Dutch Christian Democrat MPs Approve Deal with Anti-Islam MP
THE TELEGRAPH: Dutch Christian Democrat MPs unanimously approved a deal on Tuesday for the formation of a minority rightist government backed by the party of anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders.

Dutch Christian Democrats (CDA) leader Maxime Verhagen talks to the press. Photo: The Telegraph
"All 21 members (of parliament) will support the implementation of the governing agreement" between the Christian Democratic Action (CDA) and the rightist, pro-business Party for Freedom (PVV), CDA leader Maxime Verhagen told journalists after a party caucus meeting in The Hague.

The deal will see the controversial PVV remain outside of government but providing the majority support the minority coalition will need to pass decisions through parliament – in exchange for a say in policy-making.

Mr Wilders, who campaigns for a ban on the burka and an end to Muslim immigration, went on trial in Amsterdam on Monday on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Wilders Compares Prophet Muhammad to a Pig
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE - Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders has seized on a news report from Saudi Arabia for peppery written questions to the cabinet. In these, he compares the Islamic prophet Mohammed to a pig.

Wilders has requested clarification from Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen on a marriage in Saudi Arabia between an 80 year old man and a 10 year old child. The child had run away from her elderly husband, but was brought back to him by her father, the English-language website Arab News reports based on a Saudi newspaper.

Wilders asks the minister if he shares the view that "this man is behaving like a pig, just like the barbarous Prophet Mohammed, who married the six year old girl Aisha." The PVV leader wants Verhagen to summon the Saudi Arabian ambassador to express his repugnance. [Source: NIS News Bulletin] | Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wilders' Party Loses Support
DUTCHNEWS.nl: Geert Wilders' anti-immigration PVV party would take 24 seats in the 150-seat parliament if there was a general election tomorrow, four down on last month, according to the latest Politieke Barometer opinion poll.

At the beginning of July, support for the PVV had reached an all-time high of 32, making it the most popular party in the country. It currently has nine seats in parliament.

The new poll says the Christian Democrats are now in the lead, with 37 seats. Coalition party Labour (PvdA) is up two seats at 24.

Meanwhile, research by Synovate for tv programme Nova shows that almost 40% of Wilders' supporters back the PVV because they have lost faith in the government and other political parties. >>> AD | Friday, August 28, 2009

Dutch Foreign Minister Lashes Out at Wilders
EXPATICA: Maxime Verhagen says Wilders is turning Netherlands into a country of "us against them”.

THE NETHERLANDS – Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has issued a stinging criticism of the Freedom Party's leader Geert Wilders. 



Speaking on Wednesday evening at the Movies that Matter festival in The Hague, Verhagen said Wilders used generalisations to sow discord and pit different groups of people against one another.



According to the minister, Wilders is forcing people to centre their identities on their religion – which is just one factor in their lives. He added that Wilders' remarks were dividing the Netherlands into a country and “us against them” and that he did not wish to live in such a land. >>> Radio Netherlands / Expatica | Friday, April 10, 2009

Wilders Britain Ban Not EU Issue
DUTCHNEWS.nl: MPs are still angry that ministers will not raise Britain's decision to ban anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders from entering the country within the European Union, reports the Telegraaf.

A majority of MPs earlier supported a motion calling on the government to raise the issue. During a second debate on the ban on Tuesday, MPs from across the political spectrum again called on ministers to take action.

Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen says he will not bring up the ban in Brussels because Britain is not breaking any EU laws. >>> | Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands) >>>

Diplomatic Support for Geert Wilders on UK Trip
NRC HANDELSBLAD: The Dutch ambassador to Great Britain, Pieter Willem Waldeck, will meet the leader of the populist Party for Freedom (PVV), Geert Wilders, when he arrives in London on Thursday.

Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen said the ambassador will be at the airport to assist the politician who is travelling to Great Britain in spite of a decision by the British government to refuse him entry. The British authorities say Wilders is not welcome because his outspoken views on the Muslim faith could lead to unrest.

Wilders had been invited by a member of the House of Lords to show his short film Fitna. The British refusal to deny entry to a Dutch member of parliament has been condemned by Dutch political parties. Maxime Verhagen appealed to the British government to reconsider its decision. >>> News Staff, NRC Handelsblad | Thursday, February 12, 2009

NRC HANDELSBLAD: Wilders’ Right to Speak

EDITORIAL: The United Kingdom does not want to admit anyone to its territory that would threaten “ Target=_blank>community harmony and therefore public security.” This argument was used to deny member of parliament Geert Wilders of the populist party PVV entry to the country on Tuesday. Too high a barrier to the free movement of people and the freedom of expression has thus been erected. Besides the fact that the law of both the European Union and the Council of Europe seems to be violated by this, the political concept of a free European space has also been damaged.

Ironically, striving for freedom often entails the prospect of confinement. That has now occurred. The fact that the ban affects a member of parliament makes the decision political, in addition to symbolic. The British are concerned about a well-defined political program that is democratically legitimised in the Netherlands. Voltaire is often credited with pointing out that freedom of expression means defending someone’s right to assert that with which one disagrees. That certainly applies to Wilders, who gives plenty of occasion for disagreement. But his freedom to express such disagreeable sentiments should prevail all the more. As should the duty to defend that freedom. Moreover what is at stake here is political freedom, without which other freedoms are all but unthinkable. >>> Editorial | Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Read the letter to Geert Wilders from the Home Office here

TIMES ONLINE:
Utter Condescension and Denial from The Times >>> Leader | Thursday, February 12, 2009

FOX NEWS: Despite Ban, Dutch Lawmaker Vows to Visit 'Cowardly' Britain

Dutch politician Geert Wilders says he's flying to Great Britain despite a government order banning him from entering the country, and he's daring the "weak and cowardly" British government to arrest him when he gets there.

"I'll see what happens at the border. Let them put me in handcuffs," Wilders told Radio Netherlands in an interview Wednesday.
The right-wing lawmaker was invited by a member of Parliament to show his anti-Islam movie "Fitna," which calls the Koran a "fascist" book and accuses Islam of being a violent religion. He was told by the British Embassy in a letter Tuesday that he could not set foot in the country.

Britain's Home Office would not comment specifically on the ban, but it said it "opposes extremism in all its forms" and would work to "stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country." >>> Fox News | Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands) >>>

The Craven Verhagen Lets Down Wilders, and Lets Down Europe, too
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE - MP Geert Wilders, who is facing prosecution in Jordan, is getting no moral support from Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. The Dutch government considers that the MP has insulted the Jordanian population, it appears from a statement by Verhagen's ministry.

In the Netherlands, the Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) concluded last week that Wilders' anti-Islam film Fitna, published on 27 March, does not break the law in any way. But in Jordan, a prosecutor has launched criminal proceedings against the MP for Fitna. This follows a complaint by 30 organisations calling themselves The Messenger of Allah Unites Us.

According to Wilders, "little or nothing happens without the King's approval" in Jordan, such as "the fact that the Jordanian Public Prosecutor has decided to treat me to five charges including insulting the Prophet Mohammed."

But Verhagen sees it differently. "A judicial procedure was started against Wilders after a complaint by a private person," the statement by his ministry reads. Wilders Prosecution: Dutch Government Defends Jordan >>> | July 8, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US) >>>

Netherlands Okays Jordan Prosecuting MP Wilders
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE - Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has declined to complain to Jordan about Dutch MP Geert Wilders awaiting prosecution in that country.

Wilders had asked Verhagen to summon the Jordanian ambassador in The Hague to protest against the possible court case against the Party for Freedom (PVV) leader for insulting Islam. The minister however refuses. The Netherlands cannot interfere with the judicial process of another country. "This is for courts, not politics," said the minister during a House debate on the Middle East.

"Conversely, a country also cannot influence the independent judicial process in the Netherlands," according to Verhagen. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) however thinks differently about this; it does condemn the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) decision not to prosecute Wilders domestically. Netherlands Okays Jordan Prosecuting MP Wilders >>> | July 3, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands)

Maxime Maximizes His Dhimmitude!
ASHARQ ALAWSAT: A Member of Parliament for an opposition party that represents a small proportion of Dutch voters has made a critical film about the Koran, a book that is sacred to roughly 1.2 billion Muslims. The announcement of this film was for months the cause of considerable disquiet and discussion in the Netherlands and the rest of the world. On Thursday 27 March the film was released on the internet. It shows images of atrocities and blames them on Islam and the Koran.

Let me begin by emphasising that these views do not in any way reflect the perspective or policy of the Dutch government. The Dutch government condemns terrorist attacks, whether they are committed in the name of Islam or other religions or for any other motive. Terror must never be a means to pursue any goal. But Islam must not be equated with the commission of atrocities. The vast majority of Muslims condemn extremism and violence, of which many Muslims are also the victims. The Dutch government emphatically dissociates itself from this film because of its invidious generalisations and its polarising effect.

Islam has a clearly visible place in Dutch society. There are more than 800,000 people in the Netherlands with roots in the Islamic world, about 5.3% of our population. In recent decades, Islam in all its diversity has had many opportunities to flourish as a religion within the limits of the law. Islamic institutions, associations, media and schools have become familiar features of our country. Over 450 mosques have been built on Dutch soil. This development reflects the well-established Dutch tradition of religious tolerance. Muslims make a major contribution to dialogue within Dutch society, notably through their participation in consultative bodies. Two members of the Dutch government have roots in the Islamic world: Ahmed Aboutaleb, State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment, and Nebahat Albayrak, State Secretary for Justice. I mention these facts to show that in general, Muslims in the Netherlands work together well and live in harmony with non-Muslims. The Dutch government is heartened by the balanced initial responses to the film’s release from Muslim organisations in the Netherlands.

There is no point in trying to disguise the fact that contact with other cultures, customs and faiths is exacerbating tensions. On the contrary, it is good to discuss these tensions openly and frankly. The question is, however: how should we deal with these tensions? How can we bridge the differences? The Alliance of Civilisations, an initiative of the Turkish and Spanish governments, provides governments and civil society organisations with a forum to search together for constructive responses. I warmly welcome this initiative. That is why the Netherlands has since the outset been one of the countries that support the Alliance in principle and practice. This film has the opposite aim: instead of offering a constructive response to the challenges we face today, it is spreading fear and turning different groups against each other.

We should condemn not religions, but rather people and groups who abuse religion to achieve their ends through violence. Islam is not the problem. Muslims, Christians and people with other convictions can coexist in complete harmony. The problem is not religion, but the abuse of religion to spread hatred and intolerance. No Room for "Fitna" >>> By Maxime Verhagen | 30. 3. 08

Mark Alexander

No Legal Grounds to Ban Wilders' Film
DUTCHNEWS.NL: Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen says the cabinet has no plans to ask the courts to ban the controversial film due to be released this month by anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, reports ANP news service on Wednesday.

‘We looked at the possibilities and there are none,’ Verhagen is quoted as saying. His comments follow a call by former Dutch foreign affairs minister Hans van den Broek, now a leading government advisor, who has called on the cabinet to take the issue to court. No Legal Grounds to Ban Wilders' Film >>> | Wednesday 26 March 2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

International Tension Grows over Wilders’ Film
DUTCH NEWS: International pressure on the Netherlands over the controversial anti-Koran film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders is growing, despite the Dutch prime minister’s reassurances in parliament on Wednesday that Europe and Islamic countries are appreciative of the active stance taken by the Dutch government on the issue.

On Wednesday Reuters news service reported that Iran's deputy foreign minister said the Netherlands has the power to stop Wilders from screening the film about the Koran which has already sparked protests in the Muslim world.

‘The Netherlands is responsible ...they can stop it,’ Mahdi Safari told Reuters, urging the Dutch government to invoke the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of speech should not stretch to allowing Wilders to offend the rights of others, he added.

‘If such a man will insist on this it is irresponsible for the world and society," Safari told journalists at a briefing after meeting Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, reports Reuters.

Both Safari and Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands Bozorgmehr Ziaran said they could not predict the reaction of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims to the film, or prevent possible violence. ‘Why would you expect us to control 1.2 billion Muslims when you cannot control one person,’ Ziaran is quoted as saying. He added Wilders sought to violate Muslim's rights by demonising them, and was a war-monger and troublemaker. International tension grows over Wilders' film >>> | Wednesday 12 March 2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Hague “on Hot Bricks” over Fitna
PRESS TV (IRAN): The Hague holds talks with envoys from 30 Muslim states to discuss the imminent release of an anti-Islam film made by a Dutch politician.

Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen met with the ambassadors at the request of the Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC) over the Web and possible television broadcast of the anti-Islam clip made by the maverick politician Geert Wilders.

The talks were held amidst vehement protests from Muslim nations, including Egypt, Iran and Pakistan which have threatened an economic boycott of the Netherlands if the short film is shown.

The latest of Wilders' provocative actions against Islam has escalated another worldwide outrage similar to the one following the publication of the Danish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The Dutch government, which tries to maintain its 'freedom of expression', has tried but failed to persuade Wilders not to broadcast the film. [Source: Hague on hot bricks over Wilders' clip >>>]

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Pressure Mounts on Wilders to Drop Film
DUTCH NEWS: Pressure is mounting on anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders to drop plans to broadcast his anti-Koran film because of the economic and security damage it could cause to the Netherlands.

On Thursday night, Christian Democrat parliamentary leader Pieter van Geel urged Wilders not to proceed. ‘This is nothing to do with freedom of expression but with the responsibility he must take for the possible consequences for the safety of Dutch citizens and our economy,’ Van Geel said.

Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen told NOS news that broadcasting the 15-minute feature would be irresponsible. On Wednesday Verhagen and justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin spent an hour with Wilders trying to persuade him to drop the project.

But Labour, Liberal, Socialist and GroenLinks MPs said they did not support the CDA call. The right to freedom of expression was paramount, the MPs were reported as saying, while stressing that Wilders should be responsible in exercising this right. Pressure Mounts on Wilders to Drop Film >>> | Friday 29 February 2008

PRESS TV (IRAN):
Wilders warned on anti-Islam film

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)