Geert Wilders to be Prosecuted for Criticising Islam

According to NRC Handelsblad and various other sources, Dutch politician Geert Wilders will be prosecuted for 'hate speech' and incitement for his outspoken observations on Islam.

I don't wish to sound melodramatic, but this is a dark day for Western Civilisation. Since when has it been illegal to express opinions, the vast majority of which happen to be rooted in fact?

Will it now be the case that anyone who speaks out about Jihad, the more barbaric practices of Islam, or even against mass immigration and the erosion of European heritage and culture, will be dragged through the courts?

Wilders has been elected, in an alleged democracy; therefore he speaks for a section of the Dutch electorate (a section whose voice I must assume has not been listened to elsewhere).

This is an absolute outrage, but I suspect the Dutch establishment may have drawn its battle lines rather poorly; Wilders has courage, and has already braved many pitfalls to make his voice and his views heard, including death threats. If he wins, and I truly hope he does, then the Dutch government and the professional Islamic grievance racket will have suffered an embarrassing blow. If he loses, then it will set a legal precedent that is perhaps too terrible to dwell on; any critic of the government, political correctness or multiculturalism living in fear of the infamous early morning knock, so overwhelming a feature of life under tyranny.

Useful Idiot Gerard Sprong, a prominent lawyer who joined Islamic groups in pushing for Wilders' prosecution says:

"This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on
the garbage dump of Nazism."

I am completely exasperated. Perhaps if they are afraid of the rubbish tip of Nazism, certain quarters in the Islamic world should stop stealing all the Nazis' old talking points.
Islam is a set of beliefs that someone willingly holds; why should they not be challenged, the same as any other? Can you hate or be bigoted about a belief system?

I would have thought it far more effective to simply defeat it in argument, and that's exactly what the apologists for radical Islam are afraid of; best make anyone who diagrees fear for their life, position and future.

They are the real Nazis.

I wish Mr Wilders good luck in defeating this obscene abuse of a free country's legal system, but more than that I hope this awakens a few more people from their slumber; this is unfortunately not the stuff of history books, but it is happening amongst us, as we speak.

Brave patriots like Wilders may be first, but if we don't stand in solidarity, any of us could be next.

***UPDATE*** Sign the petition in support of Mr Wilders here: http://www.petitiononline.com/wilders/petition.html

***UPDATE 2*** Wilders and his PVV party face financial ruin due to this action, even if he is not convicted. I would urge anyone who is able to go here [http://www.geertwilders.nl/] and follow the steps shown to donate to his fighting fund. Your grandchildren may just thank you one day.