Islam and Free Speech

The Islamic assault on free speech has become considerably more sophisticated since the death sentence on Salman Rushdie. A court in Jordan is seeking jurisdiction and an Interpol arrest warrant to try the creators of the Danish cartoons. Geert Wilders, the creator of the film Fitna and member of the Dutch Parliament, is being prosecuted by Dutch authorities on hate speech charges.

The British House of Lords invited Wilders to show his film and speak about it. The Labour government refused his attempt to enter the country, the first such refusal of any elected politician from an E.U. state. The refusal was based on the assumption that Mr. Wilders’ presence in the U.K. would cause a public disturbance. His right to free speech was not considered important enough to overcome the threat of public disharmony. Mr. Wilders is criticized for calling for the banning of the Koran. The charge comes from a September, 2007 speech Wilders gave to the Dutch Parliament. This is the relevant part of that speech.

Madam Speaker, the Koran is a book that incites to violence. I remind the House that the distribution of such texts is unlawful according to Article 132 of our Penal Code. In addition, the Koran incites to hatred and calls for murder and mayhem. The distribution of such texts is made punishable by Article 137(e). The Koran is therefore a highly dangerous book; a book which is completely against our legal order and our democratic institutions. In this light, it is an absolute necessity that the Koran be banned for the defence and reinforcement of our civilisation and our constitutional state. I shall propose a second-reading motion to that effect.

He is clearly calling for the Koran to be judged by the same statutes as all other incitements to violence. His call is for consistency in the application of the law. This is a perfect example of why hate speech legislation is a slippery slope and a bad solution for most problems. Mr. Wilders evidently agrees. In a speech on 2/27/09 at the Washington National Press Club he said this:

I propose the withdrawal of all hate speech legislation in Europe....In Europe, we should defend freedom of speech like Americans do....Millions think liberty is precious. That democracy is better than Shariah....there is no stronger power than the force of free men fighting for the great cause of liberty.

In his 4/27/09 speech in Florida, Mr. Wilders proposed nine steps Europeans should take to defend against Islamization.

• Speak out against the ideology of cultural relativism.
• Redefine Islam as a political rather than religious entity.
• Encourage voluntary repatriation of Muslim immigrants. Expel Muslim immigrant criminals.
• Stop mass immigration from Muslim countries.
• Adopt a European equivalent of America’s First Amendment rights.
• Require a pledge of allegiance and assimilation from everyone.
• Stop building new mosques. Close mosques where incitement to violence occurs.
• Close Islamic schools.
• Get rid of present political leaders.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations responded with a press release beginning:

WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/26/09) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on GOP leaders to demand that Rep. Adam Hasner, the head of that state’s House Republicans, step down from his leadership post for co-hosting an event at which the speaker said Islam should not be recognized as a legitimate
faith and Muslims should not have religious freedom.

It may be possible for CAIR to exert enough political pressure to get Rep. Hasner removed from his leadership position. But Rep. Hasner is not the issue. The issue is Mr. Wilders’ right to say the things he says.

Originally posted on 3/30/09