Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff: Difference between revisions
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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===Background=== |
===Background=== |
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The daughter of an Austrian diplomat, she says her interest in [[Islam]] came after "having been exposed to Islam from early childhood" and being "confronted with life under the [[Sharia]]".<ref name="georgetown"/> She spent much of her life in Muslim countries, first in Iran until the [[Islamic Revolution]] in 1979 |
The daughter of an Austrian diplomat, she says her interest in [[Islam]] came after "having been exposed to Islam from early childhood" and being "confronted with life under the [[Sharia]]".<ref name="georgetown"/> She spent much of her life in Muslim countries, first in Iran until the [[Islamic Revolution]] in 1979.<ref name="jewishstate">{{cite news|url=http://thejewishstate.net/feb2610wolff.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313155921/http://thejewishstate.net/feb2610wolff.html|title=Activist takes on radical Islam: Sabaditsch-Wolff: 'It remains to be seen whether the truth is a defense'|work=The Jewish State|first=Sarah|last=Morrison|date=February 26, 2010|archive-date=March 13, 2010}}</ref> Her family thereafter returned to Austria, before moving to [[Chicago]], where she completed most of her schooling. She worked for the Austrian embassy in Kuwait at the time of the [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait]] in 1990.<ref name="jewishstate"/> She moved back to Austria, before again moving to Kuwait, and later went to work in Libya in 2000.<ref name="jewishstate"/> She returned to Austria in 2001, and had earned a [[master's degree]] in diplomatic and strategic studies by 2006.<ref name="meforum">{{cite news|url=https://www.meforum.org/65204/elisabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-when-speech-ceases-to|title=Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff: When Speech Ceases to be Free|first=Marilyn|last=Stern|work=Middle East Forum|date=6 November 2023}}</ref> She was approached by the [[Freedom Party of Austria]] in 2007 to develop a seminar on Islam, which she taught for two years.<ref name="meforum"/> |
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===Hate speech case=== |
===Hate speech case=== |
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===Other activities=== |
===Other activities=== |
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Sabaditsch-Wolff has been active in the [[Citizens' Movement Pax Europa]], the [[International Civil Liberties Alliance]],<ref name="hope">{{cite web|url=https://hopenothate.org.uk/2018/01/11/what-is-counter-jihadism/|title=International counter-jihad organisations|date=11 January 2018|work=Hope not |
Sabaditsch-Wolff has been active in the [[Citizens' Movement Pax Europa]], the [[International Civil Liberties Alliance]],<ref name="hope">{{cite web|url=https://hopenothate.org.uk/2018/01/11/what-is-counter-jihadism/|title=International counter-jihad organisations|date=11 January 2018|work=Hope not hate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407011107/https://hopenothate.org.uk/2018/01/11/what-is-counter-jihadism/|archive-date=7 April 2024}}</ref> the [[Viennese Association of Academics]] and [[ACT for America]].<ref name="georgetown"/> In this capacity she has been part of a delegation that has worked to "counter Islam" at the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE).<ref name="georgetown"/> She participated in all of the annual international counter-jihad conferences held from 2007 to 2013,<ref name="hope"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://expo.se/file/2254/download?token=_JSo7wjG|title=Counterjihadrörelsen– en del av den antimuslimska miljön|first=Martha|last=Hannus|pages=67-76|year=2012|publisher=Expo Research|language=sv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101144939/https://expo.se/file/2254/download?token=_JSo7wjG|archive-date=1 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EjolDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA86|pages=86–92|title=Understanding the Populist Shift: Othering in a Europe in Crisis|first1=Gabriella|last1=Lazaridis|first2=Giovanna|last2=Campani|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2016|isbn=9781317326069}}</ref> and has been featured extensively on the counter-jihad blog ''[[Gates of Vienna]]''.<ref name="georgetown"/> In 2010 she spoke in Israel alongside [[Geert Wilders]] at the invitation of former MK [[Eliezer Cohen]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/world/elisabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-speaks-up-for-israel-1.44489|title=Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff Speaks Up for Israel|date=10 December 2010|work=The Jewish Chronicle}}</ref> and she posed for photographs together with [[Donald Trump]] and [[Frank Gaffney]] at the launch of [[The United West]] in Florida in 2011.<ref name="georgetown"/> In 2016, she was knighted by the [[Knights of Malta]].<ref name="georgetown"/> She was invited to meet with Kansas Secretary of State and Trump advisor [[Kris Kobach]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/03/09/elisabeth-sabaditsch-wolff-convicted-hate-speech-against-muslims-meets-trump-advisor-kris|title=Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Convicted of Hate Speech Against Muslims, Meets with Trump Advisor Kris Kobach |date=9 March 2017|work=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> She has been interviewed regarding her legal case by [[Jeanine Pirro]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M72QDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Elisabeth+Sabaditsch-Wolff%22&pg=PT182|title=Radicals, Resistance, and Revenge: The Left's Plot to Remake America|page=182|first=Jeanine|last=Pirro|publisher=Hachette UK|year=2019|isbn=9781546085171}}</ref> and has worked with [[Katie Hopkins]].<ref name="georgetown"/> |
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In 2019, she published her book ''The Truth is No Defense'', a |
In 2019, she published her book ''The Truth is No Defense'', a memoir about her legal case and her life in Muslim countries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kern|first=Soeren|year=2020|title=Review of The Truth Is No Defense|journal=Middle East Quarterly|volume=27|issue=3|url=https://www.meforum.org/61042/truth-is-no-defense}}</ref> The book included "expert analyses" by [[Robert B. Spencer|Robert Spencer]], [[Clare M. Lopez]], [[Stephen Coughlin]], Grégor Puppinck, Christian Zeitz, [[Henrik Ræder Clausen|Henrik R. Clausen]], Christine Brim and [[Aaron Rhodes]]. An updated and revised version of the book, titled ''Truth Was My Crime: A Life Fighting for Freedom'' was published in 2023.<ref name="meforum"/> |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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[[Category:Knights of Malta]] |
[[Category:Knights of Malta]] |
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[[Category:People convicted of racial hatred offences]] |
[[Category:People convicted of racial hatred offences]] |
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[[Category:People convicted of speech crimes]] |
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[[Category:People from Chicago]] |
[[Category:People from Chicago]] |
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Revision as of 00:39, 4 July 2024
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Occupation | Counter-jihad activist |
| Known for | E.S. v. Austria |
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff (born 1971)[1] is an Austrian counter-jihad activist.[2][3] She was the applicant of the hate speech trial E.S. v. Austria, brought before the European Court of Human Rights.[1] Before she became involved in the counter-jihad movement, she held positions at the Austrian embassies in Kuwait and Libya, and in the Austrian ministry of foreign affairs.[2]
Biography
Background
The daughter of an Austrian diplomat, she says her interest in Islam came after "having been exposed to Islam from early childhood" and being "confronted with life under the Sharia".[2] She spent much of her life in Muslim countries, first in Iran until the Islamic Revolution in 1979.[4] Her family thereafter returned to Austria, before moving to Chicago, where she completed most of her schooling. She worked for the Austrian embassy in Kuwait at the time of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.[4] She moved back to Austria, before again moving to Kuwait, and later went to work in Libya in 2000.[4] She returned to Austria in 2001, and had earned a master's degree in diplomatic and strategic studies by 2006.[5] She was approached by the Freedom Party of Austria in 2007 to develop a seminar on Islam, which she taught for two years.[5]
Hate speech case
In 2009, a journalist infiltrated one of her seminars and recorded it, after which she was charged with hate speech.[5][6] She was convicted by a Viennese court for "disparaging religious doctrines" in 2011, due to having described the Muslim Prophet Muhammad as a pedophile.[7][8][9] She appealed the conviction to the European Court of Human Rights, which in 2018 ruled her speech to not be covered by freedom of speech,[2][10][11] although she had made the assertion based on the Islamic texts describing Muhammad's consummation of his marriage with his 9-year-old wife Aisha when he was 54 years old.[6] According to Bruce Bawer, a search for mentions about the case on the internet, described by William Kilpatrick as a "pivotal event in modern European jurisprudence" that "placed the principles of sharia above the right to freedom of expression", failed to find a single mention of the original appeals verdict in any newspaper in the Western world.[12]
Other activities
Sabaditsch-Wolff has been active in the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa, the International Civil Liberties Alliance,[13] the Viennese Association of Academics and ACT for America.[2] In this capacity she has been part of a delegation that has worked to "counter Islam" at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).[2] She participated in all of the annual international counter-jihad conferences held from 2007 to 2013,[13][14][15] and has been featured extensively on the counter-jihad blog Gates of Vienna.[2] In 2010 she spoke in Israel alongside Geert Wilders at the invitation of former MK Eliezer Cohen,[16] and she posed for photographs together with Donald Trump and Frank Gaffney at the launch of The United West in Florida in 2011.[2] In 2016, she was knighted by the Knights of Malta.[2] She was invited to meet with Kansas Secretary of State and Trump advisor Kris Kobach in 2017.[17] She has been interviewed regarding her legal case by Jeanine Pirro,[18] and has worked with Katie Hopkins.[2]
In 2019, she published her book The Truth is No Defense, a memoir about her legal case and her life in Muslim countries.[19] The book included "expert analyses" by Robert Spencer, Clare M. Lopez, Stephen Coughlin, Grégor Puppinck, Christian Zeitz, Henrik R. Clausen, Christine Brim and Aaron Rhodes. An updated and revised version of the book, titled Truth Was My Crime: A Life Fighting for Freedom was published in 2023.[5]
Bibliography
- The Truth Is No Defense. New English Review Press. 2019. ISBN 9781943003303.
- Truth Was My Crime: A Life Fighting for Freedom. Amazon. 2023. ISBN 9798854860260.
References
- ^ a b Pokorny, Lukas (2020). Religion in Austria: An Annotated Bibliography of 2020 Scholarship (PDF). University of Vienna. pp. 302, 308.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Factsheet: Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff". Bridge Initiative. Georgetown University. 3 June 2019.
- ^ Hafez, Farid (18 May 2018). "Controversial manifesto against "new anti-Semitism" in France: Cutting Suras to suit". Qantara.de.
- ^ a b c Morrison, Sarah (February 26, 2010). "Activist takes on radical Islam: Sabaditsch-Wolff: 'It remains to be seen whether the truth is a defense'". The Jewish State. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Stern, Marilyn (6 November 2023). "Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff: When Speech Ceases to be Free". Middle East Forum.
- ^ a b Kolig, Erich (2016). Freedom of Speech and Islam. Routledge. pp. 103–104. ISBN 9781317132813.
- ^ "Beraterin der FPÖ droht Haft". OE24 (in German). 20 December 2011.
- ^ "Urteil gegen Sabaditsch-Wolff hält: Herabwürdigung religiöser Lehren: OLG bestätigt Urteil erster Instanz". news.at (in German). 20 December 2011.
- ^ "OLG bestätigte Urteil gegen Sabaditsch-Wolff". noen.at (in German). 20 December 2011.
- ^ Cliteur, Paul; Ellian, Afshin (2020). "The Five Models for State and Religion: Atheism, Theocracy, State Church, Multiculturalism, and Secularism". ICL Journal. 14 (1): 128–132.
- ^ Puppinck, G. (2020). "The censorship of speech about Islam before the European Court of Human Rights: the appalling case of ES v. Austria". Christianity World Politics. 24. doi:10.21697/CSP.2020.24.1.22. S2CID 234708682.
- ^ Kilpatrick, William (2012). Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West. Ignatius. p. 234. ISBN 9781586176969.
- ^ a b "International counter-jihad organisations". Hope not hate. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024.
- ^ Hannus, Martha (2012). Counterjihadrörelsen– en del av den antimuslimska miljön (in Swedish). Expo Research. pp. 67–76. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022.
- ^ Lazaridis, Gabriella; Campani, Giovanna (2016). Understanding the Populist Shift: Othering in a Europe in Crisis. Taylor & Francis. pp. 86–92. ISBN 9781317326069.
- ^ "Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff Speaks Up for Israel". The Jewish Chronicle. 10 December 2010.
- ^ "Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, Convicted of Hate Speech Against Muslims, Meets with Trump Advisor Kris Kobach". Southern Poverty Law Center. 9 March 2017.
- ^ Pirro, Jeanine (2019). Radicals, Resistance, and Revenge: The Left's Plot to Remake America. Hachette UK. p. 182. ISBN 9781546085171.
- ^ Kern, Soeren (2020). "Review of The Truth Is No Defense". Middle East Quarterly. 27 (3).
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Austrian critics of Islam
- Austrian expatriates
- Austrian expatriates in the United States
- Austrian memoirists
- Austrian political activists
- Austrian women activists
- Counter-jihad activists
- Expatriates in Kuwait
- Expatriates in Libya
- Free speech activists
- Knights of Malta
- People convicted of racial hatred offences
- People convicted of speech crimes
- People from Chicago