The Spirit of Geert Wilders [Steyn]

nationalreview.com/ ^ | May 14, 2012 | Mark Steyn

[Servant of the Cross]

When I was asked to write a foreword to Geert Wilders’ new book, my first reaction, to be honest, was to pass. Mr. Wilders lives under 24/7 armed guard because significant numbers of motivated people wish to kill him, and it seemed to me, as someone who’s attracted more than enough homicidal attention over the years, that sharing space in these pages was likely to lead to an uptick in my own death threats. Who needs it? Why not just plead too crowded a schedule and suggest the author try elsewhere? I would imagine Geert Wilders gets quite a lot of this.

And then I took a stroll in the woods, and felt vaguely ashamed at the ease with which I was willing to hand a small victory to his enemies. After I saw off the Islamic enforcers in my own country, their frontman crowed to The Canadian Arab News that, even though the Canadian Islamic Congress had struck out in three different jurisdictions in their attempt to criminalize my writing about Islam, the lawsuits had cost my magazine (he boasted) two million bucks, and thereby “attained our strategic objective — to increase the cost of publishing anti-Islamic material.” In the Netherlands, Mr. Wilders’ foes, whether murderous jihadists or the multicultural establishment, share the same “strategic objective” — to increase the cost of associating with him beyond that which most people are willing to bear. It is not easy to be Geert Wilders. He has spent almost a decade in a strange, claustrophobic, transient, and tenuous existence little different from kidnap victims or, in his words, a political prisoner. He is under round-the-clock guard because of explicit threats to murder him by Muslim extremists.

Yet he’s the one who gets put on trial for incitement.

[Servant of the Cross]

"In 21st-century Amsterdam, you’re free to smoke marijuana and pick out a half-naked sex partner from the front window of her shop. But you can be put on trial for holding the wrong opinion about a bloke who died in the seventh century."

[A.A. Cunningham]

Where’s the link?

[Servant of the Cross]

The Spirit of Geert Wilders

Sorry. A chilling five pages. Religion of Peace. /s

[cuban leaf]

I’ve heard of Wilders but never read or watched any of his stuff. I saw an interview with him Friday and it was the very first time I ever saw anyone besides me say, in front of God and everybody, that Islam should be treated as a political belief and not as a religion.

In fact, it was kinda creepy just how many obscure opinions he and I both share regarding islam.

[Servant of the Cross]

The following is adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond’s book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat: Islam is not a religion nor is it a cult. It is a complete system.

[Servant of the Cross]

In my haste to post, I skipped over some key items - like the link, author, source, etc. .... facepalm

[GBA]

That quote makes me speculate about the cause when the effect is the rise of islam and islamic terror.

[proud American in Canada]

Wow. Chilling indeed. They are brave men—and having to even say that is a sad statement.

[Servant of the Cross]

Steyn ping. [forgive the poor posting]

[BwanaNdege]

“So it is necessary for more of us to do what Ayaan Hirsi Ali recommends: share the risk. So that the next time a novel or a cartoon provokes a fatwa, it will be republished worldwide and send the Islamic enforcers a message: Killing one of us won’t do it. You’d better have a great credit line at the Bank of Jihad because you’ll have to kill us all.”

Thank you, Mark, for that defiant stand. However, at some point we will have to move from a defiant DEFENSIVE stand to an OFFENSE. The longer we wait to go on the offense in the discussion of ideas then the greater the probability our offense of discussing ideas will have to be replaced with an offense of force.

Otherwise, they will “kill us all”.

[expat2]

It is strange to me that even those who oppose the pro-Islamic tilt in Western countries refuse to face the fact that this tilt is probably due to Arab and Iranian money being fed to the 'right people', and is not just the result of multicultural thinking (tho' there's plenty of that, too).

Follow the money!

[kingu]

Mark, I tend to agree with you on most things, but the bank of Jihad is financing the killing of us all. The thousands of people killed in the attacks on 9/11 - turning passenger planes into flying bombs - wasn't directed at anyone they had a jihad against, it was an attack upon non-believers.

The attacks on the subway in the UK, the Spanish train derailment, the thousands of rapes throughout Europe - no jihad, simply the murderous cult stretching it's arms, letting everyone know that it has arrived, and you'd best convert or suffer.

You were a target before writing this, you continue to be a target, simply because you do not bow down to Mecca five times a day. I thought you understood that, Mr. Steyn. You seem to touch upon it constantly, but it doesn't appear that the connection has been fully made within your mind.

Anyone who doesn't bow to Islam is a target. The only difference between you and the deniers is that you choose to write about it, while they think that by avoiding the subject, they exclude themselves from the target pool. They don't; they simply remain within the largest target pool there is: free people.

[papertyger]

However, at some point we will have to move from a defiant DEFENSIVE stand to an OFFENSE.

I suggest a good philosophical first step is to resolve in ones own mind to do two things.

First, make every effort to present oneself as scrupulously impartial, or even slightly favoring the prosecution, so as to be chosen for service should one be called for jury duty.

Second, to privately and secretly refuse to convict anyone being prosecuted by the state for actions taken against Islamists, regardless of the defendant's objective violation of any statute.

[Shery]

We must not sit back and pretend that this is not a problem here. Our own government is giving Islam a pass on everything...to include obedience to American laws, Obamacare, allowing Shariah law in muslim-dominant neighborhoods, etc. We need to take back America before it is too late!

[GOPJ]

As John Milton wrote in his Areopagitica of 1644, “Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience.” It is a tragedy that Milton’s battles have to be re-fought three-and-a-half centuries on, but the Western world is shuffling into a psychological bondage of its own making. Geert Wilders is not ready to surrender without exercising his right to know, to utter, and to argue freely — in print, on screen, and at the ballot box. We should cherish that spirit, while we can.

God Bless Steyn, keep him safe and free...

[Road Glide]

“I’ve heard of Wilders but never read or watched any of his stuff. I saw an interview with him Friday and it was the very first time I ever saw anyone besides me say, in front of God and everybody, that Islam should be treated as a political belief and not as a religion.
In fact, it was kinda creepy just how many obscure opinions he and I both share regarding islam.”

Geert Wilders is probably the closest resemblance to Winston Churchill The West has right now.

Steyn makes some comments about how Wilders is denigrated by being labeled a member of the European “far right” and “fringe”.

Western Europe is reaching that point where the only parties that have the will and intestinal fortitude to save it will be the parties of The Right — the HARD right. If there is to be a true struggle that vanquishes Islam from Europe it must come from them.

Otherwise, the best stock to buy in places like the Netherlands is in companies that produce burqhas...

[tet68]

The numbers are against us which leaves us with
the only alternative, to destroy the pillars
of their faith, to bring their own beliefs into
question. I believe the total destruction of
Mecca would have such an effect coupled with
sufficient propaganda directed toward Allah
punishing the faithful for their actions.

In a war of attrition we cannot win
but we do have the power to win
we must make up our minds to use it.

[JLS]

Mark Steyn ping, LINK IN POST NUMBER 3.

Freepmail me, if you want on or off the Mark Steyn ping list.

Thanks for the ping Servant of the Cross and heads up on the link issue. As you can see it took all of 5 words to alert people, so it is not big deal.

[FreedomPoster]

There are plenty of us like that here at Free Republic.

See tagline.

[Liberty Valance]

bttt