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Geert Wilders - Islam wants him dead

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Published on Thursday, 10 May 2012 06:18

Written by John Draper

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Wilders lives with a perpetual police bodyguard - experience has told the Dutch that Muslim extremists are serious in their death treats (e.g. Theo van Gogh) - and he has now published a book on his situation: Marked for Death.  He was in New York April 30, 2012 and spoke to an audience at the Gatestone Institute.  He is often described as "right-wing extremist" but if you filter the rhetoric, he has some questions that deserve an answer.  He was raised a Catholic and says he is now agnostic; he campaigns against Islam but never criticizes Christianity or any other religion.  He is clearly targeting Islam but then maybe they are worse than the others.  As Ayaan Hirsi Ali says, maybe a path that Muslims should follow would be to become Christians first.

Let me try to summarize his case for why Islam must be defeated:

First, Islam is a political organization and not really a religion.  He says that Islam fails four major tests that religions should fulfill:

1. Adherence to a religion must be a personal choice;
2. No religion should demand that those who leave it be killed;
3. A religion must never mandate the subjugation of those who do not belong to it;
4. A religion must be in accord with basic human rights.

(I can't help but note that Christianity had the exact same failings up until a few centuries ago.)

Second Islam teaches that: "everything men have to know can be found in the Koran. As such, it is hostile to all forms of innovation. But without innovation there can be no progress and people cannot prosper."  This means that Islam is harmful to adherents as well as everyone else.

Third, they are racist since they are openly anti-semitic.

Fourth, they promote violent solutions (much like Christianity did several centuries ago)

But unlike many critics, he has specific responses:

In order to defeat Islam so, we must do four things.

1. 1. Speak up and tell the truth - and like the First Amendment does in the U.S., other countries must strongly defend free speech.  He says "we must Encourage Muslims to leave Islam and to choose for freedom and prosperity."
   2. "We have to believe in the superiority of our Western values."  That translates into abandoning "the cultural relativism which pretends that all cultures are equal. This is simply not true."
   3. "We must stop the Islamization of our societies, by restricting immigration from Islamic countries, and expelling those who violate our laws and commit violence. If you respect our laws you are welcome to stay; if you don't you do not belong here and we will send you packing."
   4. We must reassert our national identities. The nation-state enables self-government and self-determination. This insight led the Zionists to establish Israel as the homeland of the Jews. Zionism teaches us one of the most important lessons which the modern world needs today. Theodor Herzl argued that a Jewish state would facilitate "a new blossoming of the Jewish spirit." Today, we need our own respective nation-states to preside over a new blossoming of our own Western spirit.

His position on item 4 seems to have led to his recent withdrawal from the governing alliance causing the downfall of the Dutch Government and requiring new elections on 12 September 2012.

He goes on to speak highly of Israel: "(It) is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is a beacon of freedom in an unfree region, a beacon of life in a place of darkness. If Israel falls, the West falls."

He then adds:

I wholeheartedly support those who struggle for freedom in the Islamic world. The Arab, Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani, and Indonesian people have tremendous potential. If they could liberate themselves from the yoke of Islam, if they would stop taking Muhammad as a role model, and if they get rid of the hateful Koran, they would be able to achieve amazing things."

We are fighting for the future of our children, the survival of the Western spirit, the preservation of our liberty and democracy, our Judeo-Christian and humanist heritage.

We must be brave and save our heritage and our own constitution. The West is in danger, but we can still prevail. Even when we are insulted, even when we are harassed and intimidated, even when we are marked for death - we must stand up for our values, tell the truth and never ever be silenced.

He takes for granted that Muslims will want democracy but many do not since then God's laws would not over-rule laws made by men.  They forget that god never actually speaks - his laws are interpreted by a handful of "holy men".

Not everyone will agree with what he says - but he does have some points:

1. Islam has strong elements of religious leaders and organizations running countries - look at Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia and others.  Do we want to go back to the Middle ages where the Popes and Bishops ran the world?
2. Do we want a religious or secular society?  Secular means freedom to hold whatever belief you want; it keeps religion out of politics.  Even Jesus said "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's"
3. Multiculturalism can be good; diversity can be good and invigorating - but if immigrants want to impose their own core values (like Sharia) which destroy our existing values, why can't we send them home?  Bring your language, your clothing, your gods, your food, your music - but don't destroy our freedoms in the process.
4. Israel is in fact the only true democracy in the Middle East -  but then that's why Muslims hate Israel; fundamentalist Muslims don't want a true democracy.

I often think that we need to have someone push extreme positions to get to a sensible middle position.  Geert Wilders is that someone on Islam.

Full speech here.

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