The Good Atheist

It’s a frightening time to have a controversial opinion in Holland, it seems. Geert Wilders is the leader of the Party for Freedom, a political party that is extremely critical of Islam. He produced a film called Fitna, where he displayed versus of the Koran beside images of the attacks of 9/11, and was accused by Muslim groups of taking these passages out of context (this is the tactic most religious folks use to “explain away” the violent rhetoric of their holy books). Now, the Dutch government is putting Wilders on trial for “offending” Islam, and if convicted, he faces up to two years in jail.

This is what it’s come down to folks. Sure, not everyone agrees with the controversial things Wilders has to say, but keep in mind that the man needs 24/7 protection from fundamentalists in his own country that would love nothing more than to slit his throat like a pig (peaceful religion my ass). He’s highlighted the fact that violence against homosexuals is on the rise, and almost entirely caused by Moroccan immigrants, a fact that the government would rather ignore in favor of political correctness.

It’s entirely possible that the values of Dutch society are incompatible with political Islam, and if that’s the case, he shouldn’t be jailed for voicing concerns that a large portion of the population share. Are we to jail other similar figures who dislike and deride religion? Is Holland so weak that it needs to punish those who find the rise of political Islam in the country frightening? Lets not forget that violence has been used in the past by radical Muslims to silence those who speak negatively of their religion. Does it not prove that there is a serious problem here?