For Anyone Coming In Late, The Story of M Robert Redeker, Who Wrote A "Le Figaro" Article Critical of Islam and Mohammed in 2006 And Has Had To Live in Hiding Ever Since

Robert Redeker – a clear-sighted French high school teacher, a teacher of philosophy – wrote just one little, lapidary article coolly and rationally describing and criticising Islam, the Quran, Mohammed, and the conduct of Muslims in France.  For that one short article (which was quickly evaporated from the archives of “Le Figaro”) he received a deluge of death threats – from Muslims – which drove him into hiding, where he remains.

The wikipedia summary of his story is here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Redeker

A New English Review essay – “The Redeker Case” –  by Hugh Fitzgerald on the subject of Robert Redeker,  and the Muslim assault upon him, can be read here:

https://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/2494

Hugh points out that Redeker did not make fun of Mohammed, nor did he invent anything. He described Mohammed exactly as he is described in the Islamic texts; but making it clear he regarded Mohammed’s character as deplorable, not as admirable.  “Infidels are not permitted to express any view of Islam that is critical…”.

Embedded within that essay is a link to an excellent little article by Robert Spencer, entitled “The Philosopher and the Fatwa”, which appeared in Frontpage online on October 2 2006.  

http://archive.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=2299

Nidra Poller, whose articles have appeared from time to time at New English Review, wrote a piece on Redeker – “Refugee in His Own Country” – for ‘Standpoint’ in February 2009.

http://www.standpointmag.co.uk/node/829/full

And for any of our readers who have “woken up” but lately to the dangerousness of Islam, and may not even have heard of M. Redeker, who had to flee into hiding in 2006 pursued by a barrage of death threats from pious Muslims, here is a link at which you can read the offending ‘Le Figaro’ article – which M. Redeker entitled “Face aux intimidations Islamistes, que doit faire le monde libre?” – en Francais:

http://sebtheb.free.fr/Redeker.html

and here is another link where you can read the article in an English translation; not the most perfect of translations, but it will do.

http://extremecentre.org/2006/09/28/robert-bedeker-english-translation/

“What Should the Free World Do While Facing Islamist Intimidation?”

Here is the final paragraph.  His reference to Benedict XVI is in connection with theatrical displays of Muslim rage that were ginned up world-wide when Benedict, in a speech at Regensburg, quoted a Byzantine emperor’s criticism of Islam.

“Hatred and violence dwell in the book with which every Muslim is brought up, the Koran.  As in the Cold War, where violence and intimidation were the methods used by an ideology hell-bent on hegemony, so today Islam tries to put its leaden mantle all over the world.  Benedict XVI’s cruel experience is testimony to this.  Nowadays the West has to be called the “free world” in comparison to the Muslim world; likewise, the enemies of the “free world”, the zealous bureaucrats of the Koran’s vision, swarm in the very centre of the free world.”

And things are even worse today, eight years later, than they were in 2006 when Redeker first wrote those words.