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Theo van Gogh and Education By Murder in Holland
Theo van Gogh

See Theo Van Gogh and Education by Murder by Daniel Pipes

Further Developments Concerning Theo van Gogh and Holland's "Education by Murder" In the pre-Internet days, I would write a newspaper op-ed and then wait for days or weeks for reactions, which barely ever came. Now, as my webmaster sends out over twenty thousand copies of each column, response comes in fast and furious, often warranting additional comments by me. Here are some on today's piece, "[Theo van Gogh and] ‘Education By Murder' in Holland."

(1) The murder of Pim Fortuyn was in some sense the first Islamist terrorist act in recent Dutch history. Here is a report by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard and Joan Clements in the Daily Telegraph of March 28, 2003:

A Left-wing activist confessed in court yesterday to Holland's first political assassination in 400 years, claiming that he shot Pim Fortuyn to defend Dutch Muslims from persecution. Volkert van der Graaf, 33, a vegan animal rights campaigner, said he alone was responsible for killing the maverick protest leader last May, days before a general election in which the Fortuyn List party vaulted into second place and shattered Holland's consensus.

Facing a raucous court on the first day of his murder trial, he said his goal was to stop Mr Fortuyn exploiting Muslims as "scapegoats" and targeting "the weak parts of society to score points" to try to gain political power. He said: "I confess to the shooting. He was an ever growing danger who would affect many people in society. I saw it as a danger. I hoped that I could solve it myself."

Van der Graaf, 33, added that the idea of killing Fortuyn "was never concrete until the last moment, the day before the attack." MilitantIslamMonitor.org points out that van der Graaf intially claimed his motive was to prevent Fortuyn from reviving the mink trade in Holland and only later admitted that his goal was to protect Muslims.

Adding a note of levity to an otherwise grim proceeding, Fortuyn's relatives who attended the high-security court scorned the animal rights fanatic by donning their fur coats. "I want to cause him maximum pain," said Jolanda Fortuyn, a sister-in-law. "I will make sure he notices me." The gallery shouted their abuse at van der Graaf with what the Telegraph reporters term "a vehemence unusual for the Dutch," at least until they were expelled from the courtroom.

(2) A few readers worry that I am giving advice to the enemy in my penultimate paragraph:

Islamist terrorism in the West is counterproductive because it awakens the sleeping masses; in brief, jihad provokes crusade. A more cunning Islamist enemy would advance its totalitarian agenda through Mafia-like intimidation, not brazen murders.

I worried too about this, especially as I know that the Islamists read my articles. But I went ahead with the paragraph (and might write in more depth on the same topic) because I believe the most valuable service I can render in this war is to make anti-Islamists aware of the problem they face.

(3) The backlash against radical Islam continues. Today's Telegraaf reports (as does Expatica) that a two-thirds majority of the Dutch Lower House supports the abolition of the blasphemy law introduced in the 1930s that bans religious insults. (November 16, 2004)

Above Copyright D. Pipes

Theo van Gogh and Education By Murder in Holland
Click here to find out about the Danish Cartoon Jihad

Controversial van Gogh movie scrapped at film festival

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS January 31, 2005

ROTIERDAM, Netherlands: Citing security concerns, organizers of the Rotterdam Film Festival called off Sunday's screening of a short film by murdered Dutch moviemaker Thee van Gogh that has outraged some Muslims.

A suspected Islamic extremist allegedly shot and stabbed van Gogh to death in November shortly after the release of the film, “Submission,” which is a fierce critique of the treatment of women under Islam written by an anti-immigration member of parliament.

Column Productions, which holds the rights to the film, said the decision to cancel the showing was made on the basis of security concerns,” but did not elaborate. “We can say nothing more about the nature of this case, apart from saying that we have been advised to be careful with screenings like the one intended in Rotterdam,” the company said in a statement. The decision drew criticism from some directors and artists at the festival, who argued that limiting free expression was giving in to terrorists.

Another van Gogh film, “06/05,” about the murder of Dutch anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn in 2002, premiered at the festival Sunday; Van Gogh was putting the final touches on that full-length movie when he was slain Nov 2. His throat was cut and a note left by the killer-threatened jihad, or Islamic holy war, against nonbelievers.

Dutch politician turning to American conservatives for ideas in reining in — and keeping-out — radical Muslims

By Alicia Colon

Jewish World Review Jan. 17, 2005

New York City is the epitome of the great melting pot of America. In just a five-block radius around my house, I can find residents from eleven different countries. My neighbors include Albanian, Palestinian and Pakistani Muslims; Polish, Puerto Rican, Honduran and Mexican Catholics; Korean Methodists; Hindus from India; and Buddhists from Sri Lanka. Everyone seems to get along without too much fuss. As much as we think that immigration is a serious problem here in the United States, we should thank our lucky stars we don't live in Holland.

Last week I attended a dinner meeting of think-tank representatives, foundation executives and other corporate luminaries there to meet two Dutch visitors, Dr. Bart Jan Spruyt, founder of the Edmund Burke Foundation and a Member of the Dutch Parliament, Geert Wilders.

MP Wilders has been making the rounds here in the States to publicize what is happening to his country because of the rise of radical Islam and why he is promoting a moratorium on non-western immigration. He is also on record as objecting to Turkey joining the European Union. He resigned from the Freedom and Democracy People's Party (VVD) and is starting his own conservative political party.

Dr. Spruyt is the head of a Dutch conservative think tank and brought Wilders to America to network with those who advise him on how to proceed with promoting conservatism in the Netherlands. Holland has always been known for its liberalism and tolerance but the death of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in November is turning out to be Holland's 9/11.

Geert Wilders is an MP in hiding when he is at home. He makes public appearances only when the legislature is in session. Dr. Spruyt, who has also received death threats from radical Islamists, told me that Wilders no longer has a home he can stay at. He travels with armed guards and lives on various military bases.

Exactly 911 days after the murder of another popular Dutch figure, Pim Fortuyn, the grandson of Theo Van Gogh, Vincent's brother, was slaughtered in broad daylight. He was a filmmaker who dared to do the unthinkable in Europe. He made a short film called "Submission" which dared to criticize the Islamic treatment of women.

"In broad daylight," Wilders said, " Van Gogh was shot eight or nine times, then he was stabbed several times. His throat was cut and he was almost decapitated. A five page- anti-Semitic rant was found held in place by a knife through Van Gogh's body."

Someone asked Wilders if there was any condemnation of this heinous act from moderate Muslims. He answered, " there was one or two but generally the response was silence. Television reporters went around to these moderate Muslim communities and we heard them say things like, 'he deserved it. '"

According to Wilders, the Dutch Prime Minister went to the Muslims in a gesture of charity telling them that this is the time for everyone to stay together. Instead of getting tough on the radicals, he went around wearing an orange bracelet, which signifies tolerance. Wilders said, "That is the trouble. We have been too tolerant for too long."

I have a strong feeling that liberal reporters will portray Geert Wilders as a Dutch supremacist. He admits that he has already been accused of being a racist. That is far from the truth. Wilders says that moderates will be the first to benefit from a tough policy on the radical Islamists. Holland has bent over backward for the Muslim immigrants. The government created Muslim schools. It even used public money to build mosques. The Netherlands foolishly believed that the new immigrants would assimilate into the Dutch culture. Instead, Wilders claims, over a million Muslims there, have already opted for radical Islam."

He considers Turkey to be a "Trojan Horse" because it is an Islamic country and does not share the same values as Europe, which is Judeo-Christian. After the Van Gogh slaughter, police discovered Pakistani, Kurdish and Moroccan terrorist cells. An Islamic mole was uncovered working as a translator in the AIVD, the national investigative service. Wilders is hoping his government will pass a Patriot Act to coordinate the different agencies. He fully supports President Bush's war on terrorism and recent polls indicate that Wilders is gaining support across all party lines.

In Holland, the people are starting to feel that perhaps it is not just the radicals that are the problem but Islam itself because it does not co-exist well in a democracy. It will take the determination of moderate Muslims to prove them wrong by cleansing their religion of the extremists.

How likely is that to happen?

JWR contributor Alicia Colon is a columnist for The New York Sun, a paper that every pro-Israel, pro-democracy New Yorker should be buying.

© 2005, Alicia Colon

 


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