Islam opponent to visit Prague

Controversial? Yes. Hateful? Perhaps.

But, under the guise of free speech, anti-Islam crusader Geert Wilders will air his views during a Nov. 30 visit to Prague.

Wilders - a Dutch parliamentarian and leader of the Party for Freedom - is best known for his 17 minute-long Web-broadcast documentary Fitna. The film takes passages from the Quran and juxtaposes them with images from terrorist attacks, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. The title comes from an Arabic word that means either divisions among groups of people or a test of faith during difficult times, depending upon the context.

"Freedom of speech is the most important of all our freedoms and must be defended," Wilders said in announcing his plans to visit Prague.

Wilders advocates ending all immigration to the Netherlands and banning the construction of mosques. He was invited to visit Prague by Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Senator Jiří Oberfalzer and Edvard Steinský, the editor of Eurabia.cz, a Web site that is designed, according to its mission statement, to "inform truthfully about the growing danger posed by the creeping intrusion of Islam."

Oberfalzer, the leader of the final constitutional challenge to the Lisbon Treaty, invited Wilders to speak in the Senate, followed by a screening of his film. The invitation was initially approved by the Senate's Commission for Media, of which Oberfalzer is a member.

"Wilders is a very clear-cut politician and says things that may be controversial but, at their core, is the truth," Oberfalzer said.

Controversy ensued, and the invitation was retracted.

"He will not speak in the Senate," Petr Kostka, a Senate spokesman, said Nov. 20.

Oberfalzer's political party was quick to distance itself from the invitation.

"The opinions and proclamations of Geert Wilders are in fundamental conflict with the policy of the ODS, which is based on mutual tolerance and respect for people of different faiths and nationalities," came an official statement from party leadership.

Wilders' brash style, shock of bleach blond hair and his blunt criticism of Islam blaze a path of controversy wherever he goes. In February, he was banned from entering the United Kingdom, prompting him to call the UK government "the biggest bunch of cowards in Europe." He successfully challenged the ban and had it overturned by an immigration and customs tribunal in October.

While an arrest and deportation at London's Heathrow Airport generates headlines, Wilders and his brand of right-wing populism make plenty of waves on their own.

During a 2008 speech in Israel, Wilders referred to the Islamic prophet Muhammad as "the devil." A story in The Guardian the same year quoted him as saying, "I don't hate Muslims. I hate Islam." Wilders has called for banning the Quran in his native Holland, comparing it to Mein Kampf. He refers to Islam as a "Trojan horse" and, speaking in February 2007, said, "There is a battle going on, and we have to defend ourselves."

Like far-right parties in several European countries, Wilders' Party of Freedom gained traction in June's European Parliamentary elections, receiving 17 percent of the Dutch vote and four seats.

Steinský says Islam is a "hateful and aggressive religion that has killing and oppression at its foundations." And, while Steinský supports many of Wilders' views, he does not support banning immigration to the Czech Republic in its entirety.

"I do not mind Christian immigration to the Czech Republic; in fact, I would welcome it," he said. "Europe has Christian roots, and I would be grateful for anyone who could help revive those roots."

According to the Interior Ministry, there are more than 11,000 Muslims living in the Czech Republic, accounting for just over 0.1 percent of the total population. Nonetheless, Steinský maintains the religion poses a threat to the Czech way of life, something he says he "will do everything in [his] power to prevent."

"West European countries, overflowing with immigrants, seem to think that next time they will be able to send them to countries that are not yet infected by Muslim immigrants," Steinský added. "The Lisbon Treaty gives them a necessary tool."

Wilders' visit recalls events earlier this year, when, in April, Czech police arrested former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke at Ruzyně Airport and had him promptly deported. Duke, a U.S. citizen, had planned to promote his book and give a series of lectures in Prague and Brno. Duke was alleged to be a Holocaust denier - a crime in the Czech Republic - and was denied entry.

While Human Rights and Minorities Minister Michael Kocáb said Wilders' rhetoric can "lead to the incitements of religious and racial intolerance," giving the government legal grounds to ban his entry, it remains an unlikely scenario.

Meanwhile, Wilders and his followers may be surprised by who else supports his right to free speech.

"As long as he is not going to appear in the Senate, he can do whatever he wants. It is his opinion," said Jalal Atasi, deputy director at the Headquarters for Muslim Communities in Brno.

A second Muslim community group, the Libertas Independent Agency, has invited Wilders to engage in a debate.  

- Petr Cibulka Jr. and Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com