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April 11, 2006

Holland: Politician Denies Bashing Islam

As we reported in February, the coalition government of Holland is controlled by the Christian Democrat Party (CDA). The CDA is headed by Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen (pictured), and he and his party have made no bones about criticising Islamic attitudes when they conflict with Western values. In February, the party had called for imams to be sacked from their positions, blaming them for spreading hate. A call was also made for them to have their passports confiscated and driving licenses revoked.

In April 2004, Verhagen had called for a new law, in which people who threatened democracy, such as imams who called for gays to be killed, could be called to account. He was speaking then following the publication of a book called De weg van the moslim or "The way of the Muslim", on sale in the El Tawheed mosque in Amsterdam, which advocated methods for killing homosexuals. Other books at the mosque claimed women should be circumcised, and following the injunction in the Koran (sura 4: 34) advised that women who lied to their husbands should be scourged. The mosque had caused controversy when one of its clerics had described non-Muslims as "firewood for hell".

Today, Expatica News reports that Verhagen is in the news again. Recently, Verhagen criticised Sharia law, and he has consequently been accused of "Islam-bashing".

The CDA leader had called for the banning of any parties which advocated Sharia law in the Netherlands. "We call for Islamic schools and Islamic parties as long as they adhere to Dutch law and Dutch values and norms. But we cannot tolerate Islamic lawmaking alongside the Dutch," he had said.

The person accusing Verhagen of "Islam-bashing" is Jan Schoonenboom of the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR). Verhagen has said in response that Schoonenboom is being "irresponsible", and said a member of such an institute should rely on scholarship to base his arguments, rather than politics.

The WRR is an independent advisory body, which recommends policies to the government. Last Wednesday, Wim van de Donk, the chair of WRR published a report entitled: "Dynamism in Islamic activism. Starting points for democratisation and human rights". Tomorrow, the report will be published in English on WRR's website.

Verhagen has gone on the offensive against WRR. The report suggested political contact should be made with Hezbollah and Hamas. Verhagen retorted "These are terrorist organisations with which we must not negotiate. It is very strange the WRR would make political statements over this."

MP Geert Wilders, who was named in a hit-list which was pinned to Theo van Gogh's chest when the film-maker was murdered by Mohamed Bouyeri on November 2, 2004, has been a constant critic of radical Islam. SInce being named as a target, he has had to spend his entire life either in hiding or under bodyguard. As we reported last month, Wilders has been on the receiving end of numerous death threats.

He too has condemned the WRR report, calling it irresponsible and dangerous, claiming it threatened his very right to live. Wilders said: "I maintain that Islam is incompatible with democracy."

Last week, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited Indonesia, where he said that Islam is not a danger. Wilders wants to call Balkenende to account for this statement. He said "No danger? Islam is the biggest danger in the world."

How right he is.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 11, 2006 12:46 PM

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