This section of "New Age Citizen" will be dedicated to uncover various issues concerning the Middle-Eastern (ME) community in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and the larger area of SE Michigan. It is also intended to educate the Non-ME community about the very real threats that radical Islamic groups, such as CAIR, pose to a free society.
While I personally believe that most ME's are upstanding citizens of this great republic, it is also obvious that there is a minority that is defrauding the system, is involved in organized crime and is pushing for the "Islamification" of the United States.
While I fully respect the practice of all religions I also believe that where ever there is a conflict between the Constitution and a religious tradition, the Constitution must ALWAYS prevail.
Unfortunately there are far to many examples where Islamists have demanded respect for their religion that is not available within the context of a enlightened and free society. The violence that erupted after the release of the "Mohammed with a Bomb on his Head" cartoon is a perfect example.
"Dearborn-istan" is also consistent with 2 of the planks of the "New Agenda for America":
Plank 2: A 20-year moratorium on all immigration into the United States. Plank 5: A strict enforcement on issues of Separation of Church and State.
As with the NAC homepage, we will be archiving the older articles and listing the new stuff at this page. Hopefully, this will lead to an integration of the ME community in a way that preserves the inalienable rights to free speech as enumerated in the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
This edition of Dearbornistan is dedicated to Geert Wilders film, "Fitna," which was release on March 28, 2008. There was much controversy about the release of "Fitna" and "Network Solutions" actually bowed to Islamic pressure and suspended the main site where the film was to accessed for viewing.
But it has been made available through YouTube and is available, in its entirety below. In addition to this we have also assembled additional articles and videos concerning "Fitna." As a bonus I have also included the 10-minute film, "Submission," which led to the violent death of Theo van Gogh, at the hands of an Islamic Fundamentalist. And finally I have included the 1-hour film, "Islam: What the West Should Know." I highly recommend that everyone watch this last film in its entirety.
As always I just want to make it clear that I have nothing against Muslims that believe in the free, unrestricted bounds of thought and belief. Everyone has the right to believe -- or not believe -- whatever they like. But any Muslim that believes that there should be an Islamic Caliphate; that Sharia Laws should have a place in America, or that their religion should receive special treatment: these people should be deported immediately. I say this because all 3 of these positions violate the oath of citizenship, whereby you have sworn to uphold the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Update (05/01/2008): I just attempted to bring up "Fitna" and am finding that it is -- once again -- not available. When do we stop accepting the censorship of the Internet? A reader recently sent me links to "Fitna" in two parts which appear below. What is really disturbing is that a "google" search show many instances of "Fitna" which are Islamic responses to the movie, while finding Wilders "Fitna" is nearly impossible to find. There is definitely censorship going on here and we should all be concerned.
Fitna The Movie - The Original Movie - Part-1
Fitna The Movie - The Original - Part 2
Well, we can finally watch Wilders controversial film, "Fitna." It is a rather short film at about 10 minutes in length. The film basically juxtaposes the violence, committed in the name of Islam, against intolerant verses from the Quran which call for the death of non-Muslims. The film was released on March 28th, 2008 as Wilders had promised.
Frankly, I don't see how any Muslim, unless suffering from a severe mental disorder, could find too much to get upset about. Wilders merely shows the violence propagated by Islamic Fundamentalists and then presents the verses from the Quran that appear to justify the actions. If anything they should feel shame for believing such incredible garbage for so long.
Of course the Europeans also went through a similar epiphany after putting up with an equally intolerant Catholic Church. Of course the "church" wasn't into suicide bombings at the time, but my did they know how to roast a great witch. But finally the Europeans grew tired of these hypocritical fornicators and divested them of much of their power. It required a Reformation and the Enlightenment to pull it off. It also required a lot of brave men and women.
The American people often forget what a great departure it was for our Founding Fathers to insist on a complete separation between church and state. But I think it is quite clear that they had made the correct decision. Hopefully, those of the Muslim faith, will reach the same conclusion. In the long run I can assure them that they will all be happier joining the rest of us in the Post-Enlightenment.
For a more thorough understanding of the totalitarian aspect of Islam I suggest watching the series: "Islam: What the West Should Know." You will find it midway down the "Dearbornistan" page and it is approximately 1 hour in length.
As always, I encourage you to support the "New Agenda for America." Of course one of the planks, of this agenda, insists on a 20-year moratorium on all immigration into the United States. Such a policy would go a long way in preventing an Islamic uprising from ever occurring in this country. Europe would be well-served by implementing a similar policy themselves.
Danish Politician Wilders is expected to release his critical assessment of Islam at the end of March, 2008, in a 12-minute film entitled "Fitna." I am focusing on Wilders and his 12-minute film, in this edition of "Dearbornistan", because it is a perfect example of a conflict between the United States Constitution and Islam.
In a free and enlightened society the free exchange of ideas must always be protected. And this requires that we place no limits on those freedoms. Unfortunately some radical Muslims, that I would refer to as Islamists, believe that their religion "is more equal" than other religions and deserves to be treated with greater respect than that afforded other religions. So a New York art gallery can display a picture of Jesus in a vat of urine, but no one can depict Mohammed with a Bomb on his head.
Frankly, any Muslim that really believes that should be deported from this country immediately because it is evidence that they have not truly embraced the freedoms that we require to be considered an American citizen. It is proof that they lied during their vow to uphold the US Constitution, when they became naturalized American citizens.
Through a number of incidents the world has become awakened to the very real threats and intolerance posed by radical Islamic fundamentalists:
* The murder of Van Gogh for criticizing Islam in the 10-minute film "Obsession" * The threats and violence that proceeded the publishing of the cartoon depicting Mohammed with a Bomb on his head * The death threats against author Rushdie for criticizing Islam in "The Satanic Verses." * The death threats against Wilders that requires him to have 24-hour security due to his criticism of Islam.
In all of these examples radical Islamic fundamentalists are demanding that their religion is somehow beyond criticism. And it is quite likely that Wilders film will evoke the same reaction from these throwbacks to the Dark Ages. But if we are to retain our free and enlightened society we must draw the line in the sand and firmly state that, in a free society, no individual or idea is beyond criticism. For once we allow an exception to restrict free speech, it will just be a matter of time before there is no free speech. And that can simply not be allowed to occur.
And I should emphasize that ultimately these freedoms benefit everyone: both Muslim and non-Muslim. Only a misogynistic control freak could argue this point. And of course it is these very dangerous Islamic fundamentalists that are evoking increasing concern, from both Muslims and non-Muslims, throughout the planet.
The Internet Provider, Network Solutions, recently suspended Wilders website due to pressure from Islamic extremists that are attempting to silence free speech in the United States through the mounting tactics of a "Cultural Jihad."
I talked with their spokesperson, Susan Wade (703.668.5057) today (03/26/2008) and tried to convince her that -- regardless of the fallout -- they must allow the site to resume and follow through with the release of the video. If they don't I promised a boycott of Network Solutions. She was very polite and assured that they would allow the release as long as it didn't violate their rules. I re-empathized that -- regardless of the content -- the site must be allowed to show the video.
In our conversation I stressed the duty we all have to make sure this "cultural jihad" is not allowed to subvert our First Amendment Rights to freedom of speech. I also said we would wait one week before going forward with the boycott. Please read through the following articles to get a better understanding of the issues surrounding this possible boycott and the upcoming release of Wilders film "Fitna.".
Short film by Dutch movie maker Theo van Gogh in association with Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The film deals with the oppression of women in many Muslim countries. Van Gogh was killed by a Muslim fanatic in 2004 because of the film. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is planning the second part of the film. "Submission" is the translation of the Arabic word "Islam".
Islam, Wilders and Free Speech By PETER HOEKSTRA March 26, 2008; Page A15 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120649269618764219.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
The Netherlands is bracing for a new round of violence at home and against its embassies in the Middle East. The storm would be caused by "Fitna," a short film that is scheduled to be released this week. The film, which reportedly includes images of a Quran being burned, was produced by Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament and leader of the Freedom Party. Mr. Wilders has called for banning the Quran -- which he has compared to Hitler's "Mein Kampf" -- from the Netherlands.
After concern about the film led Mr. Wilders's Internet service provider to take down his Web site, Mr. Wilders issued a statement this week that he will personally distribute DVDs "On the Dam" if he has to. That may not be necessary, as the Czech National Party has reportedly agreed to host the video on its Web site.
Marked for death: Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Reasonable men in free societies regard Geert Wilders's anti-Muslim rhetoric, and films like "Fitna," as disrespectful of the religious sensitivities of members of the Islamic faith. But free societies also hold freedom of speech to be a fundamental human right. We don't silence, jail or kill people with whom we disagree just because their ideas are offensive or disturbing. We believe that when such ideas are openly debated, they sink of their own weight and attract few followers.
Our country allows fringe groups like the American Nazi Party to demonstrate, as long as they are peaceful. Americans are permitted to burn the national flag. In 1989, when so-called artist Andres Serrano displayed his work "Piss Christ" -- a photo of a crucifix immersed in a bottle of urine -- Americans protested peacefully and moved to cut off the federal funding that supported Mr. Serrano. There were no bombings of museums. No one was killed over this work that was deeply offensive to Christians.
Criticism of Islam, however, has led to violence and murder world-wide. Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie over his 1988 book, "The Satanic Verses." Although Mr. Rushdie has survived, two people associated with the book were stabbed, one fatally. The 2005 Danish editorial cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad led to numerous deaths. Dutch director Theodoor van Gogh was killed in 2004, several months after he made the film "Submission," which described violence against women in Islamic societies. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Dutch member of parliament who wrote the script for "Submission," received death threats over the film and fled the country for the United States.
The violence Dutch officials are anticipating now is part of a broad and determined effort by the radical jihadist movement to reject the basic values of modern civilization and replace them with an extreme form of Shariah. Shariah, the legal code of Islam, governed the Muslim world in medieval times and is used to varying degrees in many nations today, especially in Saudi Arabia.
Radical jihadists are prepared to use violence against individuals to stop them from exercising their free speech rights. In some countries, converting a Muslim to another faith is a crime punishable by death. While Muslim clerics are free to preach and proselytize in the West, some Muslim nations severely restrict or forbid other faiths to do so. In addition, moderate Muslims around the world have been deemed apostates and enemies by radical jihadists.
Radical jihadists believe representative government is un-Islamic, and urge Muslims who live in democracies not to exercise their right to vote. The reason is not hard to understand: When given a choice, most Muslims reject the extreme approach to Islam. This was recently demonstrated in Iraq's Anbar Province, which went from an al-Qaeda stronghold to an area supporting the U.S.-led coalition. This happened because the populace came to intensely dislike the fanatical ways of the radicals, which included cutting off fingers of anyone caught smoking a cigarette, 4 p.m. curfews, beatings and beheadings. There also were forced marriages between foreign-born al Qaeda fighters and local Sunni women.
There may be a direct relationship between the radical jihadists' opposition to democracy and their systematic abuse of women. Women have virtually no rights in this radical world: They must conceal themselves, cannot hold jobs, and have been subjected to honor killings. Would most women in Muslim countries vote for a candidate for public office who supported such oppressive rules?
Not all of these radicals are using violence to supplant democratic society with an extreme form of Shariah. Some in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark are attempting to create parallel Islamic societies with separate courts for Muslims. According to recent press reports, British officials are investigating the cases of 30 British Muslim school-age girls who "disappeared" for probable forced marriages.
While efforts to create parallel Islamic societies have been mostly peaceful, they may actually be a jihadist "waiting game," based on the assumption that the Islamic populations of many European states will become the majority over the next 25-50 years due to higher Muslim birth rates and immigration.
What is particularly disturbing about these assaults against modern society is how the West has reacted with appeasement, willful ignorance, and a lack of journalistic criticism. Last year PBS tried to suppress "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center," a hard-hitting documentary that contained criticism of radical jihadists. Fortunately, Fox News agreed to air the film.
Even if the new Wilders film proves newsworthy, it is likely that few members of the Western media will air it, perhaps because they have been intimidated by radical jihadist threats. The only major U.S. newspaper to reprint any of the controversial 2005 Danish cartoons was Denver's Rocky Mountain News. You can be sure that if these cartoons had mocked Christianity or Judaism, major American newspapers would not have hesitated to print them.
European officials have been similarly cautious. A German court ruled last year that a German Muslim man had the right to beat his wife, as this was permitted under Shariah. Britain's Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, stated last month that the implementation of some measure of Shariah in Britain was "unavoidable" and British Muslims should have the choice to use Shariah in marital and financial matters.
I do not defend the right of Geert Wilders to air his film because I agree with it. I expect I will not. (I have not yet seen the film). I defend the right of Mr. Wilders and the media to air this film because free speech is a fundamental right that is the foundation of modern society. Western governments and media outlets cannot allow themselves to be bullied into giving up this precious right due to threats of violence. We must not fool ourselves into believing that we can appease the radical jihadist movement by allowing them to set up parallel societies and separate legal systems, or by granting them special protection from criticism.
A central premise of the American experiment are these words from the Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." There are similar statements in the U.S. Constitution, British Common Law, the Napoleonic Code and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. As a result, hundreds of millions in the U.S. and around the world enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and many other rights.
These liberties have been won through centuries of debate, conflict and bloodshed. Radical jihadists want to sacrifice all we have learned by returning to a primitive and intolerant world. While modern society invites such radicals to peacefully exercise their faith, we cannot and will not sacrifice our fundamental freedoms.
Mr. Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands, is ranking Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
I thought it might be instructive for visitors to reach their own conclusions about Wilder so I have embedded the following videos for your viewing pleasure.
Geert Wilders Speaks: Anti-Koran Film (Part 1 of 2)
Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic film divides Dutch
Forthcoming Muslim Violence in Holland ? Geert Wilders Film
This film differentiates between Muslims and Islamists and highlights the dangers that lie ahead if we allow American Islamists to proceed with their "cultural jihad" which is absolutely incompatible with a free society. The entire film is also available on CD:
Sudan threatens to ban Danish aid workers; Europe braces for possible protests. By Tom McCawley posted February 28, 2008 at 10:46 am EST
Outrage continued to rise this week in parts of the Muslim world over the depiction of Islam in Danish newspapers earlier this month and the possible release of a film in the Netherlands critical of the religion.
Muslims in Sudan, Pakistan, Turkey, the Middle East, and other parts of the Islamic world, have been angered over the republication of one cartoon from a 2005 series that satirized Islam's prophet Muhammad. Muslims regard visual depictions of the prophet Muhammad as blasphemous.
Governments in Europe are also bracing for protests against the possible broadcast of an anti-Islamic film by right-wing Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders that links Islam to violence. Mr. Wilders says the film, which he plans to broadcast on the Internet and possibly television, will be finished Sunday, Reuters reports. Pakistan's YouTube shutdown last weekend has been attributed in part to the film's appearance on the video-sharing website.
In Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir said Wednesday that Danes would be banned from Sudan and the Danish peacekeeping force faced possible expulsion. He was speaking before a crowd of tens of thousands denouncing Denmark during a government-backed protest against the republications of the cartoons, reports the Associated Press.
"We urge all Muslims around the world to boycott Danish commodities, goods, companies, institutions, organizations and personalities," Al-Bashir told the crowd.
Mr. Bashir's Islamist government has used other perceived insults to the prophet to bolster support for the regime and oppose the acceptance of United Nations peacekeepers in Sudan.
Denmark's foreign aid minister said Thursday she was considering whether Sudan's call could have an impact on aid to Sudan, South Africa's Independent Online reports. Sudan is one of the largest recipients of aid from Denmark.
One Muslim blogger living in Denmark, Helen Latifi, criticized the reaction from the Sudan because it was such a large aid recipient in comments published in the Sudan Tribune. Ms. Latifi called for a boycott of the boycott, claiming Sudan's complaints against Denmark were a double standard.
Earlier in February, 17 Danish newspapers reprinted the 2005 cartoons of the prophet Muhammad originally printed in the local Jyllands-Posten newspaper, and Danish police arrested several people for planning to attack a cartoonist who drew the most controversial caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, reports the South African newspaper Mail & Guardian.
The newspapers said they had republished the cartoons to show a commitment to freedom of speech after an alleged plot was discovered.
The second publication of the Muhammad cartoons has pitted sections of the Muslim world against those who defend the media's right to publish or broadcast what it wishes. The German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Wednesday more European newspapers should publish the cartoons in response to the protests in the Sudan, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
"All European newspapers should print the [Muhammad] caricatures with the explanation, 'We also think they're pathetic, but the use of press freedom is no reason to resort to violence," Mr. Schaeuble said.
In Egypt, a Muslim-Christian body, the Al-Azhar Vatican interfaith dialogue, denounced the republication of the cartoons on Tuesday, press agency Adnkronos International reports. The Al-Azhar-Vatican committee issued a final statement after a two-day meeting calling on Christianity and Islam to respect each others' beliefs and symbols. The Al-Azhar mosque is among the most respected sources of learning within Sunni Islam.
Pakistan condemned the republication of the cartoons on Wednesday, saying they had offended Muslim feelings and sentiment, Chinese state-owned news agency Xinhua reports.
"No civilized society should allow disrespect of the belief system of other communities," the statement said, adding the cartoons had deeply offended Muslims all over the world. The government said the cartoons had incited growing Islamophobia in Europe, undermining efforts to build understanding between Islam and the West.
Tensions have also risen over Wilders's film. Pakistan telecommunication authorities ordered the video-sharing website YouTube blocked on Feb. 22. The ban disrupted YouTube worldwide on Sunday, but Pakistan lifted it two days later after the video was removed, reports Wired Magazine's blog Threat Level. Others attributed the ban to Internet videos showing election discrepancies in Pakistan, reports Pakistan's The News.
So far, Wilders has given few details about the content of his film, "Fitna," other than saying he intends to present his views about the Koran.
In the past, he has said the Koran should be banned, likening it to Adolf Hitler's book, "Mein Kampf." Wilders said the film may be televised and would be available on a special Internet site, www.fitnathemovie.com, aimed at dodging any access restrictions.
This week, Pakistan upper house of parliament adopted a resolution condemning efforts to denigrate Islam and promote hatred, referring to the prophet Muhammad cartoons and Wilders's film specifically.
The Dutch government also warned Wilders on Wednesday about the dangers of broadcasting his film, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Dutch government said it was worried about its reputation and the security of Dutch citizens living abroad. Since the 2004 murder of Dutch director and columnist Theo Van Gogh, a columnist who directed a film criticizing women's position in Islam was killed by a radical Muslim, Wilders has been living under police protection.
Far-right politician Geert Wilders's latest attempt to air the controversial video has been delayed by US-based website host Network Solutions.
By Robert Marquand | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the March 26, 2008 edition
Reporter Robert Marquand discusses Dutch reaction to politician Geert Wilders and his anti-Islam video.The Hague - It's a lurking provocation in Europe's sometimes rocky encounter with its burgeoning Muslim population: For months, a popular, flamboyant far-right Dutch party leader has been preparing an incendiary film about Islam rumored to contain lurid scenes of execution and a flaming Koran. With his flashy dyed platinum hair and his 24-hour security protection, Geert Wilders routinely compares the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf," says almost all terrorists are Muslims, and advocates deporting Islamic clerics.
So it isn't surprising that the short film which has yet to secure an outlet that will air it is being compared to Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that sparked global Muslim riots two years ago. Iran and Pakistan have condemned the video, titled "Fitna" Arabic for strife. The Taliban has threatened retaliation against Dutch troops in Afghanistan.
"Fitna" has so far been the biggest show never seen, but the buildup has given Mr. Wilders growing publicity, and civic leaders time to respond.
Unlike Denmark, which held to a free speech position on the cartoons, the Dutch government has been telling Muslim nations and Islamic organizations that it doesn't agree with Wilders's views. The main question that has emerged in the debate is whether it is acceptable for an elected official to use free speech to attack the identity of other groups, even if he or she feels they are causing harm to the Netherlands.
"I don't care if someone hates Islam," says Tafiq Ali, a young Muslim from Morocco who works in a construction firm in Amsterdam. "But is it responsible for a leader to use words that can bring hate and negative consequences?"
Since January, Wilders has tried and failed to air "Fitna" on Dutch TV and then at The Hague's foreign press center. This week Wilders's backup, a US-based website, was shut down by the hosting service Network Solutions, pending an investigation of its acceptable use policy. Tuesday, the right-wing Czech National Party proposed broadcasting "Fitna," citing the "cowardice" of Dutch and EU politicians. Wilders said he might resort to handing out DVDs in central Amsterdam.
But despite the setbacks, the Sturm und Drang surrounding "Fitna" has been a colassal publicity boon for the controversial politician.
"He doesn't care [about negative consequences]; I think he loves this," says a Hague-based journalist who covers Wilders's party.
Much publicity for him and Muslims
Dutch security alerts have gone from "limited" to "substantial" this month. In the Netherlands, the unseen video brings daily press coverage, as well as seminars, TV debates, lectures by the mayor of Amsterdam, and a recent decrying of it as an "unnecessary provocation" by the eminent philosopher Jόrgen Habermas, in what he calls the modern condition of a "post-secular Europe."
Last week Harry de Winter, a prominent Dutch citizen who is Jewish, took out a large ad in the daily de Volkskrant arguing that if Wilders were to say about Jews what he is saying about Muslims in other words, if he advocated that temples be closed and rabbis deported the entire country would rise in retaliation over such an anti-Semitic act.
The Islamic community announced in February it would open its doors to the public after the video airs, to show "we have nothing to hide." A joint ecumenical statement by Protestant and Muslim groups said last week that they "forcefully reject [Fitna] if the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed are treated with contempt."
Heleen Terwijn, who runs weekend schools in inner-city Amsterdam, says, "The good side of this whole thing is that many Muslims who were unknown will become known as normal people with a normal point of view. Too many Dutch see Muslims as scary relatives of Osama bin Laden."
Still, some of the Dutch worry that the popular fears that Wilders represents are growing faster than Holland's ability to integrate its rising minorities. Mainstream talk about crime and indifference to Dutch traditions and decorum by Muslims is increasing.
"The Dutch see kids of color tearing up public trash cans or dumpsters, and they want them thrown in jail," says a researcher at an "Islam in Europe" program at Amsterdam University who was not authorized to speak on the record. "That moves quickly way too quickly to a hatred of all of Islam."
While some Dutch writers like the assassinated politician Pim Fortuyn started attacking Islam as a backward idea in the 1990s, Wilders has conflated the message further and has focused on Muslims as people, experts say.
"Fortyn was simply going after Islamic theology, but Wilders is going further," says Gerard van der Ree, a Dutch political scientist in Leiden. "He's equating Islam and Muslims together and causing people to fear and hate them, on the grounds that they are fascist. It's an eliminationist model, ironically."
In recent months, Wilders has shifted his rhetoric to focus more on Islam than its adherents.
In an interview with the New York Times, one of few Wilders has given, he said, "I believe the Islamic theology is a retarded, dangerous one, but I make a distinction," Wilders said. "I don't hate people. I don't hate Muslims . I am not saying all Muslims are wrong or are terrorists or criminals. You will never hear me say that."
Wilders is often laughed off as a crank in the Netherlands, popularly referred to as Holland, even while most of the Dutch defend his right to speak.
"It's Holland and I'm proud to live in a country where you can say anything, even if I don't agree," says Jeremy, a cafι owner in The Hague.
Why Wilders's popularity is rising
Wilders, who has warned of a "tsunami of Islamization coming to Europe," has built his career on fears over an immigrant influx including those of the nearly 1 million Muslims in this country of 16 million residents. His message has resonated with a growing percentage of Dutch voters who feel he is telling truths that elite politicians are too polite or tolerant to voice.
His popularity rose after the shocking 2004 street killing by a Dutch-Moroccan of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who with a Dutch parliamentarian had produced a film criticizing Islam's oppression of women. Two years later, his Freedom Party surprised the elites by scoring nine out of 150 members of parliament in 2006 elections.
Some residents here described conflicted feelings about politicians like Wilders that they detest, and a public discourse that seems not to capture the extent of social divisions in Holland.
"I hear Muslims making very hard statements about their situation," says Woter Mertens, a shop manager and PhD candidate in Amsterdam. "The cultures in Holland are separating further; you can feel it. Our tolerance is being destroyed. We used to be able to have reasonable discussions about things like the burqa or scarf. People did and didn't like it, said so, and did it with some tolerance and certainly openly. Now, no."
There's little outward tension along the famed canals here, or among the diffident and pragmatic Dutch. Some are tiring of Wilders and the film build-up. "It could come out any time right now, in two weeks, no one knows," says Hans Ulrich, a retired history teacher in Leiden. "Now we joke that "Fitna" doesn't exist, but is an April fool's trick."
'He represents the fear we feel'
One Rotterdam business consultant, Rhys Jansen, who spent years working for a Dutch oil firm in the Arab world, says Wilders has rightly grasped the uncertainty and worry over losing a good standard of living in a country that traditional Dutch people feel is different from the one they were born in and he is playing on this fear.
"He represents fear, the fear we feel, it's all about fear," says Mr. Jansen. "He exacerbates our feelings. We don't know each other anymore. There's less time in our lives, less time to cook, to talk, to socialize. We live in houses with walls two meters high separating our gardens. When I grew up we talked across our gardens. Now if you meet you neighbors, it is pretty much by accident. This is what Wilders understands."
Even many Muslims say they don't like the hidden tensions and new pressures in Holland brought by culture wars. Mehmet, who works in a Leiden falafel and kebab cafe, says he came from Egypt 20 years ago to escape religion. "No one here would bother you about anything," he says. "That's what I like about Holland, but I am worried this is changing."
Web host suspends site planned for anti-Koran film Sat Mar 22, 2008 9:27pm EDT Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page| Recommend (2) [-] Text [+] http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL23679590
AMSTERDAM, March 23 (Reuters) - A U.S.-based web service, which Islam critic and Dutch right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders planned to use to show his film critical of the Koran, said on Saturday that it had inactivated the site due to complaints.
"This site has been suspended while Network Solutions is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy," the company said on the site
Wilders, who has given few details about his 15-minute film, has said he plans to release 'Fitna' on the Internet before the end of the month after Dutch broadcasters declined to show it. Fitna is a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife".
Wilders still plans to show his film despite the setback, Dutch agency ANP reported.
"If need be, I will personally distribute DVDs in the Dam," ANP quoted him as saying. The Dam is the central square in Amsterdam, popular with both the Dutch and tourists.
Wilders' film has triggered fury in the Muslim world. The Dutch government has distanced itself from Wilders' views, fearing a backlash against the country in the Muslim world, similar to that against Denmark in 2006 after newspapers there published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
On Saturday, about a thousand Dutch gathered in the Dam to protest against Wilders and his film.
The film is not so much about Muslims as about the Koran, Wilders wrote in a commentary in Dutch daily De Volkskrant on Saturday. He said Fitna was a last warning for the West.
Wilders had previously warned of a "tsunami of Islamisation" in a country home to almost one million Muslims.
He has been under heavy guard due to Islamic death threats since the 2004 murder of Dutch director Theo van Gogh, who made a film critical of Islam's treatment of women.
Pat Condell is from England and provides a glimpse of the plans Islamic Fundamentalists have for the United States. He has a dry, cutting sense of humor which is good for a laugh. But he truly gives perspective to the unease between Muslims/Non-Muslims in Europe and makes an incredibly good argument for stopping the further immigration, of people from Muslim countries, into the United States. Having said that I want to make clear that New Age Citizen does not discriminate on this issue: we want no more immigration, Legal/Illegal, of any ethnicity into the United States, until American workers are economically secure once again. We feel such a moratorium should last a minimum of 20 years. See the "New Agenda for America" for more information on our political planks and positions.
A word to Islamofascists
Letter to Pat Condell:
Pat Condell: [pat@patcondell.net]
I live in Dearborn, Michigan . . . the most concentrated population of Muslims in the United States. I've recently started a section titled "Dearbornistan" where I am showing some of your videos:
http://www.newagecitizen.com/Dearbornistan.htm
Hope you don't mind. But frankly, I wouldn't care if you did. [picked that humor up from you, hee, hee]
Anyway, onto more serious stuff:
* You said the witch was executed recently. Which witch? Was that the female that caused the Saudi to become impudent? I see no articles verifying her death as of yet.
* Any opinion on what is going on in Kosovo? I am mystified as to why the US is supporting an Islamic state so close to Europe. Well, not really. See the following link for more perspective:
* Also wondering what you thoughts are on the attempted censorship of Wilders "Fitna" film; your opinion of him etc. See the current "Dearbornistan" page for more information.
* Finally, if you have any perspectives as to how Middle Easterners are buying up our city I'd sure love to hear your perspectives. I don't think they raised the money working a second job. Just today an Iraqi was charge in a Iraqi "oil for food" scandal (through the UN) where he was given 3 million barrels of oil. Not sure how that works out but at even $30/barrel that grosses to 90 million dollars. You could sure buy a lot of gas stations with that allowance.
Metro Iraqi is charged in spy case BY NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER March 27, 2008
At any rate I appreciate your brave "stand ups" on the issue of Islamic Fundamentalism. You might also be interested in viewing the video "What the West Needs to Know" . . . aslo at the current "Dearbornistan" page.
That's all for now.
Yours in Freedom,
Bruce W. Cain Editor, New Age Citizen www.newagecitizen.com
I don't intend to spend a lot of time on this section because there is really no reason to invent the wheel here. Over the years I have found the Debbie Schlussel's website is probably the best single source of "alternative" information on the Mid-Eastern (ME) Community. If you live in SE Michigan and want an alternative view of the ME community this is a site that you should visit regularly. I think what you read here will both educate and infuriate you. And sometimes that is a good thing. I don't necessarily endorse everything that Debbie says, as is the case with any person or article that I might make reference to. But I do think you will find this information source to be particularly revelatory.
These are just a few links that will give you an alternative view of Islam that you aren't going to read about in the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, or any other corporately controlled media source.
This is an extremely disturbing video and not for those with weak stomachs. But I present it here because I think it shows a side of Islamofacism that is largely "covered up" in the global media. This video underlines my argument against further immigration into the United States by any group. But in the wake of 911 I think it prudent that we specifically and immediately stem the flow of immigrants from all Muslim countries.
