and they might as well make it free instead of tying up the bureaucracy for pell grants and all. I was a first woman on the Swim Team there with one other woman. Now, if you can find that, you can figure out who I am lololol. That’s all the hints you get. We swam Coed. 🙂
Happypappies: off topic but when you were at Flo Valley did you have Al Lager for English or History? He also taught at Ferguson Junior High. I am an ardent supporter of the Community College system in Saint Louis. I am an old goat and was around when the district was formed. I hope that you were, and are, happy for having gone there. I am happy that Obama has proposed a new program to pay tuition for folks to go to community colleges.
Happypappies, I was speaking more from a book “Shanturam” written by a man who lived there, with the poorest people. His portrayal of them was of a complicated society, but one that helps each other. Also some books about different parts of India. It is an interesting country with unusual traditions. also seen the millionaire story. I have a friend who vacationed there. When they got back she said don’t go.
Sandy – Oh – I didn’t really know where you were coming from but I think it is a very complicated society that has had some interesting traditions spring from the crucible of poverty and despair. I would never go there I just study their religions and thoughts. That’s close enough. I felt I can speak now to you without offending you though. Thanks. 🙂
First, Bariindog, Lee Attwater, RIP, was active in the 80’s, thirty years ago. There must be something more recent to criticize Republicns for.
Are the Muslims of India peaceful? Are there radical Muslims in India? If I had the ability Sharpton would be in jail awaiting trial for the same thing. He should already be there for owing large amounts of back taxes. His behavior in Ferguson was inciting violence, on purpose. With free speech comes responsibility for what you say, such as “fire” in a crowded theater. India seems to understand that. Are we to see division of Muslims in India, along with the savagery?
India and Pakistan already have issues about Kashmir that could become violent. They don’t need another one.
Sandy –
Maybe everyone else on here is not going to touch your statement about the peaceful Muslims in India but I am. Are you aware of the History of India? In 1948 40,000 Muslims were Massacred and in 1947 in one million were killed on both sides during the Pakistani and India war, People are slowly coming back from those riots
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Riot-hit-Muslims-back-in-Muzaffarnagar/articleshow/42400837.cms
It is my understanding that he was arrested for the speech, not for offering a bounty (this time.) Is this incorrect?
“Qureshi does not appear to see any contradiction in declaring “Prophet Mohammad had conveyed a message of peace to the entire world and if anyone makes certain cartoons on him will invite death like the cartoonists and journalists in Paris,””
First, the irony in this statement is hilarious, a comedian’s dream, and perfectly encapsulates the need for reform in extremist Islam. This is how one differentiates between moderate and extreme Islam. If someone believes violence is justified because their religious sensibilities are offended, they are an extremist.
I also agree with Professor Turley that his offering a bounty for murder is not protected free speech, but his rejoicing at murder is protected. This is an example of how free speech must be defended, even when it’s hard, and the correct response is more speech. Such as telling him he’s a bloodthirsty intolerant savage that is a blight on Islam and a source of the mistrust innocent, moderate Muslims encounter, but in the nicest possible way.
600,000 or so humans died in the American Civil War. The war was mostly about slavery. There were those who felt that the war should not have been in vain and wanted changes in the Constitution to “Reconstruct” the nation as a whole. There were those who were in favor of slavery and were intent to implement a lesser version of it and indeed did get away with passing statutes AFTER the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments which we have termed Jim Crow laws. Those people, at the time, proudly referred to themselves as “Unreconstructed”.
LBJ came along and pushed through statutes which had been provided for in the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (sections which said that Congress may enact legislation to enforce the Amendments) to undo some or all of the Jim Crow laws. There were those who opposed and still oppose this.
The statutes LBJ pushed through were the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
When Johnson had gotten these legislative enactments through he confided to fellow politicians in the House and Senate (these conversations are on his audio tapes which are published) that this political stance would be very bad for the Democratic Party in the South. He said that the bigots would flock to another party, and the Party of Lincoln (Republican Party) of the Republicans would repudiate Lincoln overtly and oppose the anti Jim Crow laws and practices.
Lee Atwater from South Carolina reared his ugly head and promulgated the new policy for the national Republican Party. The Southern Strategy.
The Southern Strategy is in force today. It gets little reference and Republicans have no memory being senile and all and Lee Atwater is forgotten. But the South has gone what we now call “Red States” all by this strategy.
There are those who want to condemn the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments and if they know the name, Reconstruction. Some on this blog say the passage was all unfair and there was no quorum and some even think that the war was still raging with the 14th and 15th Amendments were passed and President Grant signed off. It is true that some of the bigot states might not have gotten back into the new Union had they not approved or Ratified those Amendments. It is true that some folks would like to go back to Jim Crow and even slave days.
Jeb Stuart is alive and well. Mitch McConnell is the Mouth of The South and the Leader of the Senate.
Lincoln is rolling over in his grave. 600,000 might have died in vain.
McConnell and his Red State Republican Pals don’t have to employ the N word three times in a speech anymore to get the attention and votes of the bigots.
All they gotta say is “welfare cheats” and mock the words “equal rights!”.
BarkinDog – the War of Northern Aggression was mostly about states’ rights. If it had been about slavery, the Union wouldn’t have handed back captured slaves to Southern owners. BTW, the Emancipation Proclamation was only effective in the states in rebellion, not the Northern states, a couple of which still allowed slavery.
BarkinDog – we were taught it was about slavery in high school, in college I was taught it was about States Rights – meaning tariffs on exports especially cotton and imports and the educated slave owners were in the process of freeing the slaves. idk. It was Florissant Valley and I had Prof. Meyer so idk. But I remember it real well.
You are right about the amendments being put through after the war. I believe the 14 amendment had a 15 person committee chosen for it in Congress. I was just making a smart remark. That’s all. Okay? Everyone is really getting worked up here …..
The South has it’s own problems for sure. I can’t stand Mitch McConnell and thanks for reminding me of Lee Atwater.
Mr. Lincoln, TEAR DOWN THIS MEMORIAL!
Barkin Dog – The Confederate States had to eat crow. Literally. You can’t really think they voted happily on those reconstruction acts. Look at this – March 18, 1976 Kentucky ratifies the 14th Amendment.
One hundred and ten years after the 14th Amendment is proposed by Congress, Kentucky ratifies it. Kentucky, a strong pro-slavery state prior to the Civil War, also ratifies the 13th and 15th Amendments on this day.
September 17, 2003 Ohio becomes the final state to ratify the 14th Amendment.
After the state rescinded its ratification in 1867, the state of Ohio becomes the last state in the Union to ratify the 14th Amendment. Ratification was rescinded in 1867 when Republicans lost control of the state legislature.
14th Amendment Timeline
How easily we forget our own sins —- that we did not consider to be sins.
SUCEDE (teachers – pls note spelling) away.
A related case for your consideration, Professor Turley, is the matter of Shami Witness, the 26 year old ISIS/ISIL fanboy recently unmasked (and arrested by Indian authorities) as the author of about 17,000 pro ISIS tweets.
A rubicon has been crossed.
The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were each passed without a quorum? They were ratified by the states too. Quorum there? Provide a source for this statement and we will read it.
BarkinDog – if you assume, as did Lincoln, that the Confederate States could not legally seceed, then they were all due a vote on those amendments. They did not get to vote until they were conquered or after the war was over. I am not sure about the quorum, but it is possible enough Senators and Representatives were missing to make the vote null and void.
This reminds me of the manipulation of “law” by old honest Abe Lincoln whose position was that the Confederacy had no right to secede.
We have all the divorces of Henry VIII, the recent vote by Scotland for or against secession, the de facto secession of Pakistan and Bangladesh from India and the de facto secession of all the satellites of the former USSR to demonstrate the cognizance of and the legality of the universal and constitutional right of a state or states to sever through secession.
Looks like old honest Abe messed up to the tune of a million American deaths.
Like newly developed DNA evidence freeing a convict, evidence of the right to secede should be provided to the estate of the Confederacy to correct an historic and gross miscarriage of justice. And how about the unconstitutional legislation by the executive branch inherent in the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War amendments done without a quorum and under duress? Talk about a gross miscarriage of justice.
Oops! It’s a little too late for that, huh?
I’m just sayin’…
Islamists demands free speech in the West not because they believe in it, but because we< do, and they use it as a weapon against us.
I'm with Chip.
They argue in bad faith.
They are real life trolls, and must be deleted.
Prof. Turley perhaps you are being too hasty to accept Mr Qureshi’s claim of innocence. Is it possible that the government has either his reward portion statement on record, or has witnesses. I have seen politicians make statement on TV and then recant the very next day, very common in India and happens here as well.
Qureshi was arrested after engaging in free speech — obnoxious and offensive speech to be sure but still free speech.
I used to share this view, that there are truly universal human rights, but I no longer do. Instead, I’m persuaded by the argument that to exercise rights legitimately people must be willing to extend those rights to others. Reciprocity is essential.
The problem of how much freedom to grant someone whose aims are antithetical to freedom is the fundamental dilemma of a society that seeks to maximize freedom. Although I wouldn’t want this type of speech to be illegal in the US, I’m not ready to criticize India for making this call. Isn’t its basis the same as the reason for the original partition of the British Indian empire?
Anyone, anywhere, in anyway participating in terrorist activity should be incarcerated, or killed if the opportunity arises, never to be heard from again.
Slumdog Millionaire gave folks a little taste of India’s “justice” system.
Well, first we will hang him, then we will give him a fair trial. India has a much bigger Muslim population than we do and they know how they want to deal with it. Sometimes you need to set an example.
This falls under effective governance. It probably will not hold up at trial, but by that time things will have calmed down.