Iron Souls

The Dutch awaken to the threat in their country after the horrible murder of Theo Van Gogh by Islamic extremists (hat tip: Tim Blair)

For the Dutch, this murder is not only sinister: it is symbolic. Van Gogh - distantly related to Holland's most celebrated artist - was shot on his bicycle, another national emblem. As he writhed on the ground, the murderer cut his throat without mercy and left him with two knives protruding from his body: a method that is apparently common in North Africa, but unheard of here. Just in case there was any doubt about the symbolism of this butchery, a note was found pinned to his chest, containing death threats against three other public figures....

Now, with the manifestation of a violent form of intolerance in their midst, the iron has entered their souls. After decades of welcoming immigration and preaching multiculturalism, they now propose to expel failed asylum-seekers and to assimilate those who settle, rather than permit de facto religious segregation. If neo-conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, the Dutch are fast becoming a nation of neo-conservatives.
While the Arab-European League accused the Dutch immigration minister of giving a "Hitler speech" at a rally in protest at van Gogh's murder, the Dutch know who the real Hitlers are. Even the most liberal society is illiberal when it is a question of survival. The Dutch see those who dream of Europe under a revived caliphate as a threat to their way of life. The prospect of Islamist imams imposing sharia law on Dutch cities amounts, they feel, to a new Nazi occupation. (emphasis mine)

And I wonder where are the cries of outrage and horror from Hollywood about Van Gogh's murder? They have remained completely silent as one of their own was obliterated by the real Nazi's of this century--the Islamofascist terrorists. While Barbra and Ben, Janeane , Susan and Tim, and all the other liberal celebrities have all been VERY vocal about the "Evil Bush-Hitler", the sounds of silence emanating from them about this heinous crime are deafening.

Once, the specter of the National Socialist swastika threatened to darken the soul of the world; now it is the specter of the crescent moon of Islam that threatens all of value on this earth. The brutal execution of Theo Van Gogh has stimulated the Dutch to examine the evil they had once openly welcomed into their midst, and it should stimulate the rest of the world to do the same.

Am I being too harsh on Islam? Perhaps. Where are the so-called "moderates" from that religion? They, too remain silent as the "extremists" slowly but surely take over their faith. They denounce the response to terror, but never the terror itself. It is the fatal flaw in their religion, and in their heart of hearts they know it.

Like the Hollywood types who reflexly espouse Leftist causes, never understanding the inherent contradictions of their ideology; the "moderate" Muslims, without critical thought, give support and credibility to the extreme elements that profess to represent Islam. By their silence, they enable the terrorists among them.

The time is coming, though, when any arguments of moderation and tolerance will be completely meaningless. Then both the Left and Islam will have to examine the premises on which their ideology /religion are based. When they realize that they have been enabling and excusing Islamofascist totalitarianism; while aiming their vitriolic hate at the only people in the world currently trying to stop its spread.

Christopher Hitchens understands this. In his recent op-ed piece he points out:

But all faiths are not always equally demented in the same way, or at the same time. Islam, which was once a civilizing and creative force in many societies, is now undergoing a civil war. One faction in this civil war is explicitly totalitarian and wedded to a cult of death. We have seen it at work on the streets of our own cities, and most recently on the streets of Amsterdam. We know that the obscene butchery of filmmaker Theo van Gogh was only a warning of what is coming in Madrid, London, Rome, and Paris, let alone Baghdad and Basra.

The time is coming when dissembling, excusing and denying that there is a problem will no longer be possible. The time is coming when even Hollywood will have to wake up, stop being childish, and choose sides. Will they choose Freedom? Or, in their blindness and lack of insight, will they choose to support the very evil they mistakenly claim President Bush represents. Will they follow the lead of the moronic Michael Moore, who eagerly accepts the accolades of tyrants and murderers because he despises an American president? What side will Hollywood come down on? What side will those moderate Muslims come down on?

Theo Van Gogh exercised his right to free speech in a free country and produced a documentary that dared to criticize Islam's treatment of women. Will his death continue to be ignored by those who say they believe in free speech, but can't recognize it because they are too busy issuing their own fatwas? Will it cause moderate Muslims to retreat even further into denial? Will it herald another victory for those who desire to destroy the soul of Humanity and imprison it in eternal darkness?

Or will "iron enter the souls" of the free people around the world and help them stand up to dictatorship and oppression--whether it comes cloaked in the seductive garments of liberal enlightenment; or, in the holy garments of an anachronistic religion devoted only to death.

May Theo Van Gogh rest in peace. And may the foul malignancy that perpetrated or tacitly approves his murder be swiftly and surgically removed forever from civilized society.