The Roster of the Silenced: First Wave

Last Saturday I proposed the creation of a list of all people in the Western democracies who have been threatened with a legal charge, charged, tried, and/or convicted for their writings or other creative work critical of Islam.

Several people followed the guidelines as requested and sent me information that allowed me to add people to the Roster of the Silenced. In addition, I went back and looked up the details on several other dissidents and included then in the first ten members of the Roster.

Based on the discussion in the comments, there was some confusion over the criteria for inclusion in the list. A candidate must have been officially involved in the legal system of his country for his criticism of Islam, and his country must be a Western democracy which does not yet officially incorporate sharia in its legal system (which excludes India, Israel, and other countries).

For full lists of criteria, see the original post.

If you’d like to send in more candidates for the list, please include the following:

• Country
  
• Name
  
• Date of initial charge or encounter with the law
  
• A brief description of the offense

The following additional information is optional, but welcome:

• Final date, with disposition of the case
  
• The legal statute cited for the charge
  
• A link to a website with more information
  
• A few short paragraphs of notes to provide context

The first ten members of the Roster of the Silenced should give readers an idea of what is needed.



The Roster of the Silenced

Country: Australia

Name: Danny Nalliah

Initial charge: March 2002

Disposition or final date: 22 June 2007

Offense: Religious vilification

Statute: Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act

Link: Salt Shakers

Notes:

“The Two Dannys” — See Daniel Scot

Tip: Nilk

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Name: Daniel Scot

Initial charge: March 2002

Disposition or final date: 22 June 2007

Offense: Religious vilification

Statute: Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act

Link: Salt Shakers

Notes:

“The Two Dannys”

The complaint of religious vilification made against two pastors, Daniel Scot and Danny Nalliah and Danny’s ministry Catch The Fire Ministries (CTFM) by the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) and three complainants, under Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act.

22 June 2007 — Case resolved at mediation

Tip: Nilk

Country: Austria

Name: Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff

Initial charge: December 2009

Disposition or final date: January 2011, pending

Offense: Insulting a recognized religion

Link: Gates of Vienna

Notes:

Elisabeth was charged after a newspaper reporter secretly made a recording of one of her seminars on Islam. The reporter herself filed a complaint.

Her first appearance in court was on November 23, 2010. Her trial resumes on January 18, 2011.

Country: Finland

Name: Jussi Halla-aho

Initial charge: December 2008

Disposition or final date: convicted September 2009

Offense: Incitement against a racial group, defamation of religion

Statute: Finnish: kiihottaminen kansanryhmää vastaan; Swedish: hets mot folkgrupp

Link: Gates of Vienna

Notes:

Jussi Halla-aho is a Finnish writer and a Helsinki city councilman.

The defendant was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of 330 euros.

The prosecutor said Halla-aho’s writings insulted Muslims residing in Finland and endangered religious peace.

Country: Netherlands

Name: Geert Wilders

Initial charge: January 2010

Disposition or final date: February 2011, pending

Offense: Inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims, insulting a group

Statute: Penal Code, Article 137d; Penal Code, Article 137c

Link: Gates of Vienna

Notes:

Inciting hatred and discrimination: Penal Code, Article 137d

The insult of a group: Penal Code, Article 137c

Mr. Wilders was first charged in January 2010 and tried in October 2010. The case ended in a mistrial, and the Amsterdam court decided to try him again in February 2011.

Country: UK

Name: Tommy Robinson

Initial charge: January 2011

Offense: Religiously aggravated public order offense

Statute: Section Four

Notes:



Tip: ICLA

Country: USA

Name: Negreen Mayel

Initial charge: June 18, 2010

Disposition or final date: acquitted September 24, 2010

Offense: Handing out Christian material in a Muslim neighborhood

Statute: Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of a Police Officer

Notes:

(See Dr. David Wood for additional details)

Tip: ChrisLA

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Name: Paul Rezkalla

Initial charge: June 18, 2010

Disposition or final date: acquitted September 24, 2010

Offense: Handing out Christian material in a Muslim neighborhood

Statute: Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of a Police Officer

Notes:

(See Dr. David Wood for additional details)

Tip: ChrisLA

*    *    *    *    *
Name: Dr. Nabeel Qureshi

Initial charge: June 18, 2010

Disposition or final date: acquitted September 24, 2010

Offense: Handing out Christian material in a Muslim neighborhood

Statute: Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of a Police Officer

Notes:

Former Muslim who is currently a Christian youth pastor

(See Dr. David Wood for additional details)

Tip: ChrisLA

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Name: Dr. David Wood

Initial charge: June 18, 2010

Disposition or final date: acquitted September 24, 2010

Offense: Handing out Christian material in a Muslim neighborhood

Statute: Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of a Police Officer

Notes:

Former atheist who is currently a Teaching Fellow in Philosophy at Fordham University

Arrest: The four defendants were arrested on June 18, 2010, for passing out copies of the Gospel of St. John in English and Arabic at the Annual Dearborn Arab Festival in Dearborn Michigan.

Specific Charge: Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order of a Police Officer. (Videos taken of the arrest did not show any evidence of either of the charges.)

Disposition: After a five day trial, all four were acquitted by a jury on September 24, 2010. The victims have filed a civil suit against the City of Dearborn. Needless to say, they were NOT silenced

Tip: ChrisLA