In a move strikingly similar to Canada's inquisition of Mark Steyn a Dutch court has ordered that Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders be prosecuted for expressing his belief that there is a clear connection between Islam and violence. Wilders is the creator of a movie titled "Fitna" which seeks to "stop Islamisation" and "defend our freedom". He has also equated the Koran to Hitler's infamous Mein Kompf. Apparently those are both criminal acts in the Netherlands nowadays.
Here's how the BBC described the court's order:
The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.
"The Amsterdam appeals court has ordered the prosecution of member of parliament Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs," the court said in a statement.
"The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders," it added.
Yes, that's right, not only is pointing out the connection between Islam and violence a crime but simply "insulting" Muslims is as well. So much for free speech.
However for some supporters of Islam it seems the elimination of free speech is good news. Here is how one of them reacted to the decision:
Gerard Spong, a prominent lawyer who pushed for Mr Wilders's prosecution, welcomed the court's decision.
"This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on the garbage dump of Nazism," he told reporters.
But perhaps what is even more alarming for those of us here in the states is the complete lack of interest the mainstream media has shown in covering this attrocity. The sheer lack of desire to cover this story is clear when the fact that only the AP, CNN, Fox News, and the LAT had original articles on the subject.
