October was a tumultuous time for Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) in the Hague Parliament. Dutch public opinion polls show Wilders and the PVV in the lead position in any future Parliamentary election. The PVV is currently the leading Dutch party in the European Parliament. After the next elections, Wilders might be in a position to form a ruling coalition in Holland as Prime Minister. What sets Wilders apart from most EU political leaders is his ringing support of America and Israel. He considers Israel’s embattled position in the Middle East as fighting for all of us. As he says in his speeches: “we all are Israel.”

His courageous stand against encroaching Islamization in his native Holland and the EU was emboldened by a recent decision of a British Immigration Tribunal that overturned a decision by disgraced former U.K. Home Secretary, Jacquie Smith. Smith had barred his entry at London’s Heathrow Airport in February on the specious grounds that his presence at a private showing of the controversial film Fitna at the House of Lords arranged by Lord Malcolm Pearson and Baroness Carolyn Cox would somehow disrupt, “community harmony.”

Wilders’ British lawyer who argued his case successfully before the Immigration Tribunal is a former Muslim who left Islam. Wilders is scheduled to return to the House of Lords venue in March, 2010 to show Fitna. Wilders has shown Fitna in the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC and to audiences across America in California, Florida and New York. In November, he travels to Prague to show Fitna in the Senate of the Czech Republic.
 
Wilders took a well deserved victory lap in London and at a press conference arranged by Lord Pearson re-affirmed that free speech in Western democracies is a paramount bedrock value
 
Wilders sprinted for the US following the London meetings for a full week of appearances in both Philadelphia and New York. These included events at Temple University and the Union League Club in Philadelphia organized by the David Horowitz Freedom Center. In New York, Wilders spoke at the Harvard Club  which was arranged by the Hudson Institute and at Columbia University (CU) and sponsored by the CU College Republicans and a faculty group, the CU Chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.
 
Controversy concerning his appearances in both venues in America persisted. At Temple University attempts were made by the Muslim Students Association to force administrators to cancel the event on the grounds that Wilders’ criticism of Islam causes “disruption of community harmony” – the same rationale used to bar Wilders from Britain that was overturned by the British court system. Criticism of religion is considered protected speech under US Constitution First Amendment provisions. Fortunately, the courage of a campus sponsoring group, Temple Purpose, to press ahead on free speech grounds enabled Wilders’ appearance. In the wake of his appearance at Columbia University, the student newspaper The Spectator, published an opinion piece, “Wild, Wild Wilders,” by, Adel Elsohly the graduate student adviser to the local Muslim Students Association chapter.  Elsohly wrote: “Today we call on everyone, not as Muslims, members of a cultural group or a University, but as humans, to ask him - or herself with all sincerity: Don’t we all deserve freedom from fear?”
 
Essentially, Elsohly was arguing that “freedom from fear” trumped “free speech.” It was left to a prominent American apostate, Mohamed Asghar, co-founder of Former Muslims United  to rebut this logic and in the process defend Wilders views on the threat of Islamization:
 
I agree that all humans deserve freedom from fear, including the one that emanates from a religion, called Islam. It calls upon its adherents to kill all those who do not believe in Allah, Muhammad and the Day of Judgment. Consequently, most non-Muslims, who have understood Islam and its teaching, remain in constant fear of being executed by its followers, whenever the former find themselves among the latter.
 
To put into practice what Muslims preach and claim about the mankind’s right to be free from fear; can we ask the Muslims to remove from the Quran those passages, which require them to kill the Non-Believers and to convert them to Islam by persuasion or force, or to eliminate them from the face of the earth?
 
Gordon: What was your professional background before you entered Dutch politics?
 
Wilders: I worked for the Dutch social insurance agency before I entered politics, where I first worked as a speechwriter for the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. In 1997, I was elected in the city council of Utrecht, one of the larger cities in the Netherlands.
 
Gordon: How long have you been a member of The Hague Parliament?
 
Wilders: I have been a member of the Dutch Parliament for more than 11 years now.
 
Gordon: When do you form the Freedom Party?
 
Wilders: I left the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in 2004, due to many irreconcilable differences, amongst which was the party's position on Turkish accession to the European Union, to form my own party.
 
Gordon: How extensive have been your travels to Israel and the Middle East? Did that experience lead to your defense of Israel?
 
Wilders: As a young man, I traveled extensively through the Middle East, including Iran, and lived in Israel for two years. Israel is a beacon of light in an area - the Middle East - that is pitch black everywhere else. Israel is a Western democracy, while Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt are medieval dictatorships. The so-called 'Middle East conflict' is not about land at all. It is a conflict about ideologies; a battle between Islam and freedom. It is not about some land in Gaza or in Judea and Samaria. It is about Jihad. To Islam the whole of Israel is occupied territory. Islam forces Israel to fight and Israel is not just fighting for itself. Israel is fighting for all of us, for the entire West. Israel is fighting the jihad that is meant for all of us. So we should all defend Israel. We all are Israel.
 
Gordon: What knowledge did you acquire from your readings and travels about Islam and its doctrine towards unbelievers?
 
Wilders: Islam is a totalitarian ideology, a doctrine of hate, and it is not difficult to find in the Quran what Muslims are expected to do with unbelievers: they are to be killed. Just look at Surah 4 verse 56, or Surah 47 verse 4, to name a few.
 
Gordon:What were the transforming events in Holland and the EU that led you to take a stand against Islamization?
 
Wilders: The encroachment of Islam on everyday life in the Netherlands and Europe is very significant. Mosques and burqas are popping up everywhere you look, gays and women are regularly harassed on the streets of our main cities. That creeping Islamization is what we have to fear most, because every mosque, every Islamic school, every burqa is regarded by many Muslims as a building block towards a larger goal, towards domination. In order to preserve our freedom, our democratic society and our civil rights, it is vital that we stop the Islamization immediately.
 
Gordon: You have espoused bans on the Quranic canon as ‘hate texts’. How has that been received by the Dutch non-Muslim and Muslim populations?
 
Wilders: My Freedom Party was the winner in the recent elections for the European Parliament. Right now, in the polls, we in fact are leading. If there would be elections in the Netherlands tomorrow, I could very well become the next Prime Minister.
 
Gordon: Why do you advocate restrictions on Muslim immigration in both Holland and the EU?
 
Wilders: We have to stop the mass immigration from Muslim countries simply because more Islam means less freedom.
 
Gordon: Why did you produce the film, Fitna?
 
Wilders: I felt I had the moral duty to educate people about Islam and the Islamization of Europe. The duty to make clear to everyone that the Koran stands at the heart of what some people call terrorism but is in reality Jihad. I wanted to show that the problems of Islam are at the core of Islam, and do not belong to its fringes. I have warned against the dangers of the Koran and Islam in numerous interviews, opinion articles, speeches and of course parliamentary debates, but pictures often say more than words. That is why I made Fitna.

Gordon: Were you surprised by the intense reactions of Dutch Muslims and Muslims throughout the umma?
 
Wilders: Actually, the reactions of Muslims, in particular Muslims in the Netherlands, were relatively mild. It was mainly cultural relativists that threw a fit over it. Also, there were some Muslims protesting in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia who were burning dolls depicting me and shouting terrible things.
 
Gordon:  Why has a Kingdom of Jordan Court issued a warrant for your arrest?
 
Wilders:  Because of Fitna, Jordan threatens to prosecute me for blasphemy, demeaning Islam and slandering the Prophet Muhammad; violations of the Jordanian Penal Code, even though the alleged violations did not even occur in Jordan. As you know, Jordan is a non-democratic country, without an independent or impartial judicial system and without a strongly developed civil society. Jordan's attempt to prosecute me is an infringement on the sovereignty of my country, the Netherlands. It is an infringement on freedom of speech. Jordan's attempt is in fact a hostile act towards freedom itself.
 
Gordon: You have been under 24/7 protection by the Queen’s Royal Protective Service in Holland for over four years. What triggered it and how has it disrupted your family and everyday life?
 
Wilders: My critical view on Islam has resulted in the loss of my personal freedom. Following the arrest of extremist Islamists who were planning to assassinate me I have been put under 24-hour police protection and have been for almost five years now. I have to stay in safe houses, army barracks and even prison cells because this is the only way in which the Dutch authorities can protect me. Everything I do and everyone I meet is monitored closely. As a result of this, my wife and I no longer have any privacy.
 
Gordon:  What can you tell us about the decisions of the Amsterdam Appeals and Dutch Supreme Court cases that effectively criminalized your free speech?
 
Wilders: The Amsterdam Appeals Court gave a decision which I believe was politically motivated. I hope and trust that the court of law that will handle my court-case will be more sensible and throw the charges out like they should be.
 
Gordon: Why in your opinion did the British Immigration Tribunal recently overturn former Home Minister Jacquie Smith’s ban on you entering the U.K.?
 
Wilders: They ruled that the decision of the British Home Secretary to ban me was unjust, illegal and a violation of freedom of speech. The ban was a ridiculous and politically motivated decision by the British government and thankfully the British judges have proven to be a lot wiser than the government.
 
Gordon: What was the reception you received upon arrival in Britain from those supportive of your right to speak freely versus British Muslims who wanted to stifle it?
 
Wilders: A Muslim mob demonstrated outside, shouting: "Freedom go to hell", "Shariah for the Netherlands", "Enemy of Islam Geert Wilders deserves capital punishment" and "Islam will dominate the world". But most people I met that day were happy that the preposterous ban was overturned and I was able to travel to the UK.
 
Gordon: The Freedom party is highly popular in Opinion polls of Dutch voters. Is that a reflection of their approval of the party’s agenda and your views?
 
Wilders: Of course it is! Many people in the Netherlands are fed up with the ongoing Islamization of our country, and the cowardice of the political elite that is squandering our liberties in favor of Islam, for the sake of their utopian ideas of cultural relativism.
 
Gordon: Given your recent European Parliamentary election victory, do you anticipate taking up the several positions you have won? If not, why not?
 
Wilders: We already have. Our MEP’s are already hard at work exposing the outrageous workings of the European Parliament. Only last week, they refused a very large portion of the needlessly high allowance for expenses they are entitled to because they refuse to waste the taxpayer’s money.
 
Gordon: Do you anticipate that Dutch elections might be held prior to 2011? Given your leading position in polls of likely voters in Holland, could you form a ruling coalition government?
 
Wilders: I truly hope that the elections will be held prior to 2011. The sooner we can get rid of this appalling cabinet, the better. And judging by the current polls, a lot of voters agree with me.
 
Gordon: You are a great admirer of the individual free speech rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. You have advocated the development of an EU law guaranteeing Free Speech rights in member countries. Why do you think that is an important form of protection given the current legal environment that bars criticizing a religion like Islam and Sharia Law?
 
Wilders: Let me make something very clear: Islam is NOT a religion as such. Islam is more of a totalitarian ideology that poses as a religion. It is comparable to other totalitarian ideologies like Communism and Nazism. And if you say this, you are prosecuted like I’m being prosecuted in the Netherlands. So it is very important that we reiterate the importance of the right to free speech. After all, it is one of the building blocks of our Western society.
 
Gordon: From your recent trips to America, how concerned are you about the rise of Islamization here?
 
Wilders: Although the Islamization in America isn’t as widespread as in Europe, it is a genuine threat. America is facing a 'stealth Jihad', an Islamic attempt to introduce Sharia law bit by bit. There are a growing number of examples of Islamization in the United States, for instance Muslim cab drivers at Minneapolis airport refusing over five thousand passengers because they were carrying alcohol; Muslim students demanding separate housing on university campuses; Muslim women demanding separate hours in gyms and swimming pools. I could go on and on. Also, the recent changes in policy of the American government do not bode well for the future. The United States recently joined Egypt in sponsoring an anti-free speech resolution in the UN Human Rights Council. The Obama-administration and Europe supported a resolution to recognize exceptions to free speech for any negative religious stereotyping. This appeasement of the non-free Arab world is the beginning of the end. It is erosion of free speech and of the First Amendment. This UN resolution is an absolute disgrace. But fortunately, a growing number of Americans take notice of what is happening and are aware that if things continue like this, America will have the same problems as we are currently faced with in Europe.
 
Gordon: Thank you Mr. Wilders for this thoughtful interview.

Source: New English Review