Last week, Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, was cleared by an Amsterdam Court of all charges of insulting Muslims and inciting hatred and discrimination against them. The trial of the "only internationally known Dutch politician" drew major media attention in many countries. The verdict is generally being hailed as a triumph for almost unbridled free speech.
Concerning Israel, the Jews and what may be said about them in The Netherlands, this judgment could invite very problematic consequences - says the Jewish Newspaper Ynetnews. The charges included a long list of statements by Wilders, one of which was: “The Koran is the Mein Kampf of a religion which aims to eliminate others and which calls the others - the non-Muslims - unreligious dogs.” On another occasion he had said: “The core of the problem is that fascist Islam, the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed, as written down in the Islamic Mein Kampf, the Koran.”
Regarding Muslims, Wilders had said inter alia: “Close the borders. No more Muslims should be let into the country, many Muslims should leave the Netherlands and criminal Muslims should lose their Dutch nationality.”
Note EU-Digest: Freedom of expression is one of the best guarantees to keep Democracy on track. Even if it is used and abused by political populist opportunists like Geert Wilders, it all still is power to the cause. Fortunately it also provides others the freedom to express their uncensored observations about Mr. Wilders. Like the fact that Mr Wilders marriage to a Jewish diplomat and his years spent in Israel could be another cause for his many racially and culturally abusive remarks about Muslims.
Even though Israel is still the only true democracy in the Middle East, they do happen to have pretty controversial methods in dealing with their fellow neighbor countries.
For more: Wilders, Israel and the Jews - Israel Opinion, Ynetnews
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