Why Won’t the FBI Stand Up to Islamic Extremism? (Molly Norris cont.)

[Bragi]

A Forbes blog piece on Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris, who has gone into hiding because of death threats from Islamic terrorists, and the refusal of the U.S government to offer protection:

Cautioning Norris to take al-Awlaki’s threat seriously, they have now advised her to change her identity, move far from her home in Seattle (where she, until now, worked for the Seattle Weekly), and start over – essentially entering into a witness protection program – only without the accompanying protection.

Let me repeat: The U.S. government is suggesting that Ms. Norris change her name, strip away her past, possibly even change her appearance, because she has been targeted by Muslim extremists who are not amused by her work or her ideas. Rather than protect her, rather than defend her, rather than stand up for her Constitutional and democratic rights, declaring their intention to route al-Awlaki out and bring him (and others who are threatening her life) to justice, the American government, as it were, is itself in essence allying with him by taking away her freedom and her life...

...unlike the British, who for years protected and defended Salman Rushdie from the edicts of Ayatollah Khomeini and others, the USA has thrown up its hands, leaving her to her own devices...



http://blogs.forbes.com/abigailesman/2010/09/23/america-silenced-and-dumb/?boxes=Homepagechannels

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I highlight this blog item because I think free speech matters, and because no left wing or progressive news organizations or blogs have defended Molly. While right-wing hate media are all over her case, the silence from the left around what has been allowed to happen to her is truly shocking.

For their part, unlike most US media, most U.S journalistic organizations, and the left in general, some U.S. Muslim organization have come out very strongly in support of Molly and free speech.

See http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/a_defense_of_free_speech_by_american_and_canadian_muslims/0018241