Pot, meet Kettle.

Adel Smith, president of the Muslim Union of Italy, has repeatedly tried to use the courts to muzzle Oriana Fallaci, the fiercely outspoken reporter and writer whose recent books The Rage and the Pride and The Force of Reason bitterly criticize the "Islamization" of her native country and the rest of Europe. Now, in an ironic twist to the story, it seems that Mr. Smith has just been sentenced to six months in jail for "defaming religion", the same crime of which he accuses Ms. Fallaci. It seems that, while spewing vitriol at Ms. Fallaci for "defaming Islam" by citing unpleasant facts from Islamic history, he has conducted television interviews characterizing Christianity as a "criminal conspiracy", called the pope a foreign-born "con man", and described the crucifix as a "miniature cadaver". Apparently someone objected.

His response to the conviction? To complain that he's being politically persecuted for the sake of "freedom of judgment and criticism". Pot, meet Kettle.

Smith has, over the years, filed lawsuits demanding that the Italian government destroy Renaissance artworks depicting Christian themes and sued Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later elected as pope) for the "crime" of stating Christianity to be preferable to Islam, as well as demanding that the government silence Fallaci. FrontPage supplies a thorough fisking of his frivolity and hypocrisy, with further commentary on the current lawsuit and the death threats that Ms. Fallaci has received from people like him.

I find Ms. Fallaci's writing to be more confrontational than rational, myself, but the transparently hypocritical political and legal ploys of certain Muslim leaders like Smith make me wonder whether she might be on to something in her assertion that there is a long-term plan to conquer and "Islamicize" the West through massive immigration, manipulation of legal systems, focused fanaticism, and the threat of violence against governments that fail to do their bidding.

I'll be ordering a copy of both of Ms. Fallaci's works for the library. Just so folks in Suburbia can know what Smith is talking about. Congratulations, Adel!

His conviction for the very same crime of which he accuses Ms. Fallaci is the perfect irony, both hilarious and disturbing. I don't like "religious defamation" laws because they stifle thought and speech and are subject to blatant political abuse. But it's blockheaded fanatics like Smith who have agitated for this kind of prosecution, and if it's going to happen, well, it couldn't happen to a nicer person.