Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

For Public Figures in Netherlands, Terror Becomes a Personal Concern
Washington Post Foreign Service ^ | Friday, November 11, 2005; Page A14 | Craig Whitlock

Posted on 11/11/2005 4:35:29 AM PST by FreedomPoster

LEIDEN, Netherlands -- As Prof. Afshin Ellian arrived at Leiden University law school one day recently, two bodyguards hustled him through the entrance and past the electronically locked doors leading to his office. For the rest of the day, the men stood sentry outside those doors, scanning the hallways for any sign of the people who want him dead.

Ellian is one of a soaring number of Dutch academics, lawmakers and other public figures who have been forced to accept 24-hour protection or go into hiding after receiving death threats from Islamic extremists. In a country with a tradition of robust public debate and an anything-goes culture, the fear of assassination has rattled society and forced people such as Ellian to reassess whether it's worth it to express opinions that could endanger their lives.

"The extremists are afraid that if Dutch society becomes a safe haven for an intellectual discussion of political Islam, it will be very dangerous for them," said Ellian, an Iranian-born professor of social cohesion who escaped to the Netherlands two decades ago from Afghanistan after receiving death threats from communists there. "This is normal behavior in the Middle East, but not in Europe. They think it's their obligation to kill people they consider to be enemies of Islam."

In other European countries and in the United States, Islamic extremists have generally sought to spread terror with indiscriminate attacks -- bombing trains and hijacking airliners. In the Netherlands, however, radicals have embraced a different strategy: singling out individuals for assassination.

The fear in the Netherlands erupted one year ago when Theo van Gogh, a filmmaker and renowned social provocateur,

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: jihadineurope; netherlands
I loved this:

"Dutch authorities acknowledged that they don't yet understand the roots of the problem."

HINT!: It starts with "I" and ends with "m".

1 posted on 11/11/2005 4:35:32 AM PST by FreedomPoster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: knighthawk

Ping; you may want to ping one or more of your lists.


2 posted on 11/11/2005 4:40:07 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

How many wake up calls does the world need?


3 posted on 11/11/2005 4:41:06 AM PST by mtbopfuyn (Legality does not dictate morality... Lavin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

Sounds like the professor needs a revolver...


4 posted on 11/11/2005 4:42:15 AM PST by chadwimc
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

bump


5 posted on 11/11/2005 4:49:51 AM PST by VOA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster; All

Islam versus Holland- Red Cresent Rising?
various FR links | 11-13-04 | The Heavy Equipment Guy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1279355/posts


6 posted on 11/11/2005 4:53:24 AM PST by backhoe (Muslim Women? Little Penguins in Bondage)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: backhoe

Thank you, sir.


7 posted on 11/11/2005 4:57:25 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

8 posted on 11/11/2005 4:59:40 AM PST by backhoe (Anyone recall "A Clockwork Orange?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

The Dutch (and French) are reaping what they have sown.

They might be beginning to realize it, but I'm not betting on it.


9 posted on 11/11/2005 5:23:11 AM PST by SolutionsOnly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SolutionsOnly

I think the Dutch have, more than the French, which is why it's so much more violent.

Give it a little time, in France.


10 posted on 11/11/2005 5:38:58 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

Add to that, Holland (and France) have a imperial past which is well remembered in their former colonies.


11 posted on 11/11/2005 5:59:03 AM PST by jamaksin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jamaksin

These people still remember Tours, let alone events of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries.


12 posted on 11/11/2005 6:02:36 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster
an Iranian-born professor of social cohesion

Sounds like they need him in France. They have a department for this.

Whatever it is.

13 posted on 11/11/2005 6:33:58 AM PST by CaptRon (Pedecaris alive or Raisuli dead)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster

I don't think the assassination approach is unique to Holland -- didn't a Swedish or Swiss female politician get stabbed to death in a department store in the past couple of years?


14 posted on 11/11/2005 8:03:32 AM PST by ellery (The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts. - Edmund Burke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ellery; backhoe

Yes, that certainly rings a bell. Backhoe, do you have a thread going that might have a link on that? If you can suggest a thread, I'll dig through it.


15 posted on 11/11/2005 10:45:55 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: FreedomPoster
Yes, that certainly rings a bell. Backhoe, do you have a thread going that might have a link on that? If you can suggest a thread, I'll dig through it.

I don't have a standalone post on it- that unfortunate woman's fate I well remember, and it is probably among the million links here:

-Islam, a Religion of Peace®? Some links...--

16 posted on 11/11/2005 12:52:51 PM PST by backhoe (Anyone recall "A Clockwork Orange?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson