Geert Wilders & A European Survivor Instinct

There are a lot of people who have already written the obituary for Europe in its present form. Indeed, it was only a few days ago that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad stated that Europe would be made an Islamic continent within 12 years. His words echoed that of Canada's Mark Steyn, the journalist now having to defend himself for saying much the same thing in an article in McCleans. And it seems to many of of us that Europe has simply lost the will to live.

But perhaps we speak too soon.

The Dutch politician Geert Wilder has staked his political career - and life - on not bending to the onslaught of radical Islam. Indeed, as I blogged below, he is pushing his opposition to Islam very much to the forefront in the Netherlands.

Mr. Wilder is clearly bucking the mainstream of socialist government line in Europe. But perhaps the rank and file European proletariat are getting the message. This today on Geert Wilders:

A Dutch public poll sparks great controversy after electing one of the most vocal advocates of Islamophobia as 'politician of the year'.

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders has repeatedly hurled insulting comments at Muslims, claiming there would be a "tsunami of Islamisation".

The imprudent official has urged the government to stop all Muslim immigration and to ban the construction of mosques. He has also called on the 1 million Muslims among the Dutch population to "go to their own countries" or to give up their religion.

His reckless remarks have sparked an outcry among many Dutch officials, saying the comments have brought an adversarial style of politics to the muted consensus to which the Dutch are attuned.

Public figures outside parliament have also called for a movement against Mr. Wilders.

The original article can be found at Press TV. I applaud Mr. Wilder's bravery, and am given some hope by this turn of events that perhaps the Europe is not ready to convert to Islam, whether voluntarilly or by submission to the sword.

The problem here is one that Tom Friedman commented upon several years ago. Muslims in the West have a choice. They can clean up their religion, which is by far the preferred method, or people like Geert Wilders will clean it up for them.

There are Muslims in the world today who are trying in fact to clean up their religion. They are people like Tawfiq Hamid and Zuhdi Jasser. They need our full support. We should all hope that they succeed - and indeed, we should assist them however possible - as the alternative represented by Mr. Wilders would mean tha the good of Islam gets tossed out with the radicals.

(H/T: The New Zonka)