News Right Now: No Surprise

Fascist politician Geet Wilders made international headlines last week when he won the Netherlands’ general Election. In a result even he wasn’t expecting, he managed to win 37 out of the 150 seats in Parliament, giving him a lead well ahead of the Labour and Green parties as well as the Conservatives. His PVV Party for Freedom’s huge election victory marks the stunning lurch of Dutch citizens to the far right, and the result is sending shockwaves through Europe.

Geet Wilders is well known to Muslims in Europe because of his extreme racist views about Islam and Muslims. He advocates for the “de-Islamization” of the Netherlands, by saying he wants no mosques or Islamic schools. Also that women are banned from wearing the niqab and hijab. He openly calls Islam a religion of hate and says Muslims are backward. He doesn’t hide the fact that his anti-immigration stance is really about anti-Muslim immigration, and he has threatened to and supported the desecration of the Quran several times and slandered our beloved Prophet Mohammed (saw). Naturally the election results are shocking for Dutch Muslims, who did not expect a party with an agenda that is against the basic principles of social cohesion to be so widely approved of by the Dutch population.

The Dutch result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape; from Slovakia and Spain to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right fascist parties have made huge gains in local and national elections, reflecting the tense political climate currently gripping Europe. Far-right Flemish independence leader Tom Van Grieken, who hopes for a similar election breakthrough in Belgium to Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, was quick to conclude: "Parties like ours are on their way in the whole of Europe."

Likewise, in France, the UK and in Italy, the far-right ideology has woven itself tightly into the mainstream front running parties. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric has long been a political football in Europe, and as austerity and high inflation effect the rising cost of living; many communities find it easier to blame immigrants and direct their antagonism towards Muslims; instead of accounting their governments for their poor budgeting and the misuse of taxpayers’ money.

Despite Geet Wilders’ open hatred toward Muslims, we must remember that our concern is not with him as an individual, but with the secular liberal system that enables the injustice and division he causes. As Muslims we have our own unique view of life. Our Aqeeda gives us the framework for our beliefs, from which the Shari rules outline a system of laws and values.

As such, Islam is a cohesive Deen which doesn’t discriminate against people or preach wanton hatred and violence. Rather it’s the Western secular liberal ideals of absolute freedom and democracy, which when taken to their natural conclusion, lead directly to hatred and violence. Allah (swt) says in the Quran...

[وَلَنۡ تَرۡضٰى عَنۡكَ الۡيَهُوۡدُ وَلَا النَّصٰرٰى حَتّٰى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمۡ​ؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ هُدَى اللّٰهِ هُوَ الۡهُدٰى​ؕ وَلَـئِنِ اتَّبَعۡتَ اَهۡوَآءَهُمۡ بَعۡدَ الَّذِىۡ جَآءَكَ مِنَ الۡعِلۡمِ​ۙ مَا لَـكَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ وَّلِىٍّ وَّلَا نَصِيۡرٍ]

“And never will the Jews and the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allāh is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allāh no protector or helper”. [Surah Al Baqarah ayah 120]

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