Mila: French Teen Critic Of Islam And Free Speech Symbol
Muhammad Irfan Published June 21, 2021 | 11:04 PM
At just 18 years old, a French teenager has sparked a national debate about free speech, over which she has faced death threats online and been defended by President Emmanuel Macron
Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jun, 2021 ) :At just 18 years old, a French teenager has sparked a national debate about free speech, over which she has faced death threats online and been defended by President Emmanuel Macron.
The girl known simply as Mila says she craves nothing more than a normal life after a furore that erupted last year, when her videos criticising islam in vulgar terms went viral on social media.
But a quiet life appears off the cards for now as France's most outspoken teen, who says she has received over 100,000 hateful messages, brings out a book titled "I am the price of Your Freedom".
Its publication comes as the trial resumes in Paris of 13 people accused of subjecting her to such vicious harassment that she was forced to leave school and was placed under police protection.
The story of Mila goes to the core of the debate over freedom of expression that has raged in France since 2015, when Islamist gunmen attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.
Mila has been feted by some, especially on the right, as a hero of the fight for freedom of expression in secular France, though critics accuse her of needlessly provoking observant Muslims.
"We no longer have the right to mock, criticise or insult religions, even when they are intolerant, sexist or homophobic," she writes in her book.
- Living 'in prison' - On January 18, 2020, Mila who was 16 at the time and describes herself as pansexual, meaning she is attracted to people of all genders, was asked if she has a preference for whites, Arabs or black people.
"I answered simply that Arabs and Blacks are not particularly my type and that they do not attract me physically," writes Mila, whose full name has been withheld for security reasons.
A boy who had shown interest in her then insulted her "in the name of Allah." After receiving threats she launched into an anti-Islam tirade, declaring: "Islam is shit (...) Your religion is shit. I put my finger into the asshole of your God. Thank you and goodbye".
Her outburst triggered a flood of insults.
"She received over 100,000 hate messages and death threats saying she would be tied up, cut up, quartered, stoned, beheaded, accompanied by coffin images, and photo-montages of her bloodied decapitated head," her lawyer Richard Malka, who also represents Charlie Hebdo, told a court earlier this month.
Mila, who was forced to leave school -- no establishment would enrol her, for security reasons -- says her life became "hell." To go unnoticed when she went out she wore a disguise.
"Even when I go outside, I am in prison," she told French television in a recent interview.
The danger is real: on a language study trip to Malta last summer she was threatened with death and rape by a fellow student, who recognised her. He was arrested and convicted on the island.
Undaunted, Mila published a new video in November, reaffirming her previous tirade.
- Tweeting without thinking - The 13 being tried in Paris over the harassment are aged between 18 and 30. Most have no criminal records.
They risk up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 Euros ($38,000) if convicted.
Several defendants told the court on Monday they simply did not think before tweeting.
A 21-year-old language student identified as Lauren G. said she was "tired of seeing her (Mila's) name all the time in my news feed." One of her co-accused, 19-year-old Axel G., said he reacted in anger because he considered Mila's remarks about Islam to be "racist" and "blasphemous." - #JeSuisMila - When the controversy erupted supporters of the teen tweeted solidarity under the hashtag #JeSuisMila (I am Mila), echoing the #JeSuisCharlie slogan around which millions of people rallied following the deadly 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists.
President Emmanuel Macron was among those who defended her, saying: "The law is clear. We have the right to blaspheme, to criticise and caricature religions." Not all echoed such sentiments, however, especially on the left. Asked by French television "Are You Mila?" the Socialist ex-president Francois Hollande replied testily: "No, I am Francois Hollande." He added: "We have the right to criticise religions. Mila had every right to criticise religion. But, like everyone else, me the first, she should not engage in hate speech about those who practice their religion."Mila has vowed to continue speaking her mind.
"Even if I have a knife placed under my neck, I won't stop speaking out," she told TF1 television this month.
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