Culture War

Geert Wilders - Boris Johnson's uglier brother?

The greatest worry for all parents of schoolchildren is bullying. The government agrees and hence all schools must have an anti-bullying policy. All parents know that the worst course of action is to appease bullies. Yet this is precisely what European governments are doing to the Islamic bullies in their communities. For instance,

1. Jacqui Smith, the UK Home Secretary, has declared in truly Orwellian style that all future Islamic terror atrocities will be referred to as 'un-Islamic'. Quite why she seeks to speak on behalf of her Muslim constituents is beyond me. Or quite how she would know is also a mystery. Still, there you have it. Islamic terrorist attacks are now to be known as 'un-Islamic criminal acts'. Terrorists have been defeated by Labour as they have been re-branded criminals. And Ignorance is Truth. It's like calling the Spanish Inquisition 'un-Catholic'.

A survey for Policy Exchange revealed that 1 in 8 young British Muslims support terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and 1in 3 believes that apostates (Muslims who leave their faith) should be killed. So yes - it's not a majority, but it's not exactly a trifling minority either.

2. Next up is the case of Hani Ramadan, a schoolteacher in Geneva. He wrote an article in French newspaper, Le Monde, stating that adulterers should be stoned. He was sacked. However, a Court of Appeals has just reinstated him and awarded him two years pay in damages.

3. And then there's the Dutch. Looking at Holland and its Muslim population is akin to peering ten years into the future for England (and possibly a generation for Australia). Tensions are already elevated in Holland following the murder of Theo van Gogh three years ago by a Muslim extremist for dissing the Koran.

Enter stage left Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party and not a man known for his ability to smooth troubled waters. Geert has made a film about the Koran. No surprises for guessing that it doesn't exactly portray Mohammed and the Koran in a positive light. In fact, Geert himself stated that his film will show the Koran as a "source of inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror". Right on queue and without a trace of irony, the Grand Mufti of Syria has indicated that Geert will be 'responsible for inciting wars and bloodshed'.

Nothing surprising so far. Just another example of Europe's big, big problem. But here comes the shocker from Dutch Foreign Minister, Maxime Verhagenstated,

"Freedom of expression doesn't mean the right to offend"

Chew on that oh-lovers-of-liberty and start preparing your kids for a real culture war.