THE last time the South Wales Echo squared up to religion, religion – in the guise of Stephen “Birdshit” Green – shouted back BOO! The paper scuttled away in full panic mode, apologised to Christians for offending them, and promptly removed the offending item – a column by Dan O’Neill – from its website.
Well, O’Neill has done it again. This time, under the headline What’s Happened to Freedom of Speech?, he’s had a pop at:
Muslim zealots with their orchestrated bellows of ‘Behead the infidel’.
O’Neill also pointed out that:
We have allowed ourselves to be intimidated to the extent that we now seem fearful of offering any criticism at all of Islam – even when Muslims themselves see no offence.
One example he gave concerned comedian Katy Brand. She planned to include a sketch in her ITV show, a send-up of the Vicar of Dibley called the Imam of Dibley. She explained:
Katy Brand
A new imam arrives in a sleepy parish and the comedy stems from the misunderstanding it causes.
Commented O’Neill:
Harmless stuff, you’d think. But it won’t be seen. Lawyers said it might be ‘culturally insensitive’. No, I can’t see why, either, but we are so paranoid … that we’ve lost our nerve. It comes to something in this Land of Free Speech (that’s a laugh) that we censor ourselves in case we MIGHT offend somebody. I suspect, though, that the real reason for this act of surrender is that some foam-flecked nutter might regard it as an ‘insult’ to his faith.
But the Cynical Dragon points out that O’Neill’s column raises problems:
1. Will the South Wales Echo apologise if radical Muslims complain about the piece? Or does it only apologise to Christian wackjobs?
2. It is strange that in a piece about freedom of speech Dan fails to mention (or perhaps was prevented from mentioning) that the South Wales Echo had edited the online version of his older article and issued an apology to Stephen Green of Christian Voice.
Note: The Freethinker set up a petition demanding that the SWE retract its apology and reinstate O’Neill’s article on the website. You can still sign it here.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Good morning to you, Sir. My name is Mahmoud Said Teikh Offens and I am high dudgeon in your South Wales paper where no offence was taken but your Mr O’Neil says I should be offenced even if I am not offenced, because followers of mighty, all-loving, all-knowing Allah (pbuh) and his only Prophet (pbuh) might take offence because esteemed and learned lawyers say offence might be taken. Why am I not offenced? I shall complain to your esteemed and learned editor. If I am not offenced how am I to moan and whinge and set fire to things? I am, Sir, your humbly and disgruntled friend, Mahmoud. PS: I shall be most humbly gratitude if you print not this letter because it might cause offend to those who do not follow Allah (pbuh).
September 9th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
What’s this? O’Neill said the bible wasn’t the word of god? We can’t have that. It was written by a “wild-eyed bronze age nomad.” I think even the briefest of readings will soon sort that out. And O’Neill ought to be careful of the company he keeps in making these wild allegations.
“If Christ were here now, there is one thing he would not be - a Christians”. Mark Twain.
“I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but expressed it clearly” - Albert Einstein.
“Of religion I know nothing. At least in its favour.” Lord Byron.
“The bible. That is what fools have written, what imbeciles command, what rogues teach, and young children are made to learn by heart.” Voltaire.
Well that proves my point. Thank god we have citizens prepared to combat this kind of shallow thinking and Editors ready to react to complaints. Some things are more important than free speech it would seem in the South Wales Echo - like moral cowardice.
September 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I am an atheist and I am desperately offended by the South Wales Echo. I demand an apology.