From the ‘Rockin’ the f*kcing Casbah’ department of Howling Wolf:
* Remember Koran rage? Gitmo rage? Abu Ghraib rage? Cartoon rage? Pope rage? Think you seen it all? You ain’t seen nothing yet, babyyyy: Wilders rage is heading your way, like a tsunami! Don’t you know that Islam is like a tsunami? Get ready: its that time of year!
Daniel Pipes: Geert Wilders New Film On Islam Likely To Cause Riots
* The cheese eating surrender monkey’s in the Netherlands have already ordered diapers for the event:
* The Justice Department is investigating whether anything can be done to prevent the film from airing.
* When it was leaked that Wilders was coming out with an anti-Koran film, three ministers warned him of the possible consequences.
Should this not succeed, preparatory steps are underway:
* Security around Wilders, which was already heavy, is being beefed up.
* The Amsterdam police have had interviews with imams and other influential persons in the Muslim community this month to prepare for their reactions. A scenario is being prepared for major public order problems. Similar measures are being taken in the Hague and Utrecht.
* Investigations are also underway to see whether Wilders will have to acquire a specially secured residence and whether his fellow party members will require security.
* The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since informed all of its diplomatic posts … to explain to other countries that the Cabinet has distanced itself from the film.
* Are they friggin’ cowards or what?
Comments: (1) That a lone individual, a Rushdie or a Wilders, is in the anomalous position of driving a state’s policy makes this situation so fascinating and anomalous.
In a strange reversal, governments waited on the statements issued by a private citizen. Never before had this happened. Nor had an individual’s choice of words ever borne so directly on the course of international relations. The situation was especially anomalous in Great Britain, where the authorities at one point felt compelled to deny that they had cleared a pronouncement made by Rushdie. As a news item reported it, with reference to his February 19[, 1989] apology,
The absurdity of the situation was caught by a cartoon in Le Monde which showed Rushdie at his typewriter, surrounded by fifteen harried bobbies all keeping an eye on him; one of the policemen barks into the walkie-talkie, “Close the airports!! He wants to write volume two!!!”
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(2) When a citizen holds his government hostage, the latter is inevitably tempted to shut down his freedom of expression. Indeed, Wilders has complained of “pure political intimidation” by the cabinet and “unacceptable” pressure being placed on him to desist, including sending the public prosecutor after him. Thus does the Islamist challenge test the principles of Western governments as never before. Put differently, will Westerners resist dhimmitude or succumb to it? The outcome is by no means assured.
