Italy: MP calls Mohammed 'polygamist and paedophile'

Italy: MP calls Mohammed 'polygamist and paedophile'

See clip here (via le blog laiciste)

I really don't understand why Muslims are insulted by such comments. Either you think Mohammed's example of marrying multiple wives and having sex with children should be followed today (see Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan), or you don't. You can't claim that there's nothing wrong with polygamy and pedophilia and then be insulted by it.

What is more 'inciting': A Saudi Arabian grand mufti who thinks there's nothing wrong with marrying a 10 year old, or a European who says that it's pedophilia? I must have missed the outrage of European Muslims when this hit the news.

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Italian feminist and former far right-wing MP Daniela Santanche has sparked a controversy after calling the Prophet Mohammed a "a polygamist and paedophile" during a TV debate. Santanche appeared on a television programme aired on the commercial channel, Canale 5 with the president of Milan's Islamic centre, Ali Abu Schwaima, on Sunday.


"Mohammed was a polygamist and a paedophile because he had nine wives, one of whom was only nine years old, that is a historical fact," said Santanche.


A former MP for the post-fascist National Alliance party, Santanche now leads the far-right La Destra party.


Her remark incensed Schwaima and Muslims in the audience, who had been invited to take part in a debate on the contentious issue of placing crucifixes in Italian classrooms after last week's ban by the European Court of Human Rights.


"Why don't we talk about serious things, not about your disgusting comments," he shouted at Santanche.


Santanche continued to shout back: "For us, Mohammed was a paedophile."


"You're just showing the ignorance of people like you who have no other arguments to use," bellowed Schwaima, jabbing his finger at her.


He claimed the crucifix should not be removed from classrooms in Italy.


"For us, Christ was one of the five main prophets and we respect him, like the crucifix."


But Santanche was not appeased by Schwaima's remark.


"We will never listen to Mohammed, who was a polygamist and a paedophile," screeched Santanche.


Studio ushers were seen physically restraining an irate, bearded member of the audience from lunging at her.


"I and my staff dissociate ourselves from these comments, which are offensive to Islam," Domenica Cinque's presenter, Barbara D'Urso, said in a statement issued after the programme.


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One of Italy's largest Muslim organisations on Monday condemned the feminist and former rightwing MP Daniela Santanche for calling the Prophet Mohammed a paedophile and polygamist on television at the weekend. "If there is a basis to make a formal complaint, we will do so because we need to say enough is enough with this kind of vulgarity targeting Islam's prophet," said a spokesman for the Muslim group UCOII, Elzir Izidin.


"It is incitement to hatred and is unacceptable. We are looking into what we can do," Izidin added.


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The president of Italy's association of Muslim intellectuals, Ahmad Gianpiero, also deplored Santanche's comments.


"The accusations made yesterday against the Prophet Mohammed are unacceptable and will only stoke similar reactions and hostility from the Muslim community," he said.


"Now more than ever before, we need to isolate those who seek to provoke. Instead, we need to rebuild a climate of dialogue between different religions and cultures," said Gianpiero.


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Source: AKI 1, 2 (English)