The following video is a reminder that the butter shortage in Norway is no laughing matter.

During this festive Christmas season, when butter is an all-important ingredient in various traditional Norwegian delicacies, the lack of the crucial dairy product is felt most acutely.

In the video below a Norwegian… umm… person chides Americans for making fun of the Norwegian butter crisis. And if you Danes think your churlish mockery will go unchastised, think again! Watch this video all the way to the end — Denmark is not spared.

WARNING: Some salty language is used in this clip. Sensitive readers should cover their ears:

During this season of good cheer, Dymphna and I would like to wish all our readers a fulfilling Winter Festival. Wherever you are, whatever your cultural or religious background, we hope you will gather together with companions of all races, faiths, genders, and species to celebrate a diverse Solstice with tolerance, inclusivity, and respect for everyone who might have a different normative worldview.

During the coming New Year we pledge to join with all our comrades to continue the fight against violent extremism in whatever form it takes and wherever it may arise.

We recognize that those who attack us do so because they hate our freedoms, our tolerance, and our openness. In their blind hatred they are attempting to destroy our values. Their motivations for acting out with such wanton antagonism may never be fully known.

Nevertheless, we will continue resist the forces of evil until the perpetrators are apprehended and brought to justice.

Any questions?

There’s hardly anything in the news feed tonight. Most of our tipsters have taken seasonal jobs as elves working for S. Claus at the North Pole. And the rest are busy filling stockings with coal to give to each other…

Merry Christmas, everyone! See you tomorrow.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to AC, Insubria, JP, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

In response to the appeals court verdict against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Henrik Ræder Clausen has written the following essay at Europe News analyzing the religious teachings of Islam.

While I was working on a polite essay “What is ‘denigration’, really?”, events overtook the intended polite and analytical approach. At an Austrian court, Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff had her conviction for “Denigrating the teachings of a recognized religion” upheld. The court deemed that her uttering “an excess of opinion” about Muhammad having sex with minors, and that doing so was subject to a fine of 480 euros, alternatively 60 days in jail.

Many of us consider freedom of expression is a fundamental right in itself. Expressions used in criminal ways, like committing fraud or inciting violence is indeed a matter for the courts, but a victimless crime where not even a single Muslim protested that his faith had been ‘denigrated’, surely cannot be subject to legal action, fines or jail time. In a free society, that is.

The difference comes when the State as such submits to Islam. In that case, the supposed ‘sanctity’ of Islamic teachings obtain protection by the Law, and due to the Islamic tradition that the life of Muhammad was a perfect example for all (male) Muslims, everything Muhammad did is to be considered holy and thus protected from criticism. That includes his having sex with minors.

The implications of this are huge, for how are we to speak out against the tradition of child brides that still exist in many Islamic countries if we’re not even permitted to express any “excess of opinion”, as defined by the Court? Would we have to run every possible criticism or sarcastic comment past the Court for approval before it is made public? What are people whose e livelihood consists of satire and mockery — stand-up comedians, satire magazines — supposed to do if they come across the idea to mock religiously sanctioned sexual relationships with minors, or those who justify them?

Also, according to the Courts of Austria, we are supposed to avoid the term ‘paedophilia’ when talking about old men having sex with prepubescent girls. For, according to the Court of Austria, ‘paedophilia’ denotes the urge to have sex with under age girls, not the actual act of doing so. Further, if these sexual relations continue until the girl reaches maturity, calling the relationship ‘paedophile’ is an excess of opinion that cannot be permitted. One wonders what Mr. Fritzl thinks of that decision…

There exist other and freer countries than Austria, for instance Denmark. Here it is still permissible to express negative opinions about religious stupidity or evil, as long as that is not directed against some minority group or others. Convictions do happen, however, if an “excess of opinion” is directed against minority groups, as happened for Lars Hedegaard and Jesper Langballe, when they made passing references to the high frequency of sexual assaults within Muslim families.

But enough of the boring analysis, let’s get to what matters, namely denigrating some religious stupidity. Here’s a Top 10 of Islamic “religious teachings” that deserve nothing but scorn and mockery. Let’s start with some benign and obvious issues:

On the day following the appeals court decision upholding the verdict against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, the Austrian opinion writer Andreas Unterberger had something to say about the current state of “justice” in Austria. His op-ed makes a connection between Elisabeth’s situation and a recent incident of oppression targeting Christians in Saudi Arabia.

Many thanks to JLH for the translation:

Two Events in One Day and a Strange Connection

by Andreas Unterberger
December 21, 2011

In Vienna, Islam expert Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff’s conviction for denigration of religious doctrines was upheld by the higher court. In Saudi Arabia, 42 Ethiopian Christians were thrown into jail because they had prayed. The two instances do not have so little to do with each other as it appears at first glance.

A diseased form of justice is limiting freedom of expression in Austria in a completely novel way. All of a sudden, true statements about Islam — that the “prophet” Mohammed had sexual relations with a nine year-old-girl, which in the eyes of most Austrians is child abuse — are being punished by law. And the prosecutor’s office — which has absolutely no time to review the great scandals of this land — has for this trial performed eager and intensive preparations.

Much worse defamations of Christianity and its founder, on the other hand, have been regularly met with no punishment. Mostly under the pretext of artistic freedom. And with that, a large proportion of local cultural journalists have complacently covered Christians with scorn.

The arrest of Christians in Saudi Arabia on the same day because of a mere prayer demonstrates what intolerance predominates on the side whose honor our justice system is so heroically defending. And it is this very country which has been allowed to establish an inter-religious dialogue center in Vienna. With Foreign Minister Spindelegger leading the way. This means of course that Saudi Arabia in the eyes of the foreign ministry is the most important Islamic land. Only with the Saudis does one conduct such a dialogue.

And the purpose of this institution? It is supposed to further religious freedom, said the Saudi foreign minister at the ribbon-cutting. Apparently the motto is: chutzpah triumphs.

Yesterday’s two events show what this religious freedom signifies. Christians are convicted. In Saudi Arabia as in Austria. In neither case do we hear a word of protest or concern from Christian politicians of this land. If in fact there are any such politicians.

In this sense full of bitterness: Merry Christmas (so long as this wish too does not count as an insult to Islam, in which case of course, I would withdraw it immediately).

The following news report from CNN is a reminder that the removal of Saddam Hussein was not a boon for the Christians of Iraq. In the absence of a strongman to protect them, they have suffered repeated devastating attacks, and many are fleeing the country. According to some reports, the Christian population of Iraq has dropped by about 50% since 2003.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:

This article published in Aftenposten a couple of weeks ago concerns the independence — or lack thereof — of the Norwegian media.

In addition to the information presented in the article, it’s worth mentioning that the Norwegian state is handing out Nok 6 billion each year in so-called “media subsidies”. It certainly raises some question about impartiality of the media in the country.

American readers will notice that the mass ownership of local newspapers in Norway parallels what happened here when Gannett acquired most of the larger local papers in the country, as well as dozens of TV stations. We don’t have a comparable level of state subsidy, but our small media outlets are now largely franchises of the conglomerates.

Here’s The Observer’s translation from Aftenposten:

When LO controls the newspapers

By Jon Kristiansen

A-pressen recently acquired Edda Media, and with this latest acquisition will be the biggest proprietor of local newspapers in Norway, excluding the big regional newspapers in the larger cities. From a strict industrial perspective this is a sound business strategy; in light of the future that the media in Norway is facing, with a handful of big media conglomerates. But this is not in itself the main problem. The big question is whether the large trade unions and the political establishment are going to be allowed to dictate the agenda of Norwegian local newspapers, and in addition how this influence will affect the various local democracies

A-pressen is today owned by Telenor (36 percent) and Fritt ord (3 percent), with LO [largest Norwegian labour union] along with other various trade unions owning the remaining 61 percent. A-pressen also embraces the values of LO.

Every Norwegian newspaper is run in accordance with the Norwegian media code of ethics (Redaktørplakaten og Vær varsom-plakaten). The independence and integrity of the newspaper editor is a given in our society, including the newspapers owned by A-pressen. But in what way can such an ownership structure constitute a problem? Well, it can, because the powerful ones always exert control.

This is how it works: the owner (LO / trade union) exerts influence over the company’s guidelines and who gets elected to the board. They also exert considerable influence over the hiring processes of the CEOs and board members of the various newspapers. This board is then responsible for appointing the various editors. This is as far as A-pressen influence reaches, but this is also more than enough. The various newspaper editors hold considerable power in the editorial boards and they are the main suppliers of the editorial contents.

DN (Dagens næringsliv) published an article in 2008 which revealed that Jens Stoltenberg and Jonas Gahr Støre (Labour Party) had had dialogues with then-chairman Knut Brundtland and director Stig Eide Sivertsen, concerning the hiring of A-pressen’s new CEO. LO’s preferred candidate was Jan Erik Larsen, then editor of Tidens Krav, which coincided with the wishes of Stoltenberg and Støre. Former Telenor CEO Stig Eide, Sivertsen who at the time was a member of the board responsible for selecting the new CEO, told Aftenposten that he did not succumb to any outside pressure. The position was eventually awarded to Even Nordstrom, and Jan Erik Larsen was “instead” given the job as chief Secretary at the Prime Minister’s office in 2008.

This incident clearly demonstrates that there is a desire and willingness within the political establishment to wield power and to influence decision making processes. A-pressen’s current CEO Thor Gjermund Eriksen is a skilled media man, but he also has his “party book” in order (member of the Labour Party). A-pressen will with this latest takeover own approximately 100 of the most important regional and local newspapers in the country. In Norway local newspapers have a very important role in their communities — and these newspapers are the most important suppliers of opinions. We need to ensure that all views and opinions are going to be respected — and that they are edited by individuals who are hired solely based on merit. It is not a question about the personal integrity of the editors; on the contrary, Norwegian editors in general are rock solid. The question is who gets to select them.

A-pressen’s mission statement should be changed, and LO should withdraw its ownership of the conglomerate.

The government of Quebec has reversed an earlier decision and will allow employees in its provincial prisons to wear hijab on the job. The opposition party — the Parti Québécois — objected strenuously to this change in policy, saying that the hijab is a religious symbol, and is thus prohibited.

In other news, the Syrian government is blaming Al Qaeda for a pair of suicide bombs in Damascus that killed at least 40 people and injured more than 100.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to AC, Fjordman, Freedom Fighter, Gaia, Insubria, JP, McR, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

The previous post discussed the two-tiered system of justice in Austria, where people can be arrested, tried, convicted, and fined for offending Muslims, but no one is ever prosecuted for offending Christians.

The Muslim mayor of Calgary has created a similar double standard in his city. He sees no problem with the leftist agitators of Occupy Calgary when they pitch their tents in a city park, but he arrests Christians for practicing their faith in a public place.

In the video below, Ezra Levant talks to the Christian pastor who was arrested, handcuffed, and hauled off to jail in Calgary.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:

The following editorial is from Kurier , which is a pro-EU, pro-immigration daily in Austria. Thus it is quite surprising that the editor-in-chief actually understands the implications of Tuesday’s verdict in the Vienna appeals court against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff.

Many thanks to JLH for translating this piece:

A Verdict With Consequences

Islam defends itself against insults. Christian churches do not (yet).

December 21, 2011

Anyone who commits religious harassment against Islam must reckon with judicial condemnation. On Tuesday, the Regional Supreme Court of Vienna upheld a lower court conviction, according to which the presenter of an FPÖ seminar gave voice to an “excessive opinion.” In its decision, it referred to the European Court of an Rights, according to which freedom of expression does not mean that it is permissible to baselessly insult others. So far, so good.

This could also change dealings with Christian religions. We are right now in a historical phase when denigration of Christian symbols is a trivial offense. It is interesting that Islam may be what brings this development to an end. The most recent instances, such as piddling on a crucifix (in Munich) or a Madonna covered by a condom (in St. Pölten) clearly come under the blasphemy paragraphs in the law. But because no one — even bishops — wants to look like an art-hating fundamentalist, they are too cowardly to defend themselves. The Blues, who are the only ones who do battle against this, are unceremoniously dispatched (even by judges). Justice, however, is not expected to have a double standard. One could wonder whether the most recent judicial decision will also apply to Christians in the future.

Our supporter and commenter in the Netherlands, Sagunto, sent this little clip yesterday, with his usual “kind regards from Amsterdam”.

Just what I needed to make me smile! As part of my Hanukkah celebration (whilst waiting for the jolly man to show up) I am posting it here for all to enjoy.

Interestingly, the English-language wiki on the performer, Hans Teeuwen, describes him as “apolitical” before the death of his good friend, Theo von Gogh.

The wiki says:

In 2005, Teeuwen announced he would no longer perform, incidentally coinciding with the death of director and close friend Theo van Gogh. However, in 2007 he decided to try a new challenge: performing in English. He appeared at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective, which spurred him to do a longer show. In 2008 he performed solo at the Soho Theatre in London. He also returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008, and performed at Suffolk’s 2008 Latitude Festival. In October 2008, he performed a show in the Leicester Square Theatre, London that was recorded for a future DVD release. In 2009, he performed at the Leicester Comedy Festival and the Belfast Festival at Queen’s.

Although his work is typically devoid of politics, in real life Teeuwen has repeatedly and openly acted as a fervent supporter of freedom of speech, especially after the murder of his friend Theo van Gogh. His eulogy and speech at the unveiling of a statue in memory of van Gogh were an example of his views. A video clip of Teeuwen advocating freedom of speech while being interviewed by three female Muslim TV presenters has been chosen as “Dutch TV Moment of 2007”. [You can find some good links here if you follow the wiki URL — e.g., the video clip about freedom of speech.]

It’s good that Teeuwen learned English so he could perform in Britain. His style reminds me of Robin Williams a bit, edgily funny, though less obviously insane. If you look at some of his YouTubed work, you can see the wide variety in his humor. This one, a sketch about Sinter Klaas looks very funny, even though I don’t understand Dutch. However, while watching the body language and listening to the laughter, one can infer that it’s probably not Gates of Vienna “safe” if it were subtitled in English. Notice the very elaborate Santa Claus get-up he’s wearing. Also observe that the mitre he’s wearing is missing the usual cross; however, that over-sized red bible (or is it a list of accounts for good vs. bad boys and girls?) is emblazoned with a gold cross you can’t miss. A thumb in the eye, perhaps??

Sagunto says:

“This Islam-song featured in his latest theatre show. Hans Teeuwen was a close friend of Theo van Gogh. I didn’t do a literal translation, just to keep the rhythm intact, but the message is still the same.”

This is a comedian who really uses his whole body in his performances. He must burn a lot of calories up on stage!

ISLAM (by Hans Teeuwen)

Islam, islam, islam, jou treft geen enkele blaam,
je kunt er niets aan doen, als je flipt van een cartoon,

Je zult nog moeten leren, met vrijheid om te gaan,
homo’s accepteren en de vrouwtjes niet te slaan,

Ga jezelf bevrijden en gooi je haren in de wind
hou op met dat besnijden, ‘t is niet prettig voor zo’n kind

Ga heerlijk zonnebaden en doe dat lekker bloot,
eet een stukje varkenskarbonde met een jood,

Islam, islam, islam, jou treft geen enkele blaam,
je kunt er niets aan doen, als je flipt van een cartoon,

De wereld blijft veranderen, doe mee en ga op zoek,
sta open voor de anderen, blijf niet hangen bij dat boek,

Je hoeft niets uit te leggen, en ik neem je niet de maat,
want niemand kan je zeggen, waar het leven over gaat

Nee, niemand kan je zeggen, waar het leven over gaat
Oh islam, oh islaaaam, oh isla-la-la-lalala-laaam’.

…and over the fold you’ll find the English version as translated by Sagunto.

Islam, islam, islame, you are absolved from blame
You just can’t help yourself, when a cartoon raises hell

You still have yet to learn, to deal with liberty,
Be gentle with the ladies, and the gay community

Go in search of freedom, let the wind blow through your hair
Cut out the circumcision, ‘cause a child won’t think that’s fair,

Get out, get some suntan, get naked while you do,
Try some tasty pork chops, and share it with a Jew,

Islam, islam, islame, you are absolved from blame
You just can’t help yourself, when a cartoon raises hell

The world will keep a changin’, join in and have a look,
be open to a stranger, and leave aside that book,

Don’t bother apologizing, you’ll find your own way out,
‘cause there’s no one here to tell you, just what life is all about

Yes, no one here to tell you, just what life is all about,
Oh islam, oh islaaaam, oh isla-la-la-lalala-laaam’.

A question for our American and British readers: do you think this man would be allowed to perform his “hate speech” comedy in our respective countries? Oh sure, we can smear and spear any conservative group we like – no limits there – but would we be permitted to be funny about “Islame”?

I don’t think so.

Christianity, on the other hand, is a big book of laugh riots. Just try to imagine “The Life of Brian” turned into “The Life of Mohammed”… it loses something in the translation, no? Never mind. It gains a great deal in anxiety; Islam has trained infidels well.

Here’s a page of quotes from that silly movie, and this excerpt:

Brian: I am NOT the Messiah!
Arthur: I say you are Lord, and I should know. I’ve followed a few.

1979 that was. The world has moved in a very different direction since then. After 9/11, Islame came out of the closet dragging its bloody scimitar.

Thank heavens for the relief Latma provides. They live in that existential place well down the road from fear. I mean, what is going to happen to them? Will some imam issue a fatwa?

“I don’t believe it is helpful to frame our adversaries as Islamic with any set of qualifiers that we might add… This is not about political correctness.”

— Paul N. Stockton

In the video below, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, attempts to get a straight answer from Paul Stockton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs.

Watch Sec. Stockton squirm and writhe in his (successful) attempt to avoid using the words “Islamic” or “Islamist” as modifiers for “Al Qaeda”.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for uploading this video:

This week’s syndicated column by Diana West talks about the verdict in the “hate speech” against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, and what it portends for free speech in the West. Some excerpts are below:

A New “Silent Night” Descends on Austria

Ah, to be in Vienna at Yuletide. Streets sparkle with the lights of the Christkindlmarkts, the traditional markets that spring up for the season. Skaters circle the rink outside the picturesque Rathaus (City Hall). Merrymakers warm their hands on cups of gluhwein (mulled wine). What could possibly be missing?

Freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech no longer exists in Austria, as definitively proven by the Vienna high court. This week, a judge upheld the conviction against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff on the following charge: “denigration of religious beliefs of a legally recognized religion.” In simplest terms, this means that Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff speaks the truth about Islam, and in Austria, as in other nations across the Western world currently transitioning to sharia (Islamic law), speaking the truth about Islam is not tolerated, and, more and more, is against the law.

What did my friend Elisabeth say that the Vienna high court ruled verboten? Elisabeth was convicted in February 2011 of “denigration” of Islam because in the course of a seminar she was teaching on Islam she stated that “Muhammad had a thing for little girls.”

This statement is demonstrably true. According to an authoritative Islamic text (hadith), Muhammad married his wife Aisha when she was six years old. According to the same hadith, Muhammad engaged in sexual intercourse with his “wife” when she was nine. This, at the very least, constitutes “a thing” for little girls. It also constitutes child rape under Western law and Judeo-Christian-derived morality. In all too many Islamic societies where Mohammed’s example is emulated, such child rape in “wedlock” is not a crime; indeed, it is permissible under sharia.

[…]

Where, exactly, does this leave all of the rest of us in that community of nations whose calendars, despite the press of Islamization, still culminate in Christmas? I offer in response a clarifying quotation that pegs our existential whereabouts exactly. It comes from Afshin Ellian, a Dutch columnist, law professor, and professor of citizenship, social cohesion and multiculturalism at the Leiden University, who in 1983 fled Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution in Iran.

In early 2010, Ellian, commenting on the trial of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders for allegedly anti-Islamic statements, had this to say:

“If you cannot say that Islam is a backward religion and that Muhammad is a criminal, then you are living in an Islamic country, my friend, because there you also cannot say such things. I may say Christ was a fag and Mary was a whore, but apparently I should stay off of Muhammad.”

Merry Christmas.

Read the rest at Diana’s place.