Geert Wilders and his Freedom of Speech
Wilders promotes the Islamification myth, which hurts Dutch society
Individual conduct is generally made into crimes when the actions are harmful to larger society. The reason why some conduct, including speech, is made subject to criminal laws is that the conduct can produce a dangerous result. The classical example is yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. Another example of illegal speech would be to report something to the authorities that is false, but should be regarded as very serious when a false claim causes all kinds of fear and harm in the society. Remember the infamous “balloon boy” that we were told was trapped inside a balloon floating over Colorado- when he was actually hiding in the attic? Was it wrong to prosecute the Heenes for a hoax that produced such intense public fear?
Now – doesn’t Richard Heene have the freedom of speech?Nope – and neither should Geert Wilders. It is correct for a society to make some speech criminal, speech that causes great public fear and harms society- and the Netherlands is absolutely correct in prosecuting Geert Wilders.Wilders is a dangerous new breed of extremist that hides under the banner of “freedom of speech,” but Wilders, like the Heenes did in Colorado, is also promoting a hoax. First of all, Wilders may know that Islamisering of Europe and the Netherlands is not actually happening. Islamification, or Islamisering, of the Netherlands is a myth and the promotion of this myth should be regarded as promoting an absolute hoax. The main purpose of the laws that Wilders is being prosecuted under are about “hurtful” speech toward a minority group (generally).The argument here is the classic reason why conduct is made criminal in the first place – it hurts society and the people in it. Geert Wilders’ “exercise of freedom of speech” is certainly hurting and inflicting damage on his own country, the Netherlands, which Wilders, who claims to be a defender, does not appear to care about. What makes Wilders’ conduct especially egregious is that he is basing his “speech” on a myth, the Islamification myth, as there is NO evidence that the Netherlands is being ‘Islamisering“ – and that Dutch Muslims are dangerous to Dutch society!There is every evidence that Wilders’ “exercise of freedom of speech” and pushing his Islamification hoax are wrecking the Netherlands, its people and their noble society and traditions.
The Netherlands’ children, especially minorities, appear to be suffering the most from Wilders’ “freedom of speech rights.” This extremist’s “speech” has now caused immigrant school children to fear being deported for being Muslims and/or Moroccans. Teachers have trouble justifying the suspension of youth that refer to other classmates as “Moroccan scum that should leave the country” – when Wilders is allowed to do so under so-called “freedom of speech rights.” The day after the elections, when Wilders’ PVV made huge gains, school children were upset – as there was talk that dark-skinned students would soon disappear.
Yet – the teacher encouraged them to stay strong, as they live in a democratic country. Another group of Dutch people that are counting of the power of democracy to defeat Geert Wilders are the Dutch Muslims themselves – who are actually not the radical threat that Wilders makes them out to be. They have faith that their fellow Dutch will not install Wilders as their next PM. The Dutch Muslims are splintered into various communities (“they” are not “taking over”) and, as a researcher said, “are already very Dutch.”
It is not only a joke, its the silly side of the the Islamification or Islamisering myth. The Islamisering joke is also a hoax that Geert Wilders is pulling off on the Dutch voters – but as we have seen both in the Netherlands and in other parts of Europe – European voters are willing to vote for the myth, joke, and hoax of “Islamisering.”Dutch Muslims are just as Dutch as as the other +15 million citizens of the Netherlands and they also place their faith in Dutch democracy. In placing their faith in the democratic institutions of their country, Dutch Muslims expect that Geert Wilders will be punished by his “free speech.” Wilders’ trial has been postponed until July, but by then he could be sitting in the Prime minister’s office. Dutch Muslims and Dutch society expect that there will be justice and that the criminal laws that protect them and Dutch society be enforced. With the punishment there needs to be some repair to the damage that Wilders has inflicted on the Dutch people and their society – as they too need justice.
Not all speech should be “free” and there are some places to draw the lines, especially when the “speech” inflicts this kind of damage on society. One such line needs to be drawn with political notables who can command media attention, like Wilders. Living in a free society does not, nor should it ever, mean total “freedom” without responsibilities, including criminal responsibilities. Those that support Wilders believe in NO responsibilities, even if it wrecks a great country, like the Netherlands. Like Richard Heene’s balloon boy, Geert Wilders’ is using the hoax of Islamisering to put on a show before the media to provoke fear in a manner that is damaging his own country.
I really enjoy your blogging of the Muslim fraction of Europe. I’m just curious about a couple things. Where do these facts of high Muslim/low European birthrates surface from? And where do you get your facts of the opposite? I’m not saying your wrong. I’m Canadian and I have seen a lot of American propaganda put against Muslims but I just want to know what the core is for Europe’s Muslims?
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From common resources for social scientific study, journal articles, books and demographic data.There is a short section about birthrates in the Netherlands here – http://freedom.yellow-stars.com/Netherlands.Islamisation.Wilders.htm#myth – http://freedom.yellow-stars.com/islam.europe.NL.htm I also am using JSTOR and Lexus-Nexus that I have access to.We have yet to see real evidence from those who claim “Islamification” and the delusion that there is some “Eurabia” being planned by all 1.5 billion Muslims on Planet Earth. Their Islamophobes’ usual tactic is to claim some cleric in an obscure mosque in the Middle East is saying “we are taking over Europe” and then this is presented as “evidence” that all Muslims everywhere support are are involved. The claims of “Islamification” and “Eurabia” are without real evidence and proof.Whether Wilders is found guilty or innocent – this does not change the FACT that there is NO “Islamisation” of the Netherlands and Dutch people of the Islamic faith pose NO threat to their own country. Many Dutch Muslims are contributors to the Netherlands, including in politics and police services. ANY trial outcome cannot change the FACT that Geert Wilders is a neo-fascist fraud!
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Here is a Wikipedia article and below is a Swedish article link about fertility births in the country and how foreigners are having more births. I don’t know its quality of truth but forgive me because I live in Canada and our Muslims are so normal and pretty much Canadian that I still am taken a bit off guard by the harsh propaganda being pumped into the internet airwaves.According to the German Central Institute Islam Archive, the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2007 was about 53 million, including 16 million in the European Union.[1]The Muslim population in Europe is extremely diverse with varied histories and origins. Today, the Muslim-majority regions of Europe are Albania, Kosovo, parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and some Russian regions in Northern Caucasus and the Volga region. The Muslim-dominated Sandžak of Novi Pazar is divided between Serbia and Montenegro. They consist predominantly of indigenous Europeans of the Muslim faith whose religious tradition dates back several hundred years. The transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan also are Muslim majority. The Muslim population in Western Europe is composed primarily of peoples who arrived to the European continent from across the Muslim world during or after the 1950s.The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that of the Albanian people, 39% to 70% of those in Albania[12][13][14] are Muslim, 91% of them in Kosovo, and 99% of them in Macedonia are Muslim. Bosnia has a Muslim plurality. In transcontinental countries such as 99% in Turkey, 93% in Azerbaijan and 57% in Kazakhstan[15] of the population is Muslim respectively. Muslims also form about one fifth of the population of Montenegro. In Russia, Moscow is home to an estimated 1.5 million Muslims.[16]Muslims in West Europe settle in largely urban areas. Muslim population in selected European cities is as high as 25%[citation needed]in Rotterdam (Netherlands), 24%[citation needed] in Amsterdam (Netherlands), 20%[citation needed] in Marseille (France), 17%[citation needed] in Brussels (Belgium), and 16% in Bradford (UK),[17] while in others, like Paris, London and Copenhagen, the figure is 10%.[18][19]ProjectionsDon Melvin writes that, excluding Russia, Europe’s Muslim population will double by 2020. He also says that almost 85% of Europe’s total population growth in 2005 was due to immigration in general.[18][20] Omer Taspinar predicts that the Muslim population of Europe will nearly double by 2015, while the non-Muslim will shrink by 3.5%, due to the higher Muslim birth rate.[21] Esther Pan predicts that, by 2050, one in five Europeans are likely to be Muslim.[21][22]Professor Philip Jenkins of Penn State University estimates that by 2100, Muslims will compose about 25% of Europe’s population. But Jenkins admits this figure does not take account of the large birthrates amongst Europe’s immigrant Christians.[23]Other analysts are skeptical about the given forecast and the accuracy of the claimed Muslim population growth, since sharp decrease in Muslim fertility rates[24] and the limiting of immigrants coming in to Europe, which will lead to Muslim population increasing slowly in the coming years to eventually stagnation and decline.Swedish Article:http://www.thelocal.se/15408/20081103/I have another question about this. Are these Neo-conservatives in Europe just racist towards Islam? because of some of the religiously motivated causalities it has committed the last decade or is it because Native Europeans are not having any Children at the replacement fertility level? Some are scared that European cities are going to begin to empty in about 50 years time. I am confused by these two claims I hear about all the time. Again, I appreciate your blog, I’m glad there is a liberal voice in Europe still speaking up and these are just my questions and concerns of the subject.
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The other trick is to define what “Muslim” is… Many people from “Muslim” backgrounds don’t practice their religion – don’t care about going to mosque. This is the same with other religions, some people in my family only attend Catholic Mass for funerals and weddings. There are are also converts. Yet the other trick is that may European countries citizens and residents don’t ask about religious faith. What usually comes up is that Russia has the largest Muslim population.
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Ok but what about Europes declining fertility rate. Is that one of the reasons why many conservatives are popping up now because they fear with a dieing native population immigration being quite high in Europe still that their culture and values could be threatened? It seems that there is great fear of Integration in Europe. IE Germany obviously has a declining population but apparently they also have a problem integrating Turkish immigrants into German society. On a personal note why is Europes fertility declining in most areas but in places like France and UK it seems to be going steady?
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Comparing a”lie” about a boy and his fathers prank, and the clear, patriotic, statistical view “with common sense approach” that this man Geert speak’s….well ,,,its abstact at best.It’s O.K. to openly disagree with him for sure, unlike Islamized countries.You know, the ones burning churches,killing westerners or do you think all the news in the free press is false too.Your argument is against the “Free speaker” not the “Violent screeming people replying by breaking our ( and your) Laws”Why is that?Seems biased.This message is sent using “Western Free Speach Values”Thank You
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