This wasn’t the first time that four-time Olympic medallist Louis Smith had been rebuked by his professional association British Gymnastics for breaching their Standards of Conduct. So when a video surfaced in which he was judged to be mocking Islam, it was determined that “a cumulative penalty was appropriate“, and this came in the form of a two-month suspension.
No doubt British Gymnastics believes that Louis Smith is bringing his profession into disrepute by shouting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ and sniggering while his mate adopts the sajdha position and performs half a rakat. Louis Smith is an inspiration and role model to many thousands of people, young and old: what he says resonates; what he does influences.
If Louis Smith MBE had mocked Our Glorious Dead by breaking wind over a wreath of poppies while singing ‘God Save The Queen’, British Gymnastics would also have moved to suspend as a “cumulative penalty”.
.... Freedom of expression and freedom of speech are the philosophical progeny of freedom of religion. Where there is freedom of religion, there must be freedom from religion. When our mainstream media and political leaders demand obeisance to “tolerance in relation to religions” – meaning, of course, to one religion in particular – we must necessarily subsume the freedoms of speech and expression to the new sharia blasphemy code, which you breach it at your peril. [Archbishop Cranmer] Read more
