Stop Geert Wilders' Exploitation of Ground Zero
Published August 18, 2010
Far Right Extremist Shadow Cabinet Minister to Take Over New York Politics? Stop Dutch government interference in New York!
400 Years ago the Dutch founded New York. It was called New Amsterdam then. Last year, we celebrated the founding of our city, a place of freedom and tolerance, with the Dutch government.
This year the Dutch will be back. With a vengeance.
On September 11, 2010, “Stop Islamization of America” will organize a rally against the building of the Cordoba House, a new mosque and cultural center, in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center Ground Zero site. The organizers have invited the far-right Dutch Member of Parliament, Mr. Geert Wilders, to give a speech during the protests. See http://nomosquesatgroundzero.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/breaking-geert-wilders-to-speak-nyc-sioa-mega-mosque-protest-on-9-11/. Whatever your views about the so-called Ground Zero mosque, inviting foreign extremist government representatives to grandstand on this issue only diminishes its importance and inflames passions for no positive goal.
Mr. Wilders is not your ordinary politician from the Netherlands. He is currently negotiating a coalition government with two other political parties. Without his support this new government lacks a majority and won’t be able to function. It is fair to say that in fact Wilders calls the shots in Dutch politics and can be considered a shadow Cabinet minister in Dutch politics. (See New York Times, Friday, August 6, 2010)
After 400 years, the Dutch will be exporting hatred and exclusion, not tolerance and freedom. Why?
Mr Wilders is a Dutch right-wing extremist and populist politician, known for his anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideology, who has set out to spread his anti-Muslim message to the rest of the world, including the U.S. See his speech in Right Side News “Why I Am In America Fighting For Free Speech,” http://www.rightsidenews.com/200904304590/global-terrorism/why-i-am-in-america-fighting-for-free-speech.html. This is the man who gained popularity by proposing that all hate speech legislation in his country be abolished; that Muslim women be taxed 1000 Euros for wearing a headscarf; that all Muslim immigration to Europe be halted; that thousands of Muslims should be deported; and that Muslim youth from Morocco who misbehave during a soccer match should be “shot in the knees”.
While Wilders positions himself as fighting for free speech, he actually advocates banning the Koran, which he has compares to Hitler’s Mein Kampf. This is why the Anti-Defamation League, which opposes the Ground Zero mosque, has already spoken out against Mr. Wilders’ visit to New York. In his home country, Mr. Wilders has been charged with “incitement to hatred and discrimination” for which he will stand trial in October.
In 2008, Wilders' movie, Fitna, in which he tries to demonstrate that Islam is a backward and violent religion, caused furious demonstrations in several Muslim countries. Mr. Wilders has announced he will release a sequel.
We New Yorkers believe that reasonable people can reasonably disagree about the wisdom of the Ground Zero mosque. And we believe that free speech rights and the Ground Zero mosque are issues that New Yorkers and Americans are quite capable of addressing themselves, and that we don’t need any foreign governments’ interference, let alone some Dutch right-wing extremist’s meddling in our domestic affairs. Our Constitution protects freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression. Mr. Wilders wants to avail himself of the former, while denying the latter to others who have nothing to do with the Netherlands.
The new Dutch coalition government allows Mr. Wilders to play his role as a government envoy. We call upon the Dutch government to stop interfering in our domestic debate. We prefer to think of the Dutch as people who brought New York freedom and tolerance, not segregation and exclusion.
Let the Dutch government know that Geert Wilders’ hate speech is not welcome here!
For more information:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Geert-Wilders-Anti-Muslim-Freedom-Alliance-Dutch-Politician-Wants-End-To-Islamic-Immigration/Article/201007315666139
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-protests-confront-dutch-farright-mp-1803855.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders
400 Years ago the Dutch founded New York. It was called New Amsterdam then. Last year, we celebrated the founding of our city, a place of freedom and tolerance, with the Dutch government.
This year the Dutch will be back. With a vengeance.
On September 11, 2010, “Stop Islamization of America” will organize a rally against the building of the Cordoba House, a new mosque and cultural center, in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center Ground Zero site. The organizers have invited the far-right Dutch Member of Parliament, Mr. Geert Wilders, to give a speech during the protests. See http://nomosquesatgroundzero.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/breaking-geert-wilders-to-speak-nyc-sioa-mega-mosque-protest-on-9-11/. Whatever your views about the so-called Ground Zero mosque, inviting foreign extremist government representatives to grandstand on this issue only diminishes its importance and inflames passions for no positive goal.
Mr. Wilders is not your ordinary politician from the Netherlands. He is currently negotiating a coalition government with two other political parties. Without his support this new government lacks a majority and won’t be able to function. It is fair to say that in fact Wilders calls the shots in Dutch politics and can be considered a shadow Cabinet minister in Dutch politics. (See New York Times, Friday, August 6, 2010)
After 400 years, the Dutch will be exporting hatred and exclusion, not tolerance and freedom. Why?
Mr Wilders is a Dutch right-wing extremist and populist politician, known for his anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideology, who has set out to spread his anti-Muslim message to the rest of the world, including the U.S. See his speech in Right Side News “Why I Am In America Fighting For Free Speech,” http://www.rightsidenews.com/200904304590/global-terrorism/why-i-am-in-america-fighting-for-free-speech.html. This is the man who gained popularity by proposing that all hate speech legislation in his country be abolished; that Muslim women be taxed 1000 Euros for wearing a headscarf; that all Muslim immigration to Europe be halted; that thousands of Muslims should be deported; and that Muslim youth from Morocco who misbehave during a soccer match should be “shot in the knees”.
While Wilders positions himself as fighting for free speech, he actually advocates banning the Koran, which he has compares to Hitler’s Mein Kampf. This is why the Anti-Defamation League, which opposes the Ground Zero mosque, has already spoken out against Mr. Wilders’ visit to New York. In his home country, Mr. Wilders has been charged with “incitement to hatred and discrimination” for which he will stand trial in October.
In 2008, Wilders' movie, Fitna, in which he tries to demonstrate that Islam is a backward and violent religion, caused furious demonstrations in several Muslim countries. Mr. Wilders has announced he will release a sequel.
We New Yorkers believe that reasonable people can reasonably disagree about the wisdom of the Ground Zero mosque. And we believe that free speech rights and the Ground Zero mosque are issues that New Yorkers and Americans are quite capable of addressing themselves, and that we don’t need any foreign governments’ interference, let alone some Dutch right-wing extremist’s meddling in our domestic affairs. Our Constitution protects freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression. Mr. Wilders wants to avail himself of the former, while denying the latter to others who have nothing to do with the Netherlands.
The new Dutch coalition government allows Mr. Wilders to play his role as a government envoy. We call upon the Dutch government to stop interfering in our domestic debate. We prefer to think of the Dutch as people who brought New York freedom and tolerance, not segregation and exclusion.
Let the Dutch government know that Geert Wilders’ hate speech is not welcome here!
For more information:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Geert-Wilders-Anti-Muslim-Freedom-Alliance-Dutch-Politician-Wants-End-To-Islamic-Immigration/Article/201007315666139
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-protests-confront-dutch-farright-mp-1803855.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders
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