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Recent Publications by New English Review Authors
In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas
by Theodore Dalrymple
Defending The West:
by Ibn Warraq
Nations, Language and Citizenship:
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Romancing Opiates
by Theodore Dalrymple
Which Koran?
by Ibn Warraq
Our Culture, What's Left of It
by Theodore Dalrymple
What The Koran Really Says
by Ibn Warraq
Life at the Bottom
by Theodore Dalrymple
The Origins of the Koran
by Ibn Warraq
Why I Am Not Muslim
by Ibn Warraq
Spanish Vignettes: An Offbeat Look Into Spain's Culture, Society & History
by Norman Berdichevsky
Leaving Islam
Edited by Ibn Warraq
Friday, 18 July 2008
Re: Cat Stevens

 I believe I heard that in the U.K., unlike the U.S., truth is not a defense in a libel case - Artemis

"Justification", i.e. that the allegation is proved to be true, is the main defence in a libel case. "True" and "proved to be true" are not the same thing - complicated rules of evidence apply. The main problem with our law is that the burden of proof is on the defendant, who must prove, in minute detail, that what he said was true. It is often very difficult to prove that the whole of an allegation is true, plus the plaintiff, especially if he's a rich Saudi, has money to pay lawyers, while the defendant often hasn't.

I think our libel laws should be changed, particularly to reduce damages and to exclude foreign litigants, but I have seen the other side. Our tabloids are notorious for making wild accusations, which can ruin the life of an ordinary person who can't fight back. That said, the laws were not intended, and shouldn't be used, to crush free speech, which is what they're doing, especially where Muslims are concerned.

In this particular case, unlike the Harry's Place one, I can't get worked up. It seems that the allegations were not true. I know that Yusuf Islam has worked with Dolly Parton, who, to be fair, doesn't show her real hair, or possibly even her real tits, but she's hardly a niqabette. Should a paper be able to tell lies about someone, even a Muslim? What if a Muslim were to libel a non-Muslim? Would it be OK for the non-Muslim to sue?

Posted on 2:38 PM by Mary Jackson
Comments
18 Jul 2008
Artemis

It seems that the allegations were not true.

I don't get that impression from the article.  The allegations were not proven, the allegations were withdrawn by the media conglomerate, but the only people who know if the allegations are true are Islam's manager and the unnamed reporter.

I'm not for the rights of the media to make false allegations, including against Muslims.  [I'm also not for the right to stiff cab-drivers, including Muslims, including cab-drivers "from the Hijaz".]  As long as we invite them into Dar al-Harb, which we shouldn't do, we need to afford them the same rights and protections that infidels enjoy.  Those rights and protections are powerful, and can be used as powerful weapons by a group that has malevolent intentions, which is one reason we need to be heedful about who we invite to join our societies.

I would go this far: the media conglomerate should not make any allegations that it is not willing to back up if true.



18 Jul 2008
Send an emailMary Jackson

The allegations were not proven

But if the allegation was that he doesn't talk to women apart from his wife, that is clearly disproven - by the Dolly Parton thing alone.

Yes, the general issue of Muslims abusing our laws is valid, but in this case I'm not sure it's something to get that bothered about.

There's free speech and there's making stuff up.

Newspapers - our tabloids anyway - print stories that sail close to the wind, knowing that they may get sued for libel. The publicity does neither party any harm, when it's a celebrity at least. It's the ordinary person who suffers from tabloid attacks.

This is a world away from the Ehrenfeld or Harry's Place case, where an effort is being made to tell the truth in the public interest ("fair comment" - another defence to libel).



18 Jul 2008
Artemis

clearly disproven - by the Dolly Parton thing alone

There'll always be a place for influential dozy bints in the entertainment superstar jihadi's limousine.  It is possible that Islam (the person) as a rule does not interact with women other than his wife, including lowly female entertainment reporters, but does work, perhaps even with a winsome smile, with a useful woman who can advance the cause of Islam (the ideology).

This case is not in the same category as Harry's Place;  it lies in that more subtle category of news organisations that allow considerations other than strict adherence to the truth to guide their coverage (or lack thereof).  See the fawning treatment CNN reporters give jihadis in order to get access to the story;  see France 2's reliance on "Palestinian" stringers to provide their coverage of the jihad against Israel.  Either Islam's manager said this, or he didn't.  But that truth is irrelevant when the decision to drop it is made on economic or other grounds.

But that's okay, you're free to get worked up, or not, at your discretion.



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