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Dutch protest Britain's ban of right-wing lawmaker." That's the AP title. When I read it I immediately thought two things. First, it's an example of the utter spinelessness and cowardice of Britain when faced with its growing Islamic nutcase problem. There's simply no reasonable justification for banning Geert Wilders from visiting Britain. He's no threat in any way. All he did was make a movie -- a movie which warns of Islamic extremism. The threat comes from his critics, Muslims who can't tolerate any criticism of their religion. That's why Wilders has to live with constant security, and is in real danger of being murdered. Ask Theo Van Gogh. Too late. He was murdered for criticizing Islam.
And then there are the Dutch. This is the same country currently trying to prosecute Wilders for "hate speech." Why? For criticizing Islam, what else? Apparently the Dutch government is unaware of the utter hypocrisy of its actions. It tolerates a court system kowtowing to Islamists; but when the British government does the same thing, it lodges a protest. How about getting your own house in order?
UPDATE
Here's Pat Condell's video on The Netherlands trying to prosecute Geert Wilders. If you haven't seen it, it's right on the mark about this issue.
Interesting posts. I even agreed with a few. Ok a very few but still a few :)
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. I just wrote about this same story on my blog this morning.
ReplyDeleteBritain has backbone, but its current government is a sad group of apologists scared shitless of offending people.
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to write a letter. Do they ever do any good?
You're right. I thought "political correctness" had run amok here in US but now I see it can get worse.
ReplyDeleteI pity Whites in Britain and in Europe. Your countries gave asylum and opportunity to parasites and rotters from African and Arab countries. All you get from those people is trouble.
Mr. Wilders is an elected official and he is persecuted at home and abroad. Incredible. If he can't speak his mind then how is the situation for the average man in the street? Good luck to you all.
You should read Ian Buruma's book, Murder in Amsterdam. It shows you how things aren't that simple. For example, Van Gogh wasn't just any critic of Islam; he was a flamboyant racist, who was not only anti-Muslim but also anti-Semitic. His targets included not only Muslims, but also liberal integrationists like Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen, whose attempts to promote tolerance landed him on the death list of the man who murdered Van Gogh.
ReplyDeleteWilders is in a way worse than Van Gogh. Van Gogh never called for banning the Qur'an; Wilders has. If you agree with the principle of not tolerating intolerance, then it's natural not to grant entry to someone who wants to ban other religions' holy texts.
Alon,
ReplyDelete" For example, Van Gogh wasn't just any critic of Islam; he was a flamboyant racist, who was not only anti-Muslim but also anti-Semitic."
Being critical of things and mocking them doesn't make you a racist or anti-Semite. The guy was an artist who liked being offensive. You might want to read this article at Salon -- not exactly a right-wing outfit. In any event, he did nothing to in any way justify being murdered.
"Wilders is in a way worse than Van Gogh"
I haven't seen anything particularly bad about Van Gogh, so that doesn't mean much. I've seen "Fitna."
"called for banning the Qur'an; Wilders has. If you agree with the principle of not tolerating intolerance, then it's natural not to grant entry to someone who wants to ban other religions' holy texts."
Yeah, if you don't believe in free speech. And that's not even considering the fact that Britain permits all sorts of incendiary speech from Muslims. So pretending that Wilders comparatively mild attacks on Islam are somehow intolerable is complete hypocrisy. Again, the only reason they are at all dangerous is because of the possible/likely reaction of a segment of the British Islamic community.
UNRR,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting that article at Salon. I didn't really know anything about van Gogh. Cheers.
Why, has Britain invited over lawmakers from Islamic countries who have called for banning the Bible on the grounds that it is genocidal?
ReplyDeleteAlon,
ReplyDeleteSee item #1 in the HOT5 for 2/12. Also, have you ever heard Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins talk about Christianity (and other religions for that matter)? They seem to have no problem going in and out of Britain.
But Hitchens is anti-Muslim more than he's anti-Christian!
ReplyDelete"But Hitchens is anti-Muslim more than he's anti-Christian!"
ReplyDeleteHe pretty much hates all religions. He wrote a book called, "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." He's made all kinds of statements that are highly offensive to Christians.
Yeah I wouldn't say Hitchens holds Christianity in any special place in his heart. Having said that, he's never called for a ban on the Bible, he just openly criticizes it for what it is: a Bronze Age book of fables.
ReplyDelete