Silenced in Kansas

People have been sending in suggestions today for me to include in the Roster of the Silenced. One of the additions is from Kansas, and I’m featuring it here because it may form part of a pattern.

Last August Pastor Mark Holick was arrested and charged because he proselytized for Christianity on the sidewalk in front of a mosque. Unlike many European countries, the United States doesn’t have any “incitement of religious hatred” laws to help suppress such behavior, so Americans who insult the prophet have to be dealt with by other means. If you think the First Amendment is any impediment to shutting them up, then think again: there are statutes against loitering and failure to obey the police which will serve just fine — and then there’s always contempt of court if the victim has the temerity to resist.

I referred to the “Dearborn Four” last night, and there may be more of these cases than most Americans realize — as it grows, the Roster of the Silenced will help us to determine exactly how many there actually are.

There are a lot of all-purpose public order laws that are designed to allow the police to handle nuisances: breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, loitering, blocking the sidewalk, and so on. Most instances in which people speak their minds about Islam in public, attempt to convert Muslims, or otherwise offend believers could be covered by these statutes.

Whether they realize it or not, our public authorities are well on the way to internalizing Islamic rules of conduct:

• No one may attempt to convert anyone out of Islam.
  
• No one may say critical things about the Islamic religion in public.
  
• No one may mock Mohammed or Islamic beliefs.
  
• No one may fail to display the utmost respect for Islam and its believers.

Existing statutes are being utilized to enforce these rules, so that we needn’t disturb our legislators with the annoying task of passing explicit laws to achieve the same effect.

Our public servants now see it as part of their job to enforce sharia in the United States of America. Who could have imagined it would ever come to this?

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The full particulars of the Mark Holick case are below the jump. Many thanks to Egghead for supplying the information.

USA

Name: Pastor Mark Holick

Initial charge: August 27, 2010 Disposition or final date: November 19, 2010 (subsequent charge) Offense: Set up a Gospel distribution project on the public sidewalk in front of a mosque. Then defended self in court, asked cogent questions, brought 30 church members to court Statute: Loitering, Failure to Disperse, and Contempt of Court Link: The Forum Site Notes: First Arrest: Pastor Mark Holick of Spirit One Christian Center of Wichita, Kansas, was arrested on August 27, 2010, during Ramadan. “Police were called when Islamists witnessed Holick and 13 others handing out packets that included the Gospel of John, the Book of Romans in English and Arabic, and a DVD with testimonies of former Muslims who have converted to Christianity.” Second Arrest: “‘Then we had a number of our members there and it’s just my opinion that he’s not used to that. At one point the judge began to talk about how people were attempting to intimidate him,’ Holick continued.’ ‘Holick told WND the result of the recent hearing in Kansas’ Sedgwick County District Court was that he was cited for contempt when he angrily responded to court restrictions on his attempts to introduce his arguments. What we think happens next is that this case has been set aside and is going to have to be retried, I’m guessing. The next thing is that I have a hearing for a contempt of court charge,’ Holick stated.” The initial charge was Loitering and Failure to Disburse. The subsequent charge was Contempt of Court. Additional links: www.operationsaveamerica.org/911.htm.html www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=231469 exposingliberallies.blogspot.com/2010/11/creeping-sharia.html Disposition: Unknown Tip: Egghead

Previous posts about The Roster of the Silenced:

2011		Jan		15		The Roster of the Silenced
				17		The Roster of the Silenced: First Wave