Geert Wilders visits Copenhagen from I Media Online on Vimeo.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very honoured indeed to have been invited by the Danish Free Press Society to speak in the Danish Parliament, the heart of Danish democracy.
As you may know, the title of my short film about the Koran and Islam is Fitna. Fitna is an Arabic word with many meanings. The most common translation is ‘ordeal’ or ‘trial’. The name Fitna symbolises my view that Islam is the ordeal with which the free West is currently confronted. Are we prepared to defend our achievements, such as the equality of men and women, of heterosexuals and homosexuals as well as the separation of Church and State? I would like to throw some light today on the question of whether the Netherlands and Europe will be able to face that ordeal and stand the test. I will also address the question of why I made Fitna, and relate to you some of the reactions to my film as well as some of my personal circumstances. Lastly, I will offer you some thoughts on the future for freedom and democracy in Europe.
Let me first explain to you why I made Fitna.
It is an indisputable fact that the Netherlands and Europe are in the process of being Islamised. For those who still doubt whether this is actually so, let me give you a few figures. In 1909, a century ago now, there were fifty-four Muslims living in the Netherlands, in 1960 there were thirteen hundred and ninety-nine, in 1990 four hundred and fifty eight thousand, and currently about one million. In France approximately ten percent of the population are Muslims. A total of fifty-four million Muslims live in Europe. In less than half a century the number of Muslims has increased considerably in practically all of Europe. Within a few decades the street scenes in Europe, particularly in the densely populated parts, have drastically changed. In countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark headscarves and burkahs have now become integrated and are part of our daily experience.
However, the Islamisation of Europe encompasses much more than that. It also affects the European achievements of the last century. It is sad to see that the equality of men and women in the Europe of 2008 is under pressure. Take for example the rise in the number of honour killings, or attempts to introduce sharia wills and testaments – which award women with half of what men receive – or the refusal by radical Muslims to shake hands with women. The same applies to the equality of heterosexuals and homosexuals. In Amsterdam, once the gay capital of the world, gay men are regularly beaten up, not infrequently by Moroccans.
In trying to find an explanation for the Islamic intolerance and hatred against our whole way of life and the West as such, some take the view that it must be the result of the prior European colonisation of the Arabic-Muslim world. Others name the American-British attack on the Iraq of Saddam Hussein, the presence of NATO troops in Afghanistan, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a possible cause. Poverty in the Muslim world is also frequently mentioned. However, in my opinion, none of these factors really explains the issue.
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Source: PVV (English)
