Dutch politician
Geert Wilders (AP)
``It boggles the mind to imagine it: a lawmaker in a Western country being brought up on what amounts to criminal blasphemy charges.``
That's Rod Dreher at the Dallas Morning News, blogging about the Dutch government's decision to prosecute a member of its own Parliament, Geert Wilders, for "hate speech."
Wilder's crime was to produce a short movie called "Fitna", which juxtaposes passages from the Koran with footage of the 9/11 attacks and other atrocities perpetrated by self-described Muslim terrorists.
Wilders is charged with "inciting hatred and discrimination," even though, as free speech advocate Ezra Levant points out, hatred is a feeling, and feelings shouldn't (and realistically can't) be criminalized.
As an Investors Business Daily editorial put it tartly:
"As his film shows, this largely amounts to quoting the Koran accurately and reporting the statements of Muslim organizations and their supporters, many of which can't be repeated here.
"Wilders is in fact guilty of nothing but resisting the Islamicization of Europe and the attempt to impose Sharia law on the West. Suppressing all criticism of and debate about Islam is part of that move. Free speech and Sharia law are incompatible."
Adding insult to injury, today the Netherlands Justice Minister approved a visit by American Muslim Khalid Yasin, explaining that "everyone in the Netherlands has freedom of speech, provided they respect the rule of law."
Clearly, however, there is a double standard at work in the Dutch legal system.
Like an troublingly large number of African-Americans, Yasin believes that AIDS was created by "white" governments as a biological weapon against blacks. Accusations of "genocide" are serious legal and political business; in fact, they could very likely "incite hatred"...
Yasin's also been quoted as saying:
"There's no such thing as a Muslim having a non-Muslim friend. If you prefer the clothing of the kafirs over the clothing of the Muslims, most of those names that's on most of those clothings is faggots, homosexuals and lesbians...The Koran gives a very clear position regarding homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality -- that these are aberrations, they are immoralities and if they are tried, convicted, they are punishable by death."
Meanwhile, over in Austria, another politician has been charged with "incitement" and "humiliating a religion" for calling Mohammed "a pedophile."
Expert on Islam Robert Spencer reacts:
"Is truth no defense? Of course, the whole concept of pedophilia did not exist in Muhammad's day, but when he is taken as the supreme example of human conduct and imitated today, what results is...pedophilia. Muhammad's consummation of his marriage with Aisha when she was nine is in the hadith collection Muslims consider most reliable, Bukhari, several times.."
Americans shouldn`t view these developments too smugly. The steady erosion of the First Amendment has been going on for decades. It will only taking a slight shift in ideology in the Supreme Court to tip the balance of power, and Obama will be appointing at least two new Justices, if not four.
Given the history of the last hundred years, Europeans are understandably hypersensitive to any sign that bigoted fascist movements may be on the rise within their borders.
Sadly, the European liberal elite's enthusiasm for this enterprise is marred by bigoted blindness of their own.
Europe's radical, belligerent Muslims aren't the "new Jews". With their anti-semitism, fondness for conspiracy theories, refusal to condemn violence and their contempt for "degenerate" popular Western culture, many of their spokesmen are more like the "new Nazis."
Europe's liberal elites are performing the moral equivalent of hiding Nazis in the attic during World War II. They've learned the wrong lesson from history, which they now seem determined to relive.
Comments
Insulting Muslims is bad and will get you in trouble with the world idiots.
Slicing the throat of an innocent infidel until you can remove his head and hold it up for the cameras is ok and the world stays silent.
Happy Indep .. see Independent Examiner...
Blatant Socialist's hypocrisy, Mr. Wilders is being persecuted via the courts for political purposes. Of that I have no doubt, the socialist/communist's leaders in Europe are desperate to retain power.
Allowing a radical frothing at the mouth Political Islamists to espouse hate is acceptable but Mr. Wilders makes a video depicting real life events by Radical Muslims and that's deemed hate.
The "Religion of Hypocrisy" speaks again.
Tune in next week. Perhaps American Muslim Khalid Yasin will have turned himself into a goat (wink). Sadly your article got my goat. I call it the quiet invasion now. Not because of peaceful intent by the Islamists. Its the engulfing silence of the Media & press. An almost hysterical hostility towards any criticism of Jihadist aims or goals. Islam is the new sacred cow.
These frightened traitors are so weak with apprehension, they are now persecuting there own watchmen to feed the crocodile first. I might add Kathy they wont get any deliverance from North America this round. I think our people are tired of dying for unrepentant fascists. Which after all is said , is what the EU has become.
Only politicians are Entitled to hold an opinion. With that circumscribed by PC multiculturalism. With a thought police using an infernal rights commission to see no justice is done, or truth revealed.
Yes its here to but we have people like you, Ezra Levant , Kate at SDA, Mark Steyn. With many others with stalwart hearts that will not be intimidated into silence. That will not bow towards Mecca, becoming dhimmi’s for the peace of slavery. That is our only advantage against this invasion of barbarity disguised as Religion.
JMO
Nice glasses Kathy Shaidle.
Wilders is brought to trial for the "crime" of "inciting hatred", whereas what he has done is to point out those who are inciting *violence*.
Talk about shooting the messenger!
The only sensitivity Europe has to the possibility of offending Muslims. It is incorrect to say that Muslims are the new Jews. Jews are still Jews - no one is concerned abotu offending them, and while attacks on Jews have risen, the fact that most of these attacks are committed by Muslim thugs is carefully concealed. Why? So Muslims dont' get offended!
How much longer is the west going to keep proving to the rest of the world how utterly stupid and cowardly they can become. The moniker 'hate crime' is an absurdity in its own right, and the enforcement of it in the west is nothing more than anti-white racism. God forbid someone write racial epithets on a sign, building or property about blacks, jews, mexicans etc; these vandals will be demonized as future Ted Bundys. Yet there have been horrific murders against whites by muslims, blacks, hispanics etc. that are never labled as hate crimes. When I say horrific I'm not understating it. Two examples are the 'Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom murders and the 'The Wichita Massacre'. These poor victims were murdered and tortured beyond description by their African American killers. Guess what folks not only did the media barely cover these crimes they weren't considered 'hate-crimes'. 'Hate speech', what next hate-thought. I'm sure hate speech will be enforced without prejudice.
Dirty Harry, unfortunately this is all coming to a neighborhood near you.
This message brought to you by the Enlightened Progressive Movement.
It is not only hate speech laws and the protection of the totalitarian political ideology known as Islam that the Liberals have been championing lately. Islamization in America is already far advanced. There are publicly funded "foot baths" and "prayer rooms" at the airports in Kansas City and Minneapolis - installed by public pressure from the big Muslim grievence group CAIR with the very active support of the ACLU, the NAACP and La Raza. CAIR and local Muslim organizations have already intimidated Public school officials into backing down in Virginia and in California when the officials tried to regulate the curriculum of the local Muslim schools -this was done by getting those same groups [CAIR, NAACP, LaRaza] to hold demonstrations, make threats of public disorder, and for the ACLU to file court injunctions. Basically, to threaten to sue the School Boards and their members into the poorhouse - and the school systems caved in. Threat, Intimidation, and if that doesn't work then they go to court - if that doesn't work then they'll kill you. How many politicians in the E.U. who oppose Muslim immigration have been either murdered outright, or killed in very convenient "car accidents" in the last 10 years?? Care to take a guess?? You don't have to guess, look it up for yourself.
Thanks, Kathy for posting this. There is not much time to reverse the totalitarian god/state trend in evidence in western culture. We have been on the "slippery slope" of communism for quite some time now. I may not have the exact quote, but Karl Marx said, "Socialism is the necessary, messy transition from capitalism to communism." Here we are. Yippee!
Call to arms soon.
When God created man, he did so in their image. As a result, Mankind inherited all that is good, namely, only peaceful life. It is cumbersome, in the world, Human Rights is only defined through an explanation of artifiicial laws: which refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behaviour. However, some rather immoral people use the phrase, “Human Rights,” for their own selfish gain...such as against Geert Wilders though I am not a Ducth man by birth and yet still in the immigration process Because artificial law is manupulated to abuse natural laws and commandments of God... to define moral behaviour, it should stand to reason that both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are bound by these laws which have been ratified by God.
God bless you with knowledge to understand and behave well in society that we live.
When God created man, he did so in their image. As a result, Mankind inherited all that is good, namely, only peaceful life. It is cumbersome, in the world, Human Rights is only defined through an explanation of artifiicial laws: which refers to the use of reason to analyze human nature and deduce binding rules of moral behaviour.
However, some rather immoral people use the phrase, “Human Rights,” for their own selfish gain...such as against Geert Wilders and others, Ducth society. Artificial law is manupulated to abuse natural laws and commandments of God... to define moral behaviour, it should stand to reason that both the Declaration of Independence and always ammendable Constitutions are bound by these Holy commandments which have been ratified by God. AZC, Crailo. (christian).
God bless you with knowledge to understand and behave well in society that we live.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!