Why Islam Want to Suppress Freedom of Speech
Prof. Paul Eidelberg
Let’s go to the heart of matter: Islam rejects Genesis 1:26-27 from which we learn that man is created in the image of God. Islam deems this concept blasphemous since, according to Islamic theology, one cannot rightly speak of man as having been created in the image of Allah.
Therefore, contrary to Judaism and Christianity, Islamic theology is based not on reason but on force or power. This is why there is no place in Islam for freedom of speech. Since freedom speech is the quintessential principle of democracy, we must conclude, with all due respect to Daniel Pipes, that Islam is fundamentally-cum-theologically opposed to democracy. This is why Islamic regimes throughout history have been theological tyrannies.
Today, Muslim leaders want to criminalize as “blasphemy” any criticism of Islam in general and of its prophet Muhammad in particular. Their motive is easy to understand. Islam cannot stand the test of critical analysis, whether historical, philosophical, or theological. This is why the great Arab philosopher al-Farabi, having studied the works of Plato and Aristotle, couched his own writings in an esoteric style and was a Muslim in dress only—to avoid punishment and death.
Hence, it needs to be borne in mind that critical analysis of Islam or of Muhammad does not merely offend thesensibilities of Muslims. No, such criticism threatens the ruling status of Muslim leaders and the entire power structure of Islamic regimes. The issue is one of power, but this issue must be understood in theological terms.
Involved here is nothing less than the God-issue. This is the issue that confronts us today as a result of the decay of Western Civilization so evident in the decline of Christianity in Europe and in the ascendancy of left-wing atheism and nihilism in the United States.
Yes, this is THE issue in America’s forthcoming presidential election.
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