That, is the title of a recent article on Wilders’s overly hyped film by Bengali-American lawyer Moushumi Khan, who draws attention to the dialectics of Islamist extremism and Islamophobia:
Watching the entire 15 minutes exposes an uncanny similarity between Wilders’ inflammatory rhetoric and that of fiery preachers caught on tape. Each mirrors the other’s intolerance and blanket censure. Neither leaves room for dialogue or debate. Each assumes the sanctity of their message and shares tactics of incitement with the other. Wilders is as reactionary as those he condemns. (“Geert Gone Wild,” Common Ground News Service)
Khan argues that if the real issue is Muslim immigrants in Europe, as Wilders himself insists, then the problem is not their religion per se. “The more Muslims assert their rights of citizenship, the more the boundaries of European liberalism are tested.” (more…)
