Atheist Mum

From the article you linked to:

"Dominique de Villepin, the French Prime Minister, said that the threats were "unacceptable".

He said: "We are in a democracy, everyone has the right to express his views freely -- of course while respecting others. That is the only restriction that is acceptable on this freedom."

As this is just a report and de Villepin's original would have been in French, it can't be relied on - but I'm wondering if de Villpin REALLY said (as the above suggests) that you can say what you like *as long as it is respectful of others*, in which case the teacher's remarks being disrespectful of Islam was out of order, or (as the above doesn't suggest to me) that we must respect the rights of others to say things *disrespectful of us*, as long as it is not downright illegal (ie, "he deserves to have his head cut off")

The ambivalence of the report seems to me to represent only too well the appeasement far to many politicians are showing towards an attack on a fundemental freedom. How many times has the Vatican appologised for 'causing offence' now?
 

You have to remember that religious people are suffering a mental health issue and must be treated accordingly. If you were a mental health care worker and a person came to you saying he believed in an invisible entity which was telling him to do things, you wouldn't critisise his entity. You would try to encourage him to seek medical help, take the right drugs and attend councelling.