Amsterdam Appeals Court decided that Geert Wilders, Dutch MP, will be put on trial for his views on Islam. Wilders, and his movie had caused a huge anger wave last year, with both sides denouncing each other. While Perwin Ali thought he deserves to be tried, An Egyptian is blogging for his release.
Perwin analyzed Wilders documentary Fitna,:
Personally, I thought his movie was a one-sided, biased look at Islam, that could be easily refuted, and shown for how out of context it really is, by anyone who understands Islam properly. His documentary is filled with half truths.
For example:
When he quoted Surah 8 Verse 60
“Prepare for them whatever force and cavalry ye are able of gathering to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies, of Allah and your enemies.”He didn't continue to the very next verse, Verse 61, of the same Surah
“But if they incline to peace, you (also) incline to it, and put your trust in Gof. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower”
Perwin gave more examples of how Wilders took the verses out of context and went on to refute his argument:
On the flip side, just like there are all the verses that Wilders used, there are others that talk about, things like, freedom of religion, talking (and not fighting) as method of persuasion, patience, and acceptance of others to name a few supposedly “humanitarian” ideals (as Wilders likes to call it).
For example:
Surah 109
“Say: O ye that reject Faith! I worship not the which ye worship, Nor will ye worship that which I worship. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship. Nor will ye worship that which I worship, To you be your Way, and to be mine.”
She also found him guilty of what he was denouncing:
While he is shocked from the decision and deems it a black day for “freedom of expression” in his country, I think he should pause and look at himself. He is doing exactly what he's denouncing. Other than the fact that he's acting just like all the fundamentalists he's against (albeit with a fancy suit, and hair color), he too is not allowing others to be free and live as they choose. He basically wants to remove Islam, and everything about it from Europe, just because it doesn't meet with his outlook on life. I re-watched his BBC interview after reading the news update. The guy is a thinly veiled bigot and supremacist. He is also a politician who needs to be controversial to thrive in the public eye. He does not believe in Islam therefore it shouldn't exist in his country.
He also says “We should learn to be intolerant with the intolerant.” He believes in giving conditional tolerance, meaning he'll tolerate you only if he likes you and agrees with you, if you don't agree then he won't tolerate you. Well that's not really tolerance, that, at best, is hypocrisy and double standards.
Standing on the fence, Perwin traces the roots of such prejudice:
One of his mistakes, I think, is confusing between the religion of Islam and the misguided fanatics who abuse Islam. Both Wilders and the zealots he's against, seem to forget that Islam is based on dealing with others, otherwise known in Arabic as “al moamala”. What Mr. Wilders doesn't know, or didn't research thoroughly, and the extremists hiding behind Islam have lost sight of, is that The Quran (that Wilders, and the like, seem to blame) is broken down (by Islamic fokaha or learned men) into 13 parts: 1 for the dos and don'ts, and the other 12 are for how to deal with other human beings.
The movie clearly showed that Wilders does not understand the core of Islam, and merely has a beef with the vocal fundamentalists.
Perwin Ali asks:
Some might wonder why we don't see more grand gestures of good from Muslims like we see from their scary counterparts.
Her reply was:
Well, as habit, terrorists (regardless of their affiliations or religion) are grandstanders. They need an audience, otherwise their objective of terrorizing isn't met. On the other hand, genuine do-gooders don't need an audience, they only need God to know. Whoever believes in God would agree with me when I say that whatever you do, God sees it, hence there's no need for an audience. Try to read what I'm writing with an unbiased eye, you'll see what I mean… You might even be able to accept it without having to agree with it -which is another key trait of Islam and well-balanced muslims.
Taking her post to a personal level, she talks about herself as a Muslim:
Now, I'm not one of the learned in Islam. But… I'm a Muslim. I'm a female. I'm not veiled. I'm free to express my opinions and my choices. I'm free to live my life. I love my religion. I haven't been forced or brainwashed into loving my religion. I believe in it. I respect it. I believe that my religion has more to do with love than with hate. I believe that my religion is forgiving. I also believe that the problems lie with the misguided people not with the religion. Just as it lies with the misguided people of the other religions.
I am the exact opposite of what he makes Islam and muslims to be. There are many others like me.
Personally, I believe he deserves to go on trial. There's a significant difference between freedom of expression and disrespectful misinformation.
It's time the whole world finally learned how to truly exercise the concept of freedom.
An Egyptian does not agree with Perwin as he posted a note titled “Geert Wilders needs your urgent support!“:
The Freedom Party (PVV) and Geert Wilders are faced with an all-out assault. Exploding legal expenses might cripple the continuation of the battle for our liberties. The survival of the
Freedom Party and Geert Wilders’ struggle for the defense of the West are now in jeopardy. Therefore, we need your financial support urgently.
Then he posted several ways to donate money.
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There is a huge difference between believing something and acting on something. Between publishing one’s opinions and, for instance, hitting someone in the face. The former should be legal in virtually all cases; the latter should not.
Americans do not understand the absence of freedom of expression in Europe. While we have much to improve, we love our First Amendment. I would recommend it to everyone. It makes for a rather messy society, but not a repressive one. I’ll take messy any day over repressive.
History is doomed to repeat itself.
Until we all lose our freedom to be something different from Islam, the people will realize the dangers of Islamization. Muslim that believe In ISlamization are cleverly tantalizing our effort to protect any hatred towards any cultural religious or racial conducts by claiming and questioning our conduct towards theirs and not allowing ours towards theirs. I am deeply shocked. Either the Netherlands are having serious problems with their Muslim population or they have failed to protect those that are not Muslims.
I personally do no have a problem with Muslims being Muslims. I have a problem with those who want our Western society to respect their religion in ways they will ban alcohol, pork and anything that is offensive to their faith
I’m sending this e-mail to everyone I know in the hope that it will be acted upon. Briefly, it concerns the impending punishment of Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament. The Netherlands, like England and many other European countries have opened their doors to immigrants. Many of these immigrates have been Muslim. Instead of assimilating to their host county, they have, in many cases, demanded that their beliefs take precedence over their host countries laws or customs. This, of course, has caused tension. Geert Wilders is being prosecuted by the Dutch government because the Muslim guests do not like his belief that immigrants should assimilate to their host county instead of the other way around. This link is his crime:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020472.php
It is a 15 minute video called “Fitna”. It speaks for itself. We are comfortable here in the United States. We are sheltered, isolated from the atrocities we see and hear about on T.V. and what we read about in newspapers or the Internet. It is easy to agree with something I know in my heart and mind is right and yet not act upon it, because I’m comfortable and it’s the easier thing to do. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t do it anymore. Please watch the video. If you agree with what you’ve watched, please sign the petition in defense of Geert Wilders:
http://www.petitiononline.com/wilders/petition-sign.html
I am petitioner # 18153. At least you and I still have the freedom to make that decision. Please consider passing his along to people you know. Feel free to copy it and make changes where needed.
I find it amusing that people are up in arms over this man’s views but never raise an eyebrow when the Bible or Christianity is attacked. The reason for this is cowardice. We fear a god of violence, a god of the darkness who only reflects light like the moon reflects the light of the sun but we don’t fear a God of Love a God Who is the Light.
As an ex muslim who left his religion, I find the legal condamnation of Mr. Wilders a sad day in the history of western democratic values. The Netherlands the country that praizes itself for freedom of free thought and the historical beacon enlightment which was the envy of the modern European world is now giving in to some incideous witch hunt (albeit legal and formal, instead of blood seeking mobs) which is targishing the fundamental bedrock of decency and good living.
How can a man be pursued by the justice system as a criminal when a ransom was put on his head by muslim fanatics and cawordly muslim apologists? He has been living under death threat for saying and showing what is written, read, praised, chanted and screamed by muslims themselves. How can this be? He did not lie or made up stories about the words of Koran. I cannot beleive it, how can these judges who live in their bubbles of muticulturalim be so stupid…
It is the death sentence of freedom of speech. This would not have happened if the muslims in the Netherlands have kept to their religion behind their prison walls instead of trying to change everything around them that does not fit their creduleous self-righteous ideas and manners.
Marwa,
Perhaps you speak a little out of ignorance and comfort. You have freedom to express your interpretation of Islam because you are not under Islamic rule in the form of Government. I would like to see you move to perhaps a country such as Arabia, Afghanistan, Southern Pakistan, Iran and see if you would have the same liberties expressing yourself as an independent woman in view of the Quaran. You could be put to death for your liberal views. Your views are minority in origin. Please keep it real, true Islam is a movement of Political Ideology and control with absolutely NO VALUES! You surprise me being a woman and yet lingering in ignorance. Try walking 3 steps behind your master and having to wear a tent ( to hide your body) for awhile and then try to convince me of your passion for this so-called religion. On the other hand I certainly believe in freedom of speech, and you are certainly entitled to that. Please don’t let your passionate zeal dig a hole in which you cannot climb out of!