by Ian Loft

Created on: March 30, 2008

Geert Wilder is doing nothing more than telling the truth about Islam and the result is being targeted for death. Self-styled executioners proclaiming their intended actions are just and praiseworthy prove that it is not Geert Wilder's views on Islam promoting religious intolerance. It is the demands of Islam where global chaos, violence, murder and carnage erupt whenever someone dares criticize the practice of this ideology, their prophet or deity that promote religious intolerance. Adherents blindly following instructions and proclamations of a seventh century Bedouin war lord without question are incompatible with 21st century tolerance and democracy.

Cases that support this statement include cartoons published in Danish newspapers and the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in 2004 after releasing a film critical of Islam.
The most recent controversy is the 15-minute movie from Geert Wilder called Fitna; an Arabic name meaning trouble', and trouble most certainly resulted. This film juxtaposes images of the Islamic bible with images from the September 11 atrocity and the Madrid train bombings along with audio of emergency calls on the days in question.

Islam motivated these and countless additional atrocities in the name of Islam. The British site Live Link.com' removed Fitna from it's site shortly after posting it on the Internet and replaced it with a message of apology in which they advise the reason for removal was due to serious threats against staff and the organization. It may only be a matter of time before 'U-Tube' are forced into the same situation! The chances of any public cinema advertising then featuring this film in any country are remote indeed given the propensity of violent and deadly attacks against anything perceived as critical to Islam.

Islam is promoted all over the world as a religion of peace' yet this is inconsistent with endemic fear to freely speak out against some of its practices that are incompatible to life in 21st century democratic society. Indeed it is fear that restricts freedom of speech with respect to Islam since the reverse is seldom if ever an issue when Islam insults or offends other systems of faith. The controversial cartoons that sparked rioting all over the world resulted in the deaths of many innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. What was not highly publicized was the fact that Islamic countries immediately went on an orgy of publishing lampooning cartoons deliberately insulting Christianity and other faiths no violence, retaliation or religious intolerance arose from these cartoons!

Geert Wilder is simply articulating what a great deal of people all over the world think and believe yet fear to speak. September 11, the London bombings, Madrid and Bali were deliberate attacks against western society in the name of Islam, the perpetrators clearly stated their actions were in the name of Islam and yet a great deal of people choose the path of least resistance and live in a state of denial! Islam and its followers have no right to sit as judge, jury and executioner of anyone making the free choice to disbelieve while openly treating all other systems of faith with total contempt. Until this hypocrisy and duplicity of demanding respect, by violent means if necessary, is addressed the world will continue to make excuses and restrict freedom of speech.

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