Argent by the Tiber on "Trial of author Oriana Fallaci, charged with defaming Islam, opens in Italy"

Argent posts from the USA Today.

The details:

The trial of Italian author and veteran journalist Oriana Fallaci, accused of defaming Islam in a 2004 book, opened Monday in northern Italy and was quickly adjourned, a lawyer said. Fallaci, who lives in New York, did not attend the hearing in Bergamo, northern Italy.

Monday's hearing was largely devoted to technicalities, and the proceedings were adjourned to June 26, said Matteo Nicoli, a lawyer for the Muslim activist who brought the lawsuit against Fallaci.

Islamic activist Adel Smith, who also was not in court, charged that some passages in Fallaci's book, The Strength of Reason, were offensive to Islam. His lawyer cited a phrase from the book that refers to Islam as "a pool ... that never purifies."

Last year, a judge ordered Fallaci to stand trial on charges of violating an Italian law that prohibits "outrage" to religion. He cited a passage that reads: "To be under the illusion that there is a good Islam and a bad Islam or not to understand that Islam is only one ... is against reason."

Fallaci told The Associated Press last year that "I have expressed my opinion through the written word through my books, that is all." The offense with which she is charged carries a fine of up to $7,500.

Gotta love Europe. Express an unsavory opinion about Islam, face a judge. Now, contrast that with the United States. Here, express an unsavory opinion about Christianity, take a number and get in line. Make a film out of a glorified beach-book-sized unsavory opinion, and make some $$$!

What a world!