As an independent Muslim woman who doesn't appreciate being told what to do, say, wear, read or write, I have a special place in my heart filled with disgust for those who embrace the bigoted ideologies of Islamophobes like Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. But as an outspoken writer and attorney, I also have a special -- and much larger -- place in my heart filled with respect and adoration for human liberty.
So, when I found out that Mr. Wilders, leader of the Netherlands' increasingly influential anti-immigration, anti-Islam so-called Freedom Party, was on trial for inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims, my reaction was mixed. Initially, I was overcome with what could only be described as pure schadenfruede. But then, my delight in what I sincerely hoped was his supreme misery quickly turned into annoyance and then outrage at the prospect of such an attack on free speech.
Granted, Mr. Wilders has compared the Holy Qur'an to Hitler's Mein Kampf. He has claimed that Islam is not a religion, but rather "an ideology of a retarded culture." He has stated that Islam is out to destroy all of Western civilization and that "not one more" Muslim ought to be allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands. And most absurd of all, amid all his bombast, he has insisted that he has no problem with "Muslim people," just their "retarded" fascist ideology that he refuses to acknowledge as a bona-fide religion. In short, it's not us he hates, but rather, everything about us.
Still, to try someone in a court of law, to threaten him with a sentence of up to 16 months in jail or $10,000 in fines, just for running his mouth, is inherently abhorrent to me. Certainly, I have said and written many things that have offended some, and I too have hate mail and death threats to show for it. Defending the rights of gays, lesbians and the transgendered from an Islamic perspective and speaking out against various domestic and international policies promoted by the U.S. government or the current Iranian regime have all made me particularly unpopular in certain circles. And I thank God and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for never having been put on trial for any of my controversial statements.
Under different circumstances, though -- say, if I were to return to Iran having written and spoken out as strongly as I have against the regime's oppressive domestic policies -- I could very well find myself in Mr. Wilders' shoes. As such, I have no choice but to defend his right to speak freely, not just because it's the right thing to do, but also because in another time or place, it could just as easily be me facing hefty fines or prison time.
So today, for the record, I would like to stand up in defense of Mr. Wilders' freedom to speak his twisted mind. I do so despite his attacks on my faith and my people. I do so despite his blatant hypocrisy, demanding a personal freedom from censorship while concurrently endorsing a ban on the Qur'an, the veil and pretty much all things he deems "Islamic" in Holland. I do so despite disagreeing with nearly every word that comes out of his vicious mouth. And I do so because my "retarded" ideology refuses to let me sink to his level.
Three of the most revered prophets of Islam -- Moses, Christ and Muhammad -- taught all of their followers to treat others as they wished to be treated. Thus, as a follower of Islam and the teachings of its great prophets, I am bound to defend Mr. Wilders' basic human rights as I would my own.
So, even though I have more respect for wild goats than Geert Wilders, my faith, my education and my conscience compel me to defend the bigot's right to run his mouth, and I pray that others will stand with me here -- especially my fellow Muslims, writers and attorneys for whom this is an issue of moral and professional obligation.
Follow Melody Moezzi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MelodyMoezzi
Nancy Graham Holm: Three Questions to Ask Geert Wilders about Anti-Islam Hate Speech
Incidentally I don't consider Muhammad to even be a prophet - as he didn't prophesy anything - thus making your list even shorter!
In your article you said “…if I were to return to Iran… I could very well find myself in Mr. Wilders’ shoes”. Personally I doubt this very much; I believe you’d be in a far worse predicament; in the Netherlands Wilders would-be murderers are mainly “peaceful” Muslims acting outside the law but in Iran his (and yours) would be state sanctioned and acting within Shari’ah Law. As an attorney I would have expected you to understand the difference.
As you’ve opened your mind to at least allowing him the freedom to express his, perhaps the next step is to quietly consider what has motivated him (as well as so very many others) to hold such negative views on political Islam?
Kind Regards,
IQ al Rassooli
if it is 90% westerners are in this blog,then it is good for ISLAM/MOSLEMS.why? at least they read and know something about islam,holy quran and hadeeths.keep on readind,please.on day you will wake up and say EUREKA,this is the right religion.GOD BLESS ALL.
If the judges follow the recommendation, it would appear that Free Speech has won an important victory today in Europe.
Rubbish. Illegal immigrants can not claim amnesty and similar rights, as it will render the process of immigration absurd. Obama wants to give general amnesty to increase his vote bank. Other legal immigrants of other communities like Hindus, Sikhs etc do not have any problem whatsoever. Do not include others with the muslims.
"Police in several ghetto areas are warning that the jungle law - Might makes Right - is pushing Danish law out of those areas. The police see in more and more cases that those with the most muscles or most money win conflicts regarding violence, robberies and thefts - without Danish law and justice.
For example, a group of young immigrants in Gellerup (Aarhus) threatened a women with a knife this past August and forced her to give over about 40,000 kroner. The woman reported the theft to the police, and the young men faced a prison sentence of up to 6 years in Danish court. The perpetrators pressured the women through family members, and she dropped the case in return for getting her money back.
This circumvention of Danish law means that the criminals escaped a theft conviction. They also got 20,000 kroner in compensation from the danish state for unwarranted detention."
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/10/denmark-police-warn-of-jungle-law-in.html
And allow Europeans to sleepwalk to suicide. This is the genuine face of Islamic supermacism. There is a better and more sensible way to do that. Stop muslim immigration. That is what Widers is doing and other EU countries are following. See what the believers are doing to change the local culture:
"Because Danish is a language spoken by a minority; because children play in the streets in the evenings; because parents don’t have to get up the next day; because all satellite dishes point away from Danish news programmes and towards remote regions that people orient themselves towards,” the prime minister says.
“Because Danish norms of trust, equality, the rule of law and respect for public authority do not exist. If we fail to understand that these sorts of area are of a completely different nature than the rest of Denmark, then we are going wrong,” he adds.
"We have some urban areas in which one can ask whether they are Denmark at all,” the prime minister adds.
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2010/10/denmark-we-have-some-urban-areas-in.html
According to Danish Penal code, Straffeloven, section 266 B, Denmark "prohibits hate speech, and defines it as publicly making statements that threaten, ridicule or hold in contempt a group due to race, skin colour, national or ethnic origin, faith or sexual orientation."
I think we can all agree that definition would apply to Geert Wilders, n'est-ce pas?
How would you go about getting that warning to the public without going to jail under present Dutch law?
You sincerely believe you only have two options:
Sound the alarm and almost certainly go to jail,
Keep quiet and watch your culture replaced by a fast-growing foreign culture.
What do you do?
Do I demonize a group of people because I'm ignorant about them? Of course not. Do I break the law just to get attention? Of course not.
Let me now ask you a question. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Despite the vain attempts of the media, anti-Islamic groups and several wars, more people are coming to Islam. How would breaking the law with hate speech stop this?
Well, this is not the case here, because unlike the barbarians which were nationalistic who wanted to expand their empires, the Muslim armies after the first four Caliphs did so also. The four rightly Caliphates were the true Muslim Empires as directed by our Prophet PBUH. But they were not nationalistic. Since then, yes since 800 AD, we have not seen empires striving to spread Islam, only those who have needed to defend and nationalistic purposes. So what I am saying, there is no invasion into the United States ( I don't care about Europe because they 're just hypcritical)
As a Muslim American born and raised, I can assure you that there is no mass desire to bring Sharia Law. First of all, Sharia Law is not even law, the arabic word for law is "Fiqh" sharia are principles that we as muslims must follow, such as no drinking, usury, stealing, fornicaation and etc and they are only applied to Muslims. So if one doesn't want to get stoned, then don't fornicate! However, have you thought about the process of implicating Sharia in the USA? First, you would need a majority Muslim congress, which isn't going to happen in my life time or yours.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,717589,00.html
http://www.spike.com/video/wafa-sultan-clashes/2703896
And Doug Sandlin, just save us your nonsense for once and let the woman speak. We don't need your input. Thank you.
Peace to all.
I just wish to say that the world is not a crowded theatre, and hate speech is not yelling fire. If people react with riots, that's THEIR fault--We as Muslims should be above wasting our time on these bigots.
I think people should be tried in criminal courts for CRIMES, and I don't think speech alone should be a crime. I'm all for trying someone for their actions, but I draw the line at trying them for their opinions. It's just a slippery slope when you start criminalizing speech. If Wilders is convicted, it may be even make it more likely that his policies will gain further support and succeed.
I mean, it's not too far a step from banning hate speech to banning the Qur'an or religious speech. We need to be cognizant of the broader ramifications of any type of legal system or legislation that allows for the criminalization of free expression.
However, since my previous objection to your characterization of Mr. Wilders is no longer apparent, let me just reiterate that I take some degree of issue with you calling him a "bigot" so freely.
For 1400 years, cultures, religions, tribes and nations around the world have been under some form of assault by Islamic invaders. Islam has people of every race, color, nationality. So those of us who oppose it, do not do so because of racism or bigotry. We do so because we see a threat to our civilization. That is why Geert Wilders is risking his Life.
That is why Wafa Sultan risked her life by making these statements defending Jews.
http://www.spike.com/video/wafa-sultan-clashes/2703896
Martin Luther King had a dream one day. Maybe it has even come true. My dream is a world in which people can speak their minds freely without needing 24 hour police protection. You have probably been threatened for what you have already said.
And even though I would have liked you to have gone further, I applaud your bravery nonetheless, and hope that you continue to speak your mind.
channel—
"It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists, but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims.
Osama bin Laden is a Muslim. The majority of those who manned the suicide bombings against buses, vehicles, schools, houses and buildings, all over the world, were Muslim.
What a pathetic record. What an abominable "achievement." Does all this tell us anything about ourselves, our societies and our culture?
let us start with putting an end to a history of denial. Let us acknowledge their reality, instead of denying them and seeking to justify them with sound and fury signifying nothing.
Self-cure starts with self-realization and confession.
We cannot clear our names unless we own up to the shameful fact that terrorism has become an Islamic enterprise; an almost exclusive monopoly, implemented by Muslim men and women.
*Abdel Rahman al-Rashed is. This article first appeared in the London-based pan-Arabic
newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.
DOUG SANDLIN, you are the most intelligent person i have encountered;GOD BLESS YOU; you are well informed about ISLAM.though i am a moslem but i dont know 1% of what you know.
you have defended ISLAM very well.similarly i dont blame those who are debating with you in this blog:
1-they dont know well about the message of the HOLY QURAN or they dont want to know.
2-they have been brain-washed by more intelligent haters of ISLAM(BIGOTRERS).
i dont know alot about the behaviour/customs of EUROPE, but i lived in USA in the 80s and found americans are the kindest,naive and accommodating with other races/religion that i have seen.the USA GVT is different ball game;its run by different special interest groups i.e NEO-CONs,AIPAC,JDL LABOUR UNIONS, and ALL MEDIAS.henceforth,americans accept anything that comes out of MEDIA(cnn,abc,abc,fox,bbc etc).all special interest groups above are AGAINST ISLAM/moslems because the media said so.GUESS who owns all media in USA and EUROPE...
Hey, thanks - Back Atcha, my friend.
Nasser - thanks for posting.
Peace to all.
"If our new Dutch citizens want so badly to show their love for 7th Century desert ideology, then they should rather comfortably do that in a Muslims country, not here.".--Wilders.
http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnnewsplayer/cbnplayer.swf?aid=17933
I just think it's helpful to counter blatant prejudice with facts.
Why?
Because then we can realize that there are a lot of us, including a lot of Muslims, on the same side --- against extremism.
Extremism is the problem --- not Islam.
Per your mention of history --- when has out and out prejudice ever been justified, even once, in history?
Against Jews? Nope.
African-Americans? Nope.
Christians? Nope.
Americans? Nope.
...... and on and on and on.
When we're prejudiced, we're labeling whole groups of people with a singular label, forming evaluations about that label based on our own conditioning --- and reacting to it.
If we were all simply dealing with the actual, where would all these diverse opinions come from?
I'm just trying to draw our collective attention back to the actual --- that's all.
If you're convinced that Muslims are coming to get us, or whatever -- fine. It sounds like a pretty bad dream -- but some people are fairly committed to it, just like some people always are when the "new" people (Jews, Irish, Catholics, etc.) have come to town (so to speak).
If you really want to help neutralize extremism, though, and any threat associated with it -- engaging in a war of ideas is simply a waste of energy.
What peace and security can come from causing other people to be prejudiced against Islam, too?
Zero.
Extremism and ignorance are our collective enemies; not
Also irrational moral equivalency and appeasement of militant Islam.
Extremism and ignorance are our collective enemies; not Islam.
Peace to all.