Beaumarchais foresaw how Western govts would kowtow to Islamic regimes giving up their peoples' freedoms

Submitted by Jack Schwartz (Israel), Jun 2, 2014 at 10:07

In his play The Marriage of Figaro ((V, 3) [1784]), the French playwright Beaumarchais foresaw more than 200 years ago that Islamic potentates would try to censor any disparagement of Islam in Western countries and that Western govts would go along with this. In this play, the chief character Figaro writes a play

Figaro says:

As a Spanish author, I thought I could mock Muhammad without a care. Instantaneously, an envoy. . . from where I don't know, was complaining that I offended by my verses against the Sublime Porte [Ottoman imperial court], Persia, part of the peninsula of India, all of Egypt, the kingdoms of Barca, Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers [Barbary pirate ports at that time], and Morocco. And right away, my comedy was put to the fire in order to please the Muhammadan princes, not one of whom --I believe-- knows how to read, and who harshly strike our shoulder blades, calling us: Christian dogs. Not being able to degrade my mind, they took revenge by ill-treating it. . . printed foolishnesses only have importance in places where they are restricted; that, without the freedom to find fault, there is no really flattering praise; and only petty people fear little writings. . . Tired of feeding an obscure boarder, they put me out on the street; and because one must dine, since one is no longer in prison, I sharpened my pen again and asked everyone involved in such matters. I was told that during my economical restful retreat, a system of liberty in the sale of productions had been established in Madrid which even extended to press productions and that, provided that I did not speak in my writings about government, religion, politics, morality, nor about people in positions. . . nor about the Opera, nor about other spectacles, nor about anyone who insists on anything, I could print everything freely, under the inspection of two or three censors.

See link:

http://ziontruth.blogspot.co.il/2006/10/figaro-mocks-muhammad-were-back-in.html

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