A Dutch court said a Dutch politician critical of Islam can compare the religion to fascism and its Prophet Mohammad to a "barbarian", as the politician is exercising his freedom of expression.
The Dutch Islamic Federation (NIF) had asked the court to ban Dutch member of parliament Geert Wilders from making such comparisons, accusing him of inciting hatred and violence against Muslims. | "The contested remarks are not seen as unlawful. The defendant's freedom of speech has been the decisive factor in this matter," the court said in a statement. |
"The contested remarks are not seen as unlawful. The defendant's freedom of speech has been the decisive factor in this matter," the court said in a statement.
Wilders sparked outrage last month when he released a short video accusing the Koran of condoning violence, interspersing verses from the Muslim holy book with images of bombings. The film has sparked condemnation from Muslim nations, protests and calls for boycotts of Dutch products, but has not lead to the kind of violence that was directed against Denmark in 2006 after newspapers published cartoons of the Prophet.
The Dutch Islamic Federation had also wanted to get the court to ban the film but it had already been launched by the time its case was heard. The court said Wilders' remarks comparing Islam to fascism and the Prophet to a barbarian that he made last year did not incite hatred or violence, and said a parliamentarian should be able to express his views, even if they were extreme. "I have always believed that in the political debate it must be possible to point to the dangers of the ongoing Islamisation of the West and of the Netherlands," Wilders told ANP news agency. "I have never had the feeling that I have gone too far."
Wilders, whose right-wing Freedom Party (PVV) has nine out of 150 seats in Dutch parliament, launched a new version of his movie on the internet to address copyright issues. The new film replaces a Danish cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban with another sketch of Mohammad carrying a bomb on his shoulder. The Danish cartoonist who drew the picture had threatened Wilders with legal action. |