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Dutch Politico Seeks To Provoke Both Muslims and the Politically Correct

January 24, 2008

    To date Americans probably have never heard of Geert Wilders, but they may soon, especially if the Dutch film-maker and member of parliament comes out with his film in the next two months that reportedly compares the Qur'an, Islam's sacred holy book, to Hitler's Mein Kampf.

    This past week European governments have been in huddles and hand-wringing about what to do if and when the 10-minute movie debuts and Muslim mobs, particularly in the Middle East, take to the streets and vent their rage against the Netherlands as they did two years ago at Denmark during the infamous "cartoon controversy."   The government of Syria and a prominent Iranian politician have threatened dire consequences if the Dutch "allow" Wilders to release the film.   

   Radio Netherlands describes Wilders, who dyes his hair, as "the most famous bleach-blond since Marilyn Monroe".  Well, that may be true in the Netherlands, and to a lesser extent on the European Continent, but around here the reaction is generally "Geert who?"  No, he's not related to Britney Spears, with whom we are all-too-familiar.

    Unlike the poor and astonished journalist in the Danish cartoon controversy, Wilders has taken it upon himself to deliberately provoke Muslims.  It's not just that he despises Islam, which he does, but he apparently wants to make a point that there is an egregious double standard in the West when it comes to defending freedom of speech against Islamist "intolerance." 

    He especially wants to emphasize the point in the Netherlands, which has prided itself since the seventeenth century on its culture of tolerance and allowing otherwise "intolerable" opinions and lifestyles to flourish.  If the Dutch can allow to people to use, or abuse, drugs in public, the argument goes, why can't they permit someone to say something really offensive about someone else's religion, even if the result might be rioting and loss of life? 

    Wilders is not exactly your garden-variety independent film-maker who is sticking to the principle of art at all political expense?  He is a politico himself and what we would call an "agit-prop specialist, or one who uses art chiefly to score political goals.  As a mogul in one of Holland's right-wing, anti-immigration parties , Wilders seems to want to get Muslims to react violently so that he can say "I told you so" as he barnstorms to make the case that Islam should not be treated under law as just another "religion."   A religion that is violently intolerant should not be tolerated, he insists.

    What makes Wilders interesting is that he is not just one more narrow-minded, parochial, ethnocentric bigot.  He has travelled far more in Muslim countries and the Middle East than Barak Obama has even in Europe.  He is thoroughly Dutch in many ways, but makes the Dutch uncomfortable because he embodies without nuance their culture's own covert contradictions. 

    According to his biographers, it was 9/11 and the murder of Dutch film-producer Theo van Gogh by an enraged Muslim immigrant some years ago  (for producing a film that was less offensive than what Wilders is apparently concocting) that launched Wilders on his current crusade.  But his critics point out that he is also a notorious attention-seeker, which may account for why the Dutch intelligentsia is not foursquare behind him.  Wilders says it is because they are too pusillaminous and hypocritical.

     Although Wilders was scheduled to release the film this past week, he suddenly announced that it was not yet ready, and is now slated for March.   Wilders has Dutch as well as EU politicians in something of a bind, because they all know that while they don't support him, they can't really censor him either.  How can you halt the viewing of a movie that bashes the Qur'an when you wouldn't even get a hint of thought to doing the same for, say, The Da Vinci Code, which is equally obnoxious to traditional Christians?   You either have to say that religion must be respected under law, or that liberty of expression does not have the overriding "sacred" character to which Westerners, and the Dutch especially, give lip service. 

    Wilders' "postponement" of the release of his film may cause a temporary sigh of relief among European policy-makers, but this latest episode only underscores how eventually Western liberal democracies are going to have to decide how much they really believe in the values they uphold.  It is unfortunate that a fanatic and a showman like Wilders would be the one to force the issue. 

    It is also ironic that the constituency in the Netherlands that seems to be taking the most level-headed approach is the Islamic community itself.  The leadership has basically urged Muslims not to overreact and essentially ignore Wilders, which indicates that common sense may win out over political correctness in long haul.  

More Links

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/6614

            (Jan 19) Sikhs protested against the French ban on wearing sacred turbans this week. The protest, held in New Delhi, India, was against a law that bans not only Sikh turbans, but also Muslim hijabs, Jewish Kippas, Christian crosses and other ostensible religious articles in schools and other workplaces throughout France. The protest comes just before French President Sarkozy is to arrive as a guest at the 58^th Indian Republic Day celebrations.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3216683.ece

            (Jan 20) Muslim military personnel and recruits may be in danger after their personal details, along with details of about 600,000 other people, were on a laptop stolen from a Royal Navy officer’s car in Birmingham. According to Ministry of Defense officials, Muslims are particularly exposed to potential threat after a recent plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim solder last year. Details include names, home addresses, bank and passport details, and national insurance and National Health Service numbers. British soldiers are high on Al-Qaeda’s target list because of Britain’s role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.pr-inside.com/anti-quran-film-expected-to-test-the-r395449.htm

            (Jan 20) An anti-Quran film about to be aired in the Netherlands has the government scrambling to limit potential fallout among Muslims inside and outside of the country. Although the film is expected to be only about ten minutes long, it is supposed to present the view that the Quran fosters intolerance of women and homosexuals and is used by radicals to incite violence. The film is being produed by Geert Wilders, the 42-year-old leader of the Freedom Party, who believes Islamization is threatening the country. The maker of a previous film critical of Islam was murdered on a Dutch street.

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7531

            (Jan 20) Bishops in the Church of England were unable to agree on a compromise deal concerning the appointment of women bishops. The meeting was called by some in an attempt to heal a current split over the issue. Campaigners for women bishops are becoming increasingly frustrated over delays in moving legislation forward.

http://www.cathnews.com/news/801/76.php

            (Jan 20) The newly elected Superior General of the Jesuits, Father Adolfo Nicolas, has announced that the Church in Asia has much to offer the Catholic Church and that western believers have failed to take full advantage of what Asian cultures can offer.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/praise-the-lord-online-hymns-go-digital/56993-19.html

            (Jan 21) One of the most popular hymn books in Britain, Mission Praise, is now available in digital form from the internet. Visitors to the website www.missionpraise.com can search through more than 1800 songs and, for an annual fee of $79, can also download words, sheet music and accompanying audio backing tracks. In addition, subscribers can also create playlists for their own orders of service, which can be saved and shared with others online. Mission Praise was first published in the early 1980s and was the first hymn book to combine traditional hymns with newer songs of praise.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL191362120080121

            (Jan 21) According to a new Gallup poll, most people in Muslim and Western countries believe divisions are deepening between the two cultures, and both sides claim the other disrespects their culture. World Economic Forum chairman Klaus Schwab has stated alarm at the “low level of optimism regarding dialogue between Islam and the West.” According to the report, negative perceptions are most prevalent in the U.S., Israel and the Palestinian Territories because of continuing violence in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

http://www.aina.org/news/20080121032903.htm

            (Jan 21) Egypt’s top religious body, Al Azhar, has released a fatwa calling for tough penalties on people who convert to Islam for personal reasons, only to re-convert to their old religion. According to the committee who issued the fatwa, the practice of re-converting after conversions in order to get a divorce, remarry, or to marry a Muslim is a grave crime and should not be met with leniency.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/21/headlines/headlines_30062878.php

            (Jan 21) Christianity is spreading quickly in Thailand. Before the tsunami in 2004, Christians number less than 3% of the population in Phang Nga and Ranong, but a number of sea gypsies allegedly converted in exchange for tsunami aid. After the tsunami, sea gypsies were unable to get help from the government because they could not prove citizenship. Christian aid groups offered immediate aid and have now helped offer permanent new homes.

http://www.bosnewslife.com/news/3388-malaysia-churches-protest-confiscation-of

            (Jan 21) The Council of Churches of Malaysia has criticized government officials after Christian children’s books deemed offensive to Islam were confiscated by the Publications and Al-Quran Texts Control Department of the Internal Security Ministry. CCM represents several Malaysian churches and Christian organizations. The books were seized because illustrations of prophets in the offend the sensitivities of Muslims. It is unclear when and if the publications will be returned to the stores.

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN21418523.html

            (Jan 21) Antonio Castaneda, the first priest of the Santeria religion to be elected to Cuba’s parliament has announced that Yorubagods protect the ailing Fidel Castro from witchcraft and want to see him continue leading Cuba. In addition, he stated that according to the orishas (deities), while hurricanes may batter the country this year, Castro’s health will not break. Santeria followers have sided with Castro since a white dove landed on his shoulder during a victory speech in Havana after the 1959 revolution.

http://www.theindiancatholic.com/report.asp?nid=10223

            (Jan 22) Christians in Orissa state, India, claim that Hindu extremists have given them an ultimatum to reconvert, leave, or die. The ultimatum comes after anti-Christian violence last month. A number of Christians have since converted back to Hinduism.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08012106.html

            (Jan 21) Following the recent protest by students and staff at Italy’s La Sapienza university, 200,000 Catholics showed up in St. Peter’s Square in an effort to show support for the Pope. The normal crowd that shows up is about 20,000. Pope Benedict XVI had cancelled his commencement speech for the university after 67 academics signed a letter requesting the invitation be withdrawn.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/22/nbible122.xml

            (Jan 22) Bibles are increasingly absent from Church of England pews. In one incident, Bibles were removed on grounds that they were too difficult to dust. In an upcoming meeting in London, clergy and laity will discuss this and other issues.

http://www.myjoyonline.com/education/200801/12745.asp

            (Jan 22) The Head of Research at the Afrikania Mission, Osofo Kofitse Ahadzi, claims that Christianity and Islam have failed to change people’s behavior and their followers have not been successful in positively changing society. Ahadzi based his accusation on the increase in social vices in the country. For these reasons, he supports keeping the religious and moral education (RME) course out of basic school curriculum.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080122/30935_Ecumenical_Group_Seeks_to_Reconcile_with_Black_Denominations.htm

            (Jan 22) Members of the Chuchres Uniting in Christ (CUIC) have sent a letter to the leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) in an effort to reincorporate the denominations. The two denominations left after frustration with the group’s progress on the racism issue. However, the CUIC claims that they are incomplete without the AME and AME Zion churches and that their presence is necessary if racism is ultimately to be dismantled.

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2008a/012508/012508k.htm

            (Jan 22) Latin American church leaders have decided to continue to defend the environment despite threats of violence, destruction and death. The decision was made during a conference of bishops last year in Brazil. According to Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno, the Jesuit prelate of Huancayo, Peru, church doctrines clearly indicate that the church must be committed to stewardship of creation.

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/5611093/Dutch-cabinet-decides-against-burqa-ban

            (Jan 22) The Dutch cabinet has decided against a general ban on Burqas, although they will continue to be banned at schools and for government workers. Burqas are a type of clothing that cover the whole face, except for the eyes. The cabinet argued that a general ban would violate the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion. Proponents of the proposal believe that clothing that covers the face arouse feelings of insecurity among the general public.

http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=2062

            (Jan 22) More than 80 people were injured in an attack by Hindu extremists during a large Christian meeting in India this past week. The healing meeting was being held in Chhattisgarh state’s Durg district, which neighbors Orissa state. The attackers allegedly belong to the extremist group Dharam Sena (Army for Religion).

http://www.abpnews.com/2982.article

            (Jan 22) The Baptist World Alliance has announced that the next global youth conference will be held in Leipzip, Germany this summer. Thousands of youth are expected for the gathering, which will include worship services, concerts and evening sessions with keynote speakers. Past BWA youth conferences were in 1998 in Houston, and 2004 in Hong Kong.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/rethinking-religion-in-india-starts-on-a-promising-note-in-new-delhi_10013916.html

            (Jan 22) The Rethinking Religion conference has begun in India. The conference will include platform sessions, Roundtable sessions and Paralell paper sessions, which will approach ten themes and their questions with different emphases on discussion and interaction. Chosen speakers are well-known and influential.

http://www.afriquenligne.fr/news/daily-news/egypt-arrests-some-30-brotherhood-members-2008012315502/

            (Jan 22) Around thirty members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been arrested by Egyptian security forces. The individuals are being held for belonging to a banned organization and attempting to spread the group’s ideas. According to government officials, leaflets intended to “mislead” the country were also confiscated. The Brotherhood was banned after they were blamed for an unsuccessful assassination attempt in 1954.

http://eng.gazeta.kz/art.asp?aid=103871

            (Jan 23) Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the National Democratic Party, “Nur Otan” have expressed the need to suppress illegal religious movements in the country. The president stated that the separation of religion and state does not mean that Kazakhstan should become a scrap-heap for any religious movements that want to move in, and has supported some limits on religious freedoms.

http://www.pr-inside.com/catholic-communist-land-dispute-highlights-r399452.htm

            (Jan 23) Catholics in Vietnam are testing the country’s government. For weeks now, church leaders and their followers have been gathering daily in front of the old Vatican embassy in Hanoi, seeking the return of church properties which were taken over by the government after the communists took power more than five decades ago. Just five years ago, a similar demonstration would have most likely in arrest and detainment.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.1801670880

            (Jan 23) Soldiers will soon be deployed to the island of Mindanao, in the Philippines, to guard foreign and local Christian missionaries serving on the conflict-ridden island. The deployment is the result of increased kidnapping and ransom threats by Islamic radicals in the area.

http://europe.courrierinternational.com/eurotopics/article.asp?langue=uk&publication=23/01/2008&cat=LOCAL+COLOURS&pi=0

            (Jan 23) The Austrian army is set to appoint two imams to watch over Muslim recruits. The decision ends a controversial debate in the devoutly Catholic country. Muslims make up approximately 3.5% of the armed forces, with over 1,000 soldiers.

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2008/1/23/Heads-of-Churches-In-the-Name-of-God--end-the-siege-over-Gaza

            (Jan 23) Religious leaders in Jerusalem and the Holy Land have urged leaders of Israel to activate Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s initiative for Palestinian responsibility control of the borders. In addition, they have urged the International Community to assert their influence and end the siege of Gaza.  Currently, more than 1,500,000 people are imprisoned and without proper food or medicine, and 800,000 do not have electricity.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0800424.htm

            (Jan 23) Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary for the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, has voiced his believe that international organizations and governments need to work with the Catholic Church to help lift Gypsies out of a life of poverty and discrimination. The term Gypsies is often used to identify various communities that refer to themselves as Roma, Sinti, Manouches, Kale, Gitans and Yeniches. The Archbishop claimed Gypsies are unique because they do not have a country of origin that could give them needed support.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080123/30952_Bible_Society:_6_in_10_Filipinos_Don%92t_Read,_Own_Bible.htm

            (Jan 23) According to a new survey by the Philippine Bible Society, 60% of the population of the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic country, does not read or own a Bible. In response, Filipino Catholc leaders have launched a project to boost Bible literacy through linking Bible reading and mobile phones. “Bible Anime” is a new messaging service that supplies Sunday readings and animations to phone users via multimedia messages.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31557620080123

            (Jan 24) Turkey’s government has pressed ahead on its plans to lift a ban on the Islamic headscarf in universities. Proponents of the ban, including many judges and army generals, see the hijab as a threat to the separation of state and religion. The AK Party, under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, supports removing the ban and has announced that they have no intention to wait, and will propose easing the ban without waiting for parliament to approve a new constitution.

http://www.pr-inside.com/paris-court-hears-appeal-in-case-r401537.htm

            (Jan 24) A Paris court has begun hearing an appeal brought by Muslim groups against the satirical newspaper Charlie-Hebdo, which was acquitted last year of defamation charges following its publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The groups appealing the decision include the Union of Islamic Organizations of France. The public prosecutor has asked the court to uphold the lower decision, claiming that freedom of expression trumps all other rights.