Geert Wilders Bedankt!

Thank you Geert Wilders? Yes, thank you Geert Wilders. Fitna and Geert Wilders’ performance during the parliamentary debate that followed the video's release have indeed shown us that we stand on the precipice of a monumental decision. Unfortunately for Geert, it’s not quite the decision he was hoping for.

Wilders’ Youtube video Fitna (to call it a film would give it way too much credit) has stirred a lot of debate and controversy both in the Netherlands and abroad. The reactions to the video can be grouped into four broad areas:

Those who believe that the video correctly portrays Islam as an unadulterated evil ideology and see the video as a wake-up call and call-to-arms in the coming existential battle to save Western democracy.
Those who call for a more nuanced relativism citing the fact that examples of religiously inspired violent extremism and extreme religious texts are endemic to all three of the great monotheistic religions.
Those who argue that the vast majority of Muslims are not extremists and do not support anti-democratic and anti-Western violent Islamic Jihadism.
Those who shrug off the video as such dribble that is undeserving of a serious response.

Wilders and those who support him and his vision of course rally around the first point of view. In the parliamentary debate following the film’s release, Wilders even called Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, Chamberlain - referring of course to England's policy of appeasement in the face of Nazi Germany’s early rise.

Ironically enough, Wilders almost hit the nail on the head even though he himself didn't realize it. The release of Wilders’ video along with his own political views have squarely brought us to the moment when we have to decide if we will indeed repeat the appeasement of 80 years ago. But it is not primarily the appeasement to extreme violent Islamism that Wilders focuses on that we should be thinking of. It is rather the appeasement to the dark racially motivated ethnic nationalistic political ideology that Wilders represents that should concern us.

To call Wilders a fascist would not be entirely correct. He does not support a dictatorial central government. To call him a Nazi would possibly be illegal and also too broad an indictment. However, it is unmistakable that many of his views and statements about Muslims are frighteningly reminiscent of the racist demagoguery and ideology characteristic of the European national socialists from the previous century.

For those who only know Wilders from the Fitna video and recent debate, let me acquaint you with some of his other points of view:

Wilders wants to make it illegal for Dutch Muslims to build any additional houses of worship.
Wilders wants to legally ban the Koran except for academic study making its possessions and use in the home or mosque a criminal offense.
Wilders proposes making immigration from any Muslim country illegal. When asked about how this will limit the internationally recognized right of family formation Wilders has stated: “I am not denying anyone a family life. Also not for non-western minorities. They can marry. They can live together. Just not in the Netherlands.”
Wilders proposes changing the Dutch constitution to make it illegal to operate an Islamic faith-based school while retaining that constitutional right for Jewish and Christian schools.

And here is a selection of Wilders’ statements on Muslims, translated from the original Dutch as they have appeared in various media:

“Native Dutch have a much lower birthrate than minorities. Now the minorities, mostly Muslims, are concentrated in the large cities. In 20 years they will be everywhere…”

“It is totally undesirable that Amsterdam should count 177 different nationalities.”

“No to integration. Assimilation! And then let those headscarves come protest at Maliveld (in the Hague). I’ll eat them raw.”

“I don’t want a growing number of people, maybe in the future a majority, to be Muslims in the cabinet.”

“If it were to come to race riots, what I really don’t want to happen, it would not a priori necessarily have to be a negative thing.”

“Many fundamental problems in the Netherlands, like infrastructure, road congestion, housing problems and the welfare state, can be directly attributed to migrants.”

In an op-ed piece last summer in the Volkskrant, a leading Dutch newspaper, Wilders wrote in part:

“How I am ashamed of the Dutch politicians. Their naiveté and sickly hunt for the utopia of moderate Muslims, who only bring our land hell and damnation. How I am ashamed of those inside and outside the Parliament who refuse to stop the Islamic invasion of the Netherlands… The Hague (seat of government) is full of cowards. Frightened people who were born cowards and will die cowards… Who don’t give a damn about the interests of the Dutch citizen and who cooperate in the transformation of the Netherlands in Nederabia as a province of the Islamic state Eurabia. I’ve had enough of Islam in the Netherlands: not one Muslim immigrant more. I’ve had enough of the worship of Allah and Mohammad in the Netherlands: not one mosque more. I’ve had enough of the Koran in the Netherlands: ban that fascistic book. Enough is enough.”

Yes, we stand again as Europeans for a historic decision. We as Europe have been here before at this monumental point of decision. What does it say about us Europeans that we have brought ourselves to this point two times in a span of 85 years? Is it a coincidence that Wilders adorns himself with what could be mistaken for a comic book version of a satirized Aryan hairdo?

If some of his proposals about how to treat Dutch Muslims or the way he talks about this religious minority reminds you of some other demagoguery from some other period of time then you see who we really need to be afraid of.

We need to decide if we are going to deal with the legitimate problems we face as a free, pluralistic and inclusive society or are we going to allow these populist anti-democratic voices of ethnic nationalism and racial-fascism create and then fill their vacuum of fear and ignorance. It’s happened before on European soil and it could happen again. Wilders and for that matter Rita Verdonk with her new “Proud of the Netherlands” party is how it begins.

It’s worked before and they apparently believe it can work again. Could it work again? Could the Muslim massacres on European soil during the Balkan wars actually have been a foreshadowing of events to come as opposed to a disgusting aberration?

So I say, thank you Geert Wilders. We have seen the enemy and that enemy is you.