Pass The Dutchie by the left-hand side.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/12/far-right-dutch-mp-ban-islam

Erm.... on the one hand this looks like the British Government denying someone their rights of free speech. On the other it's a tepid bureaucracy completely unsure of how to address the issues of religious diversity because, fundamentally, they either don't know how they feel or are afraid to be candid about how they feel. So they panicked. Either way this move was a grand show of moral cowardice.

I don't agree with religious persecution. Nor do I think that any religion and its execution are above scrutiny. The film should have been judged on its (de)merits, not silenced. Censoring the movie only allows the BNP et al to grind an axe, and it demonstrates to any so-minded religious extremists (of any stripe) that the UK, on the whole, is scared by the subject.

Let this asshole show his movie. What's so scary about a movie? (Unless the movie said " take arms, lynch people in the streets, burn down their places of worship, go to this website to learn how to tyranize..." - but we already have laws against doing that, right? so presumably that wasn't the issue). Let the extremists get all animated - surely kow-towing to either one is unacceptable. Would the director of a right-wing movie speaking out against Judaism be denied entry to the UK? Or against Chrisitianity? Scientology? Wicca? Santa Claus...?

I guess a by-product of this decision is a backhanded support of UK Muslims but really, that seems more incidental than intentional to me. Or am I being cynical? Was that really the prime concern here?

I loathe fascists of any creed but I support their right to opine. Just as I have the right to call them ignorant, craven, simpleminded f***wits who might better serve the world by dying and donating their organs so good, useful people can live. This is democracy working, right? Of course, should they decide to oppress or censor anyone then I think it completely acceptable - even compulsory - that they be stopped with force, whatever it takes to put them down.

But preventativly, sunlight's the best disinfectant where any kind of fascism or racism exists.

It would be interesting to know who made the decision. And where their spine is kept.