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While Muslims have experienced assimilation problems throughout Europe, the Netherlands probably represents their best opportunity to fit in. The country is extremely tolerant and inclusive of Muslims by European standards, and extremist Muslims are few in number. This does not mean that no meaningful threat of Islamist militancy exists. Jihadists still use the Netherlands for fundraising and such, and violence is not unheard of, but there has never been a serious militant attack.
Traditionally, Muslim protests have been small and peaceful, remaining within broader Dutch political traditions. But three events in the past few years have shifted the normally placid Dutch mindset toward hostility to Islam. The first, of course, was 9/11. The second was the emergence — and 2002 assassination — of the populist right-winger Pim Fortuyn, who broke the Dutch taboo against openly discussing Islam and immigration. The third was the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, whose less-than-flattering portrayal of Islam prompted a local cell of militants to assassinate him in 2004.
Enter Geert Wilders, a maverick politician who recently formed the Freedom Party, which holds nine seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament. The party in many ways is the ideological successor to both Fortuyn and van Gogh, and it is certainly the standard-bearer for anti-Islamic sentiment in the Netherlands. Wilders traveled extensively, particularly in the Middle East, before making his ideology known. More recently, Wilders has achieved notoriety for his assertion that if the Prophet Mohammed were alive, he would have him “tarred and feathered as an extremist and deported if he were in Holland.”
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