We are marked for death
The Hon. Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party (PVV) in The Netherlands kicked off promotion of his new book, Marked for Death: Islam’s War Against the West and Me with a luncheon address at the Four Seasons Restaurant sponsored by the Gatestone Institutte, hosted by Nina Rosenwald. Among others In the audience were Andy Bostom and Ibn Warriq. What follows is the text of Wilders’ address.Our review of Wilders’ book was published in the May edition of the NER, “Geert Wilders, Defender of the West Against Grand Jihad”. He was interviewd on “Hannity’s America” on Fox News during the 9:00PM EDT program.
Dear friends,
I am happy to be in New York again, even though in my country today it is Queen’s day, a national celebration. This is why I am wearing my orange tie.
Thank you, Nina, for organizing this event and giving me the opportunity to address all of you. It is always good to be among friends. It is an honor to be here in the presence of so many people who care for the preservation of freedom in our civilization.
It is great to be in America, the beacon of liberty, the land of the free, the land where people are still allowed to speak freely. I know what I am talking about. I was acquitted after a legal ordeal that lasted almost 3 years. I had been brought to court for criticizing Islam.
Though at the end of the day I was acquitted, the court case had been a disgrace. It was a time-, money- and energy-consuming nightmare. This charade that happened in the Netherlands for the last few years could not have happened in your great country, where the First Amendment guarantees people the freedom to express their opinions.
The first Amendment is what we need in the Netherlands and Europe.
I am in New York for the release of my book “Marked for Death”. It explains why Islam is the largest threat to freedom which the world is currently facing. It argues why Islam is a totalitarian ideology rather than a religion. It reveals how Islam has already profoundly changed Europe in the last decades. It exposes the cultural relativism which has affected Europe so deeply that many in Europe refuse to stand for liberty and prefer to appease Islam.
As you know, people who speak out like myself and I pay a steep price for speaking these truths. Apart from legal attempts to silence me, there are also the threats by radical Muslims to kill me. I have been living under permanent police protection for almost eight years now. People like me pay this price for speaking the truth about Islam. But I do not regret one word. I see it as my duty to warn the West.
I have traveled widely in the Islamic world. I have read the Koran. I have studied the life of Muhammad. It made me realize that Islam is primarily a dangerous ideology rather than a religion. This is the truth. This violent ideology wants to impose Islamic sharia law on the whole world, including us the Kafirs, the non-Muslims. This inhumane ideology is also outspokenly anti-Semitic.
This ideology also harms Muslims. Islam believes that everything men have to know can be found in the Koran. As such, it is hostile to all forms of innovation. But without innovation there can be no progress and people cannot prosper.
Many people unfortunately are blind to the true nature of Islam. They are blind because they do not realize what Islam is and mistakenly believe that it is a religion just like any other religion.
I have written my book to inform them.
Islam fails four major tests that religions should fulfill:
- 1 Adherence to a religion must be a personal choice;
- 2 no religion should demand that those who leave it be killed;
- 3 a religion must never mandate the subjugation of those who do not belong to it;
- 4 a religion must be in accord with basic human rights.
I have also written my book because I am not a defeatist. The West is able to defeat totalitarian Islam just as it defeated Nazism and Communism in the past.
My book is dedicated to freedom. It is inspired by many freedom fighters, from previous generations but also people from our age. As it happens, two people, whom I refer to in the book, are present in this room here today: Andy Bostom and Ibn Warraq.
Fortunately, we are not alone in the fight for freedom. We are in the company of heroes and friends. This gives us the strength to continue.
In order to defeat Islam so, we must do four things.
The first and most important is to speak the truth, always and everywhere also about islam. Like the Americans, the people in the Netherlands and other European countries desperately need a First Amendment.
That will allow them to tell the truth about Islam and Muhammad. In doing so we will expose this dangerous ideology and its founder. We must encourage Muslims to leave Islam and to choose for freedom and prosperity.
Secondly, we have to believe in the superiority of our Western values. If we do not believe in our own Western values, we will not be prepared to defend them. That is why we have to end the biggest disease in the world today, the cultural relativism which pretends that all cultures are equal. This is simply not true. Our Judeo-Christian and humanist civilization is far superior to any other civilizations like the barbaric Islamic civilization. We should not be afraid to say so. It is more free, more democratic, more tolerant than any civilization the world has ever seen.
Thirdly, we must stop the Islamization of our societies, by restricting immigration from Islamic countries, and expelling those who violate our laws and commit violence. If you respect our laws you are welcome to stay; if you don’t you do not belong here and we will send you packing.
And fourthly, we must reassert our national identities. The nation-state enables self-government and self-determination. This insight led the Zionists to establish Israel as the homeland of the Jews.
Zionism teaches us one of the most important lessons which the modern world needs today. Theodor Herzl argued that a Jewish state would facilitate “a new blossoming of the Jewish spirit.” Today, we need our own respective nation-states to preside over a new blossoming of our own Western spirit.
Our nations are the homes in which freedom and democracy prospers. This is true for the Netherlands. This is true for America. This is true for Israel.
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is a beacon of freedom in an unfree region, a beacon of life in a place of darkness. If Israel falls, the West falls.
Mothers in the West can sleep safely because Israeli mothers at night worry about their sons in the army. Their fight is our fight. We should support it.
Israel is, indeed, a vital outpost of Western civilization. That is why Islam conditions the faithful to hate the Jewish state and to view its destruction as an imperative. It is our duty to stand with Israel.
All these arguments are made in my book, in which I also explain how we can defend freedom and oppose Islamization and cultural relativism in a non-violent and democratic way. In fact, that is what my party, the Party for Freedom, is doing in the Netherlands.
When I began to speak out against Islam 10 years ago, two things happened. Extremist Muslims from the Netherlands and all over the world marked me for death, but Dutch people came to me to express me their support. In 2010, we became the third biggest party in the Netherlands. Though the PVV did not become a coalition partner in the Dutch government, for almost two years we supported a center-right minority government in return for measures to roll back Sharia in Holland, stop the Islamization process, and counter cultural relativism.
The Dutch government even had the audacity to speak out against the powerful OIC, the Organisation of Islamic Conference. The OIC is an international organization of 57 Islamic countries, most of them barbaric tyrannies.
This OIC constitutes the largest voting bloc in the United Nation. It had criticized the fact that Dutch judges had acquitted me of all charges in my court case. But the Dutch government made it clear to the OIC that freedom of speech will not be muzzled in the Netherlands. It told the OIC very bluntly: “The Dutch government dissociates itself fully from the request to silence a politician.” Never before had a European government had the courage to confront the OIC in such a forceful way.
Unfortunately, last week, the Party for Freedom decided to end its support for the government. As you can imagine, this was a difficult decision for us, given the many things also on the subject of islamization that we were still to achieve. Unfortunately, however, previous Dutch governments– as governments elsewhere in Europe – have signed away a significant part of our own sovereignty to the EU, the European Union, a supranational institution run by unelected and undemocratic bureaucrats.
The EU controls our borders and decides over most immigration rules. The EU also imposes a policy of austerity on our country.
When the government, in order to comply with the EU rules, decided to raise taxes and slash the budget at the expense of the citizens rather than by trimming the government, my party had no other option but to bring the government down and we did so last week.
We are now heading for elections, which will be held on September 12th. Our electoral campaign will focus on the need to restore our national sovereignty, because without our sovereignty we cannot defend our identity and fight against islamization.
My friends, we continue our efforts. Our opponents have not been able to bully me. They have not been able to silence me. They shriek and yell, but we will never give in. One of my favorite presidents Ronald Reagan once said: “The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted.”
Reagan was right. The future belongs to us.
In 2008, I released Fitna, a documentary about the true message of the Koran. Tomorrow, I release my book. I wrote it to inform people and also to encourage freedom loving Muslims to leave Islam. And to see islam for what it really is.
I wholeheartedly support those who struggle for freedom in the Islamic world. The Arab, Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani, and Indonesian people have tremendous potential. If they could liberate themselves from the yoke of Islam, if they would stop taking Muhammad as a role model, and if they get rid of the hateful Koran, they would be able to achieve amazing things.
As I say in my book – my message to them, to all the muslims all over the world, is clear: “Fatalism is no option, Inch’Allah is a curse; Submission is a disgrace. Free yourselves. It is up to you.”
I receive hundreds of emails from all over the world. From people in Islamic countries, and from people in Western countries begging for help. They, too, want to fight for freedom and stop the Islamization process
We have to advise and help.
I leave you with another Reagan quote: “We need to act today, to preserve tomorrow.” Indeed, my friends, there are so many things which we can do. Things which we must do. But we can do them only if we can count on each other. You can count on me. I spoke, I speak, I shall continue to speak. I hope I can continue to count on your support.
We are fighting for the future of our children, the survival of the Western spirit, the preservation of our liberty and democracy, our Judeo-Christian and humanist heritage.
We must be brave and save our heritage and our own constitution. The West is in danger, but we can still prevail. Even when we are insulted, even when we are harassed and intimidated, even when we are marked for death – we must stand up for our values, tell the truth and never ever be silenced.
Thank you.
Another outstanding speech. Geert Wilders is one of the few great men of our time.
Geert Wilders is one of the greatest men of the 21st century. He predicted the dangers of Islamicism when most of us were quite oblivious of the mortal threat.
Another great speech. We too need to stand up and be courageous about this issue. Start by sending this article out to all your contact list. The world needs to hear and act.
yes, one of the few great men left in a world of corrupt and neutered politicians. G-D bless you Mr. Wilders.
Geert Wilders indeed saw the dangers of the radical Islamists and the unpreparedness of Europe to defend itself. Unfortunately, Mr. Wilders is absolutely right about Islam as it is taught in most Mosques and Muslim schools. Much of current teaching is actually against the Qur’an, much of the teaching is anachronistic and other teachings are culturally misplaced.
Two political examples:
1. The Qur’an teaches that the Land of Israel was ordained by Allah to the Children of Israel [Surah al Maidah (the Table), verse 21, Surah of the Children of Israel, verse 104]. The present Arab politicians and teachers choose to interpret these verses away, because they would interfere with their political aim of destroying the state of Israel and killing the Jews.
2. The Arab “spiritual” leaders quote verses which they claim tells them to kill the “Yahood”. They ignore the obvious fact, that the descriptions of the “Yahood” clearly show they were not Jews! The term “Yahood” refers openly to idolaters. It is known – and reported also in the Talmud – that there were tribes who dwelled East and South of the Kingdom of Judah who committed political conversion, and when the second Temple was destroyed – they reverted to their original idolatry. These are the Yahood.
Many of the teachings in Muslim cultures have nothing to do with the belief in Allah and in the truths in the Qur’an, but are mimicked from the behavior of Arabs in the Arabian peninsula. The laws of Islam regarding women are discriminatory enough, and are entirely fitting, perhaps, with society in the 7th century in Arabia – and in parts of Europe, but the thought of implementing them in our times shows lack of understanding of human nature [despite what Islamist often teach, women ARE human, and their nature is part of human nature], of religion, and of Islam!
Much of this absolutely mistaken understanding of their own religion stems from adherence to an anachronistic structure of the Arab family, as constructed in the seventh century, but is of course breaking down in the 21st century. Changing society necessarily and justifiably demand changes in the religion of that society, and repression will only work for a period. Changes in the behavior and the understandings and the beliefs of Muslims living in Europe are inevitable. The male Islamist cultural leaders of today are naturally trying to fight against the inevitable. Their means are threat and violence, including murder.
So sure, Mr. Wilders is correct in his analysis. But his solution is not defined correctly. One cannot expect people to drop their identity, and stop being Muslims. But one CAN and SHOULD and MUST demand that the Muslims who live in Europe revamp and update their religion. What is needed is an updated Islam – for the Muslims sake, even more than for the sake of Europe.
Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander is an Orthodox Rabbi, a member of the nascent Sanhedrin, living in Israel, who has been meeting with Muslims for the past four years, in Europe, in Turkey, in Jordan, and in the US, and has been requested by Muslims to advise them on how to update their religion!
@ Laura:
I can hardly believe how American’s have let Islam infest our country, especially the liars in Gov. The same for many churches. Wilder is my hero..and there should be millions like him. I wonder how the world can see what and how Hitler played his game and all who helped him were killed including many of his henchmen..and we are letting obama do that to us..For me, I will continue to speak out all of the time…G-d bless Israel and America…in the end we know Israel will win, but I don’t like to realize what they have been thru or what America is bring on itself..Now they have picked the wrong front runner and maybe the worst in Christie they can put together. and of course the people will suck it up..but all will be fulfilled G-d’s way…Shalom
Rabbi Hollander, I disagree with your statement:
What you are advocating is the view held by only a handful of outspoken Muslims who have been dubbed reformers who insist the Islam they are faithful to accords well with Judeo-Chritian religions and values as opposed to political Islam that preaches and teaches beliefs, laws and values that are anti-thetical to Western civilization and thus poses an existential danger to our Western Judeo-Christian way of life.
These reformers are cheered on, not by the vast majority of the Muslim world and not even by the vast majority of the West. Rather, they are praised only by those Westerners who are of a like mind with Wilders.
While you may be correct that Westerners cannot expect people to drop their identity, and stop being Muslims, that is only so, if Westerners do not will that to happen and act in furtherance of that will.
At this point, there appears little to no will amongst Western leaders in that regard, let alone a resolve to act on that will.
Rather than seeing that we Westerners are under assault by most in the Muslim world in a civilizational war, either by its leaders, supporters or its Muslim enablers who so enable the Jihadists by their silence. Our Western political and institutional leaders insist on turning a blind eye to this civilizational battle.
Instead, they persist in trying to convince themselves that there are only a relative few anti-Western Muslims and that these anti-Western Jihadists are largely part of Al Qaeda, which Obama and other leaders trumpet is much weaker than it was. Even one U.S. State Department had the idiotic temerity to suggest that the war on terror had been won.
This willful blindness of our political and institutional leaders often finds expression in declarations that Islam is a religion of peace, it has been hi-jacked by a few radical Muslims, etc. etc.
We hear from our leaders and the media uttering seemingly obligatory mantras such as the vast majority of the Muslim world are good, decent, law abiding and non-Jihadist peoples. All those who utter these statements, know and also declare that antisemitism is one of the worlds great evils. When it comes to speaking of the so called vast majority of Muslims, these leaders do not factor into their sycophantic appeasing words that the majority, if not the vast majority of the Muslim world is antisemitic.
We see this willful blindness in the views and actions of the West’s leading voice, Obama as he ignores the nature, purpose, aspirations, goals and strategies of the likes of the antisemitic, anti-Christian, anti-West Muslim Brotherhood as he seeks to appease and suck up to that hate filled organization.
The same can be said of the feckless EU that holds hope that its civilization and culture will survive, just as its civilization is being eroded away and transformed by internal and external Muslim factions, be they called fundamentalists, radical, Salafists, Muslim Brotherhood, etc.
Wilders is right. Unless the West takes a strong no holds barred affirmative action stand against the Muslim world to the extent beliefs, values and culture are inimical, antithetical and existentially endangering to our own way of life, that Muslim world is inexorably and incrementally transforming our Western civilization to their ways.
@ Rabbi Yeshayahu Hollander:
Dear Rabbi, you sound like a recording of Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi.
Your error – and it is a doozie – is not understanding the actual chronology of Suras in the Qur’an, nor applying the rules of abrogation, as they have been established by Islamic schools of jurisprudence over a thousand years ago.
Just to give you simple examples, you first quote Sura 5, “The Table”, verse 21. Why don’t you venture down 12 verses to 33 and see what’s cooking:
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter;”
If you have any doubt about what this is referring to, go and read the classic Muslim commentaries. It isn’t the rose-colored picture you’re trying to paint.
You quote Sura 17, “The Night Journey”, verse 104. Has no one informed you that the Qur’an also says Jews are accursed for rejecting Muhammad (2:89) and that the Muslims are the true children of Abraham (3:67-68) and thus the true inheritors of this promise?
You’ve had it wrong all along – you and Tekoah’s Rabbi Froman. What a mess!
@ Shy Guy:
As his throat was about to be slit by his Arab Muslim neighbor, he good rabbi Cried out, ” But it says in: The Qur’an that the Land of Israel was ordained by Allah to the Children of Israel [Surah al Maidah (the Table), verse 21, Surah of the Children of Israel, verse 104].”
The Koranic passages that are complimentary to Jews were written by Mohammed ibn Abdullah during the period that he was trying to entice the Jews of Arabia to convert to Islam, while those which spew hatred of Jews were written by Mohammed ibn Abdullah after he was rebuffed by all but an insignificant number of them.