Explaining Wilder
It’s things like this video that may explain the existence of Islamaphobics like the Netherlands’ MP Geert Wilder. The words of the British Imam, Anjem Choudary during a recent interview on BBC’s Hard Talk certainly lends a certain creditability to Wilder’s views of Islam.
Listening to Mr. Choudary’s statements defending the terrorist bombing of the London Public Transport System on July 7, 2005, which killed 52 people and injured 700 others, is enough to incite rage and fear in most people.
Please understand that Anjem Choudary isn’t some wild eyed howling madman from a 3rd-world nation, or some desperate Palestinian guerrilla from Gaza or the West Bank. Both of those could be dismissed as radicals and apologists could rightfully blame cultural upbringing and desperate circumstances for their extremism. But Anjem Choudary is a British born, Western educated man who was a practicing attorney until he left his practice to further commit himself to the Islamist cause.
At the end of the day, when we say “innocent people” we mean “Muslims”. As far as non-Muslims are concerned, they have not accepted Islam. As far as we are concerned, that is a crime against God.
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As a Muslim, I must support my Muslim brothers and sisters, I must have hatred to everything that is not Muslim.
— Anjem Choudary
When an educated articulate Muslim can say such things in a well-cultured and calm voice, it paints all of Islam as extremists. Since there is no excuse for his behavior other than Islam, it becomes all too easy to decide that Islam is the problem.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 am
It’s not just this guy: when they interviewed other Muslim’s on the BBC after the attacks, and they said that while they didn’t like the terrorist attacks, they would protect the perpetrators. Just because they were ”Muslim’s”. I put that between quotation marks because one can make a very good point claiming that a terrorist can never be called a proper Muslim.
I had to listen to the same sort of crap from my mega-Christian school, where my misguided parents send me. I had to bring money for the mission every week otherwise I’d be responsible for everybody who is not Christian going to hell. Even if they were good people, they would still go to hell if they weren’t Christian. I thought that was stupid at 5 years old, and I still hold that view. The point is that all humans are apparently nuts.
And I do think the Muslims (the nice ones I know) still don’t have a point when they complain about how Islam is represented in ”western” media. Because they let these sort of bozo’s do their representation.
So yes; this is what Wilders believes is what Islam is all about. But that doesn’t exonerate him in my opinion. if you feel as a politician, and representative of the people, he has an obligation to do some research into any matter he wants to speak out on. Being as completely un-nuanced as he is now, is weakening his objective instead of strengthening it.
Hearing him speak and looking at the 10 minute clip collection, just completely nullifies his opinion for me. if he had been more knowledgeable, actually have made a real study of it, and still adhere to his opinions, then I would have more respect for those opinions.
The problem is that Islam is not really known, nor rightly understood in the west. Thus opening the door to all sorts of misunderstandings, including the too tolerant stance on some excesses the dutch government is also responsible for.
(my opinion)
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
“And I do think the Muslims (the nice ones I know) still donât have a point when they complain about how Islam is represented in âwesternâ media. Because they let these sort of bozoâs do their representation.”
I think what’s more damaging to Islam is that Choudary and his ilk are not bozos; they’re educated and very well spoken. A howling fanatic can normally be seen as an aberration, but ones like Choudary cloud the issue by showing that Islamists aren’t all howling madmen; some are very mannered agents of evil instead.
I wasn’t trying to exonerate MP Wilder, just to offer an example of what might be a partial explanation for his derangement. Personally I think much of his vocal Islamaphobia is actually just a front for a deeper fear of non-European immigrants in general.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I agree with you, Jonolan. I didn’t think you tried to exhonorate him.