Ostensibly an exercise in the Party for Freedom’s right to free speech, Dutch politician Geert Wilders prepares to release a new anti-Islam film.  Wilders will not comment on details of the movie but says it will show that Islam’s Holy Book, the Quran…

Geert Wilders

Wilders close political association with Ayaan Hirsi Ali and film maker Theo Van Gogh, sent Wilders into hiding after Van Gogh’s assassination by a Muslim extremist following the release of “Submission”, a film which criticized the treatment of women in Islamic society.  The publication of the “Muhammad Cartoons” in September of 2005 caused protests and riots as over 200 people were killed by violence around the world.  In Afghanistan there were protests in Maymana, Bagram, Kandahar, Mehtar-Lam and Kabul  Violence in neighboring Pakistan was even worse.  Wilders website was one of several that re-published the cartoons after the initial violent demonstrations had begun, citing a defense of freedom of speech and igniting further violence.  Polls immediately following the Van Gogh assassination predicted the possibility of the Party for Freedom winning as many as 29 seats (of 150) in upcoming Dutch parliamentary elections.  By October of 2005 the number had slipped to one, rising again to three following the “Muhammad Cartoons” controversy.  While his party does favor immigration restrictions, especially from non-western countries; the corresponding surge in popularity provides a suspicious motive for his latest “exercise in free speech.” resulting in at least 5 deaths.

A closer examination of the reaction around the world to the “Muhammad Cartoons” controversy reveals more than just Geert Wilders and the Party for Freedom stirring the hate.  Reactions in America were reported as... 

 
Imani Jaffar Mohammad, a young Muslim college student in Minneapolis had the following observation…

Canada’s response was similar, after a Canadian college paper reprinted the cartoons, Mian Ali, the head of the Prince Edward Island Muslim Association had the following to say…

While world leaders called for restraint and an end to the violence, others seized a different opportunity,

Mahmoud Zahar

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah

Ayatollah Moussavi Ardebili

Mullah Dadullah

These leaders have already proven they will use any means to stir the hate against anything that stands between them and the power they desire.  While Wilders and the Party for Freedom stir the hate by blaming an entire religion for the actions of extremists, they also attract more of their own “fanatical” followers, increasing their own power.  The headlines that resulted from the violence, the fear generated in communities around the world, an increase in “suicide bomber recruiting” all further the terrorist’s goals.  While the Party for Freedom preaches hate and fear to its followers, the terrorists preach hate and vengeance to their own.

Islam is not the first religion in history to have its tenets twisted and abused in support of one man’s or one group’s desire for power.  There are a lot of questions to answer while convincing a teenager to strap on an explosives laden vest and blow him (or her) self up in a crowded market or busy street.  If there are “no atheists in foxholes” there are certainly none in

Suicide Bomber Graduation