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Friday, January 23, 2009

At City Journal, Bruce Bawer (author of the essential While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within), discusses the shameful Dutch prosecution of outspoken parliamentarian Geert Wilders: Submission in the Netherlands

...With Hirsi Ali abroad, the torch passed to Geert Wilders. At times, it seems that he is the last prominent Dutch figure willing to speak bluntly about the perils of fundamentalist Islam. The same people who demonized Fortuyn have done their best to stifle Wilders. In April 2007, intelligence and security officials called him in and demanded that he tone down his rhetoric on Islam. Last February, the Minister of Justice subjected him to what he described as another "hour of intimidation." The announcement that he was making a film about Islam only led his enemies to turn up the heat. Even before Fitna was released early last year, Doekle Terpstra, a leading member of the Dutch establishment, called for mass rallies to protest the movie. Terpstra organized a coalition of political, business, academic, and religious leaders, the sole purpose of which was to try to freeze Wilders out of public debate. Dutch cities are riddled with terrorist cells and crowded with fundamentalist Muslims who cheered 9/11 and idolize Osama bin Laden, but for Terpstra and his political allies, the real problem was the one Member of Parliament who wouldn't shut up. "Geert Wilders is evil," pronounced Terpstra, "and evil has to be stopped." Fortuyn, van Gogh, and Hirsi Ali had been stopped; now it was Wilders's turn.

But Wilders -- who for years now has lived under 24-hour armed guard -- would not be gagged. Thus the disgraceful decision to put him on trial. In Dutch Muslim schools and mosques, incendiary rhetoric about the Netherlands, America, Jews, gays, democracy, and sexual equality is routine; a generation of Dutch Muslims are being brought up with toxic attitudes toward the society in which they live. And no one is ever prosecuted for any of this. Instead, a court in the Netherlands -- a nation once famous for being an oasis of free speech -- has now decided to prosecute a member of the national legislature for speaking his mind. By doing so, it proves exactly what Wilders has argued all along: that fear and "sensitivity" to a religion of submission are destroying Dutch freedom.

At The Corner, Mark Steyn asks: Britain to Follow Netherlands?

Finally, Daled Amos has an excellent post about the creeping manner in which similar government-induced sensitivities are coming to America: Congressman Conyers and Islam

John Conyers, D-MI, is likely to become new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Last year, just for practice, he held a mock impeachment hearing of President Bush in anticipation of the real thing.

But Conyers has other plans as well--especially on behalf of his Muslim constituency. Just take a look at his House Resolution 288:..

Read the rest. This is how freedom dies. Slowly, cloaked in good intentions, a sheep's skin tied firmly over it.

A group called the International Free Press Society has taken up the Wilders cause. A petition has been started: In Defense of Geert Wilders. It includes a warning to the Dutch government that a prosecution of Wilders will result in a backlash against Dutch business. I'm less than comfortable with calls for boycott of what's still a friendly state, but I suppose it needs to contain some teeth to have any meaning. The authorities have to know there are consequences in the actions they are taking.

[h/t: Larwyn for the links.]

5 Comments

It's too late. It's already been decided. Wilders doesn't deserve support, because, you see, he is an enemy of free speech himself. He called for the banning of the Koran.

It's funny how the left, which hates superstition and hates bible thumpers,

embrace wahabbists, koran thumpers, current day slavers, jihadists, women haters.

Why are you alowing this muslima.com site to promote itself on your site? These muzzies are making fun of you.

Why are you alowing this muslima.com site to promote itself on your site? These muzzies are making fun of you.

If Geert Wilders falls, then Freedom of speech is dead in Europe. We are launching an extensive International Action SITA including two possible texts ; one comparing Wilders and Winston Churchill and another Wilders and Charlie Chaplin:


http://sitamnesty.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/i-support-democrat-geert-winston-wilders-against-islamic-fascism-and-its-dhimmis (Winston Eng)

http://sitamnesty.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/i-support-democrat-geert-charlie-wilders-against-islamic-fascism (Charlie Eng)

To support Geert Wilders and our dearly acquired freedoms please participate to the 2 suggested actions and transmit this message to your friends owners of a website in order they publish it.

An other way to support Geert Wilders is to give some money. To donate: www.geertwilders.nl

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