Fittja Mosque, located in a suburb going by the same name, has been given permission by the police to sound its prayer calls from its minaret. This is a joyous occasion for Muslims living in the area as the prayer calls (the Adhaan) make up a fundamental part of the Muslim Faith. The permission was applied for by the Turkish Islamic Association of the Botkyrka Municipality. This mosque will be the first mosque to do so in all of Sweden. In an increasingly hostile world for the Muslims, this comes as a blessing and extends a hand of friendship towards them.

The Muslim population in Sweden is nearly 574 000, although no official estimates are available. If this is true, then Muslims make up about 6.05% of the total population in Sweden. In a western country, that is a huge number. In Sweden, most major cities have established mosques to facilitate the religious needs of its growing Muslim population. Although most cities do have mosques, to be able to sound the call to prayers using loudspeakers is not something any mosque had the opportunity to do.

Muslims pray five times a day, but the Friday prayer is the Holiest prayer for the Muslims during the week, much like going to the church on Sundays by Roman Catholics. Permission has been given to sound prayers from the loudspeaker, on Friday noon from between 12pm to 1pm, with a prayer call lasting between 3 to 5 minutes. The population of Botkyrka is overwhelmingly Muslim (most of whom are immigrants), and it is no surprise that there is the first Mosque to apply and get permission for the prayer call. There are some strings attached though. The loudspeaker will be placed in places approved by the authorities only, and everyone living within 1 km radius of the mosque must be informed 1 hour beforehand. The decision, moreover, can be appealed to by the local residents if they feel that it is creating a nuisance.

Fittja Mosque is a mosque built in the municipality of Botkyrka, in Stockholm, Sweden. It is built in Turkish style of architecture, and its construction started in 1997. In 2008, it was declared open to the public for use. Owned by the Turkish Islamic Association, its religious teachings are that of Sunni Islam. The minaret stands one of the tallest in Europe at a height of 32.5 m. While a few mosques all over Europe and the USA have been given permission to sound the call to prayer, in Sweden the Fittja Mosque will be the first. It is somewhat understandable that the authorities are being so meticulous about their decisions as this might be the forerunner of the nearly 200 other mosques in Sweden.

Church bells have been in use since 604AD. If no problem has arisen out of that, then none will arise out of the Adhaan.

“I’m really happy and grateful,” is what the chairman of the Islamic Association, Ismail Okur, had to say. These words reflect the feelings of all the Muslims in the area.

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Muslim leaders have rejected an apology by Canterbury MP Richard Prosser over his call for Muslims to be banned from Western airlines.

The list MP's remarks provoked outrage yesterday, although NZ First leader Winston Peters refused to sack him and said he did not have to apologise. However, speaking on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon show this morning, Prosser apologised. "I'm sorry ... to the majority of peaceful, law-abiding Muslims who are not involved in terrorism."

He conceded he was "only talking about a very small extremist minority", but his article would not allow the reader to separate the fact that most Muslims were honest and law-abiding. "That's obviously caused some upset, and for that I'm sorry," he said.

The head of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), Anwar Ghani, said Prosser's apology was not good enough. "I wouldn't call it an apology; it was a softening of the tone, that's all," he said. "It seems to me he still maintains what he said, by and large, and he's simply trying to align his comments with what his leader has said."

He said the damage done by Prosser yesterday had not been reversed by the apology. "He has to come out and say unreservedly that 'I apologise if my act has caused any offence to any of the Muslims in New Zealand'," Ghani said.

But Prosser told RNZ he did not "have any time" for Islam as a religion. "I make no apology for the fact I don't have any time for people who denigrate women or for institutions that suppress human rights." He denied he was being racist. "It is a religion, not a race."

Prosser conceded his article had "a lack of balance" in calling for Muslim men to be banned from Western airlines. "I concede that some of the language that I used wasn't appropriate," he said.He blamed his approach as a "shock-jock" columnist. "My style as a columnist is perhaps something not appropriate any more for my role as an MP."

Prosser said his call for the blanket ban on young Muslims was wrong. He said he should have called for an investigation into the merits of racial profiling.

Stuff.co.nz, 13 February 2013

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ENGAGE draws our attention to an Early Day Motion on "Recording Islamophobia as a crime", tabled by Labour MP Keith Vaz and jointly sponsored by fellow Labour MP John McDonnell and Conservative MP Peter Bottomley. It states:

That this House notes the recognition of anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crime in the Department for Communities and Local Government's document Creating the Conditions for Integration; further notes that the document acknowledges the limited collection of data on anti-Muslim hate crime; recognises that currently only the Metropolitan Police Service specifically records this hate crime under the definition Islamophobia as a specific crime flag, similar to anti-Semitism, racism and others, whereas the recording of this crime outside of London is under different recording flags in different constabularies; and believes that all police constabularies should record this hate crime under the same flag, which will bring national uniformity in the recording of this crime and enable authorities to gather data that will aid in tackling this issue.

You can write to your MP and urge them to support the EDM here.

ENGAGE points out that you can also send the EDM to your Police and Crime Commissioner and ask if, and how, they will implement the recommendation in their policing plan and local crime strategy.

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A Sinn Fein councillor has challenged former Craigavon Mayor Alan Carson to "make a full public apology to Muslims living in Craigavon" after remarks he made during a debate on Monday night. However the DUP man insists that Councillor Johnny McGibbon is "simply scoring political points from a genuine mistake I made and for which I apologised immediately".

In the heat of the exchange, Mr Carson stated that Muslims were "causing bother in the Middle East". He said that the British Army represented all sides, "Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Jew, Muslim whatever – well, maybe not Muslim". Afterwards he said, "I realised immediately that I'd put my foot in it and apologised without reserve. But that wasn't enough for Councillor McGibbon who saw fit to issue a press statement, accusing me of all sorts and inferring I am racist, which I certainly am not."

The McGibbon statement claimed, "These remarks reveal the mind set that has prevented unionists from developing a realistic political programme for the future. To make insinuations against any section of the community is outrageous and unacceptable. Only a very arrogant or politically immature individual would presume to deny to others the right to voice alternative views.

"We must all accept differing points of view, but we should never allow any section of our society to be isolated or labelled during debate. Given that Councillor Carson was a recent Mayor of Craigavon, it is reasonable to assume that he understands this fundamental principle. The least therefore that can be done to make amends is a full public apology to the citizens of Craigavon and in particular our sizeable Muslim community."

Portadown Times, 28 November 2012

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Labour's Black and Asian Assembly Members have written to the head of the Metropolitan Police to urge him to revise the Met's view about the English Defence League (EDL) not being viewed as an extremist group. Last week the Government banned the EDL from marching in Waltham Forest, Islington, Newham and Tower Hamlets for 30 days.

Assembly Members Murad Qureshi, Jennette Arnold OBE, Dr Onkar Sahota and Navin Shah signed a joint letter to Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe asking his to reconsider the EDL's status.

The Met applied to the Secretary of State Theresa May amid fears of public disorder as the EDL prepared to march in Walthamstow for the second time in one month. Members of the EDL have targeted London boroughs where there are a number of different faith groups and non-white communities.

Labour London-wide Assembly Member Murad Qureshi said:

"We call on Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe to brand the EDL as an extremist group. Members of the EDL are disrupting our communities and promoting violence and racist ideology. They are obviously a far-right group, bent on causing as much trouble in our diverse communities as possible.

"It is disgraceful that people such as the EDL who don't even live in London and have to travel from outside the city are allowed to come to our neighbourhood to promote their evil racist ideology. We must stand together and recognise the EDL for what they are, an extremist far-right group."

GLA press release, 5 November 2012

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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen called Friday for a ban on wearing Muslim veils and Jewish skullcaps in public, adding to religious tensions sparked by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

In an interview with the Le Monde newspaper, Le Pen called for religious headwear to be banned "in stores, on public transport and on the streets".

Asked if the ban should apply to the Jewish skullcap, known as the kippah or yarmulke, as well as Muslim headwear, she said: "It is obvious that if the veil is banned, the kippah is banned in public as well."

Le Pen, who shocked the French elite by winning almost 18 percent in the first round of this year's presidential vote, also repeated calls for bans on public prayers, kosher and halal foods in schools and foreign government financing of mosques in France.

President Francois Hollande denounced her comments, saying: "Everything that tears people apart, opposes them and divides them is inappropriate and we must apply the rules, the only rules that we know, the rules of the Republic and secularism."

France was on alert at home and abroad on Friday following the publication of cartoons of the Prophet by satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday.

Muslim leaders were calling for calm and urging militants not to defy a ban on protests in France over the cartoons.

AFP, 21 September 2012

"Veil" (voile) in this context means hijab – French Muslim women are of course already banned from wearing face-veils in public. Le Pen's call for a ban on the kippah is significant. She had previously tried to distance herself from the aggressive attitude towards the Jewish community that characterised the Front National when her Holocaust-dismissing father Jean-Marie was party leader, but now it looks as though it's back to antisemitism for the FN.

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Daniel Pipes has a solution to the crisis provoked by the Innocence of Muslims film:

What would happen if publishers and managers of major media outlets reached a consensus – "Enough of this intimidation, we will publish the most famous Danish Muhammad cartoon every day, until the Islamists tire out and no longer riot"? What would happen if Korans were recurrently burned?

Would repetition inspire institutionalization, generate ever-more outraged responses, and offer a vehicle for Islamists to ride to greater power? Or would it lead to routinization, to a wearing out of Islamists, and a realization that violence is counter-productive to their cause?

I predict the latter. A Muhammad cartoon published each day, or Koranic desecrations on a quasi-regular basis, would make it harder for Islamists to mobilize Muslim mobs. Westerners could then once again treat Islam as they do other religions – freely, to criticize without fear. That would demonstrate to Islamists that Westerners will not capitulate, that they reject Islamic law, that they are ready to stand up for their values.

Fox News, 21 September 2012

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Protests are not stopping around the world regarding the making of an anti-Islam film in America, the film portrayed the false image of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessing upon him). Protests occurred in different parts of the Muslim world and also happen in Pakistan greatly. According to the series of news the protest has shaped up differently as there will be a holiday to mourn the humiliation of our emotions, beliefs and sentiments by the anti-Islamists.

“The federal cabinet decided to make Friday an official “day of expression of love for the prophet” after discussing the “Innocence of Muslims” movie, which has triggered more than a week of violent protests across the Islamic world, a senior government official said.

The move came after religious parties called for a day of protest on Friday to denounce the film.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik, while speaking to media representatives earlier today, said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) would join protestors in their demonstrations.

The head of the Sunni Tehreek religious party on Monday urged people across the country to close their businesses and hold rallies against the film, which was made in the United States.”

Traders and transporters in Karachi also backed to call.

As per the news circulating around the countries “Around 500 protesting lawyers broke through a gate to Islamabad’s heavily-guarded diplomatic enclave on Wednesday, chanting anti-US slogans and castigating the Pakistan government for its “criminal silence” over the film.

The film has fueled outrage across the Muslim world, with more than 30 people have been killed around the world during more than a week of attacks and violent protests linked to the controversial film. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have all blocked access to YouTube, following the video-sharing website’s failure to take down the movie.”

As per news reporters the protest has been greater in some parts as “On Tuesday, over 2,000 protesters chanting anti-US slogans and burning the American flag gathered outside the US mission in Peshawar to vent their fury at the “Innocence of Muslims” film. Furious protestors in Karachi also marched towards the US consulate to protest against the film, which has triggered a week of deadly protests across the Muslim world.

There have been furious protests outside US embassies and other American symbols in at least 20 countries, and the American ambassador to Libya and three other US diplomats in the North African country have been among those killed.”

Although many security measures have been taken to ensure the security of U.S. embassies and American living in the country but the protestors came up in a brave manner and voice out their aggression to the world out there. The government of Pakistan also took serious measures to halt the prevalence of further protests and gave a nation a holiday to mourn this act. Pakistan is also fuming with anguish flavor and leaving no stone unturned in voicing their aggression regarding the humiliation of their religion, emotions and beliefs by anti-Islamists around the world. So, Pakistani government announces a holiday in this regard.

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Momo Khan

Life has given you wings to fly, why to crawl through your life !!
Freelance writer and an agony aunt to my friends.
Dreamer, Love my family and is a peaceful creature !!

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A Muslim protester is calling for revision of the frisking process at the Houston Police Department after she said she was stripped of her religious headscarf during a recent arrest this month while rallying for janitor wages.

The incident highlights the varying policies local police agencies have regulating when religious head coverings are allowed during the arresting and booking process. It also shows the fine line law enforcement must straddle when trying to respect one's faith while ensuring that people who are arrested do no harm to themselves or others.

Ilana Alazzeh, 23, was arrested by HPD Aug. 1 while participating in a roadblock protest at a busy intersection in the Galleria area. She and two dozen other protesters sat in the middle of the intersection with arms interlocked.

Alazzeh, who has Israeli, Palestinian and Pakistani roots, was the only protester wearing a hijab – the headscarf – worn by female adherents of the Islamic faith while in the presence of men.

After their arrest for obstruction of traffic, HPD officers took the handcuffed protesters to the Police Department's gymnasium to ID and process them before incarceration.

"Initially they were very cordial," said Alazzeh, a communications specialist from Washington, D.C., who works for the Service Employees International Union.

She was called up to a table of officers for basic identification questions. One officer chatted with her about Ramadan, she said, and another asked about her headscarf.

A female officer at the table noted down in her file, "headscarf religious reasons," Alazzeh said. "She told me, 'I put that in there so you won't be bothered because of it.' "

Minutes later, Alazzeh was approached by a different female officer who began the frisking process and started unwrapping her headscarf in plain view of male officers and protesters.

"Whoa, whoa! This is my religious headscarf," she told the officer as she tried to back away. "Can't you just feel through it?" she asked. "The officer said, 'No, if you want your religious headscarf, you shouldn't protest,' " Alazzeh said.

She said she pleaded with the officer, asking if a nun would be treated the same way, to which Alazzeh said the officer replied, "This is just procedure … I don't know what you have in there. You might be hiding a gun."

Houston Chronicle, 19 August 2012

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Councillors will not be calling on the Home Secretary to ban the English Defence League from marching through Bristol.

Campaigners gathered at the Council House last night to protest at the far-right group being allowed to stage the event in the city on July 14. About 20 people rallied outside the College Green building ahead of the meeting of the council's cabinet.

They held placards and banners bearing the words "defend our multicultural city if Bristol" and "No to racism, EDL is not welcome here". Some chanted slogans against the EDL, which describes itself as an anti-Islamist organisation.

Paulette North, one of the organisers of the rally, was armed with a megaphone during the protest, shouting: "We should be saying the EDL are not welcome here and if they do come they should be concentrated in the open area behind Temple Meads, do whatever they want there and then go home. That's what Tower Hamlets and Milton Keynes did and that is what we are asking this council to do – but they have done very little and really need to do more."

A man originally from Iraq, who would give his name only as Esam, was among the protesters. "People in Bristol live like brothers and sisters and we want to live in peace together," he said. "That is why I am here and I want the government to stop them coming here."

The protesters then joined the meeting in the council chamber, holding their placards aloft to ensure councillors knew their message.

Adrian Probert, the lead name on an online petition calling for the council to ask Theresa May to ban the EDL march, which has already been signed by more than 2,000 people, spoke in the public session of the cabinet meeting. He called for a ban similar to those imposed in some other cities when the EDL had tried to stage protests in the past.

Mr Probert told the meeting: "Bristol is supposed to be a city of sanctuary and we have people across our communities who are fearful of these people coming in to march in our city – when the EDL march, hate crime goes up."

Cabinet councillor Gary Hopkins told the protesters that the EDL "are not welcome" in Bristol but that the police had not suggested they would be unable to manage any potential public disorder. He praised the response of Muslim communities for their decision to hold a peace walk in the city the following day, instead of a counter demonstration.

"We think that will be a far more positive way to respond to what happens on the Saturday," he said. "The last thing I want is these people going into areas that are far more sensitive. I don't want them coming close to, for example, a mosque.

"If we tried to ban the EDL and we got a ban from the Home Secretary – and there is not the slightest chance of getting that without police recommendation – if we ban this organisation because we don't like that or agree with their views, the ban would probably be drawn in such a way that it would affect other organisations."

Earlier this week the Post reported that policing the EDL march is expected to cost about £500,000 and involve 1,000 police officers being drafted into the city. March organiser Mickey Bayliss has told the Post he expects about 500 EDL members to take part.

Bristol Post, 5 July 2012

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A petition with more than 2000 signatures calling for a ban on the English Defence League's march next weekend, will be handed in to Bristol City Council tomorrow.

It includes names from trade unionists and faith groups across the city, asking to prevent the march taking place on the 14th of July .

Similar EDL marches in Telford and Luton have been banned. There will also be a lobby outside of the Council House, College Green at 5.30pm before the Cabinet meeting.

ITV West, 3 July 2012

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Spen MP Mike Wood is calling for a far-Right protest in Dewsbury tomorrow to be called off. He fears the protest could spark trouble which might spill over into nearby areas. And parents in parts of Heckmondwike are being warned of possible trouble.

The English Defence League plans to protest between 1pm and 3pm in Dewsbury.

Mr Wood, MP for Batley and Spen, has told police that previous EDL demonstrations have led to crime and disorder spilling into neighbouring towns. In a letter to chief constable Sir Norman Bettison he says: "Towns in the Spen Valley have suffered disorder and crime during and after EDL events."

He said a demonstration in Cleckheaton in March led to more police having to be drafted in. Shops were attacked in Heckmondwike and there was disorder on public transport. "And this was a demo designed to show the EDL could behave in order to justify larger protests, such as the one planned for this weekend.

"The history of trouble, attacks and arrests must dispel any claim the EDL has to a legitimate right to protest and demonstrates the potential for trouble to spill over into Spen Valley. The last thing local businesses and residents need is to be footing the bill and dealing with the aftermath of yet another event staged purely to cause confrontation and division. The police should ban this protest and save us all the time, trouble and expense it will cause."

In Heckmondwike, parents at some schools have been given early warning of the demo by text message.

There will be counter-demonstrations by Unite Against Fascism and the TUC and police are asking people to work with them to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Several hundred members and supporters of the groups are expected to attend.

Chief Supt David Lunn said: "I urge people not associated with the demonstrations to avoid them." He said the EDL planned a static demonstration not a march.

Spenborough Guardian, 29 June 2012

See also "MPs call for ban on EDL march", George Galloway news report, 26 June 2012

The claim that the EDL will be holding "a static demonstration not a march" is disingenuous.

According to the EDL, their agreement with the police is that they are to assemble at two designated pubs, the Principle and the Black Bull, and will then be given a police escort through the town to where they are holding their rally: "The procession will follow the route of Northgate to Market Place across Long Causeway to Dewsbury Town Hall. Then as promised the speeches will be heard outside the Town Hall." So the EDL will get to march through Dewsbury anyway.

A year ago Sir Norman Bettison rightly used his powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the EDL holding their planned protest outside Dewsbury Town Hall and restricted them to the station car park. EDL leader Stephen Lennon was outraged.

"Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to heroin-peddling Muslim gangs?" he demanded. "No they don't. Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to paedophiliac Muslim gangs? No they don't. Do the streets of Dewsbury belong to imams? No they don't. The streets of Dewsbury belong to us. They are British streets, in England, and we are taking our streets back, city by city, street by street. And there ain't no-one is going to stop it."

Lennon declared that the EDL would return to Dewsbury to stage a national demonstration in sufficient numbers that they would be able to defy the police. It would appear that Bettison has capitulated to this threat.

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An MP has called for a march through Bristol by the English Defence League to be banned.

The controversial protest group will congregate in Castle Park on July 14, the same day as Bristol Pride's We Are: Proud lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender event takes place on College Green.

A heavy police presence is guaranteed on the day, with up to 700 officers expected to be on duty to police the events, in an operation costing as much as £1 million.

But Bristol East Labour MP Kerry McCarthy has called for the EDL to be barred from marching that day, saying she fears for public safety. She has written to the city council and Avon and Somerset police saying she is "not satisfied" public order will be maintained after the march.

Ms McCarthy told the Post: "For me, this is not an issue about the freedom to protest but a matter of public safety. The clash of these two quite contradictory events on the same weekend will put our city under enormous pressure and could put public safety at risk. For this reason, I have written to the police and Bristol City Council to express my profound concern and to request that they reconsider their decision to allow the EDL to march on July 14."

The MP has attacked the organisation on her website, saying: "The EDL's reputation for Islamophobia, intolerance and public disorder runs contrary to what Pride and vast majority of decent Bristolians stand for. We know from their previous demonstrations in towns like Luton that EDL marches place a huge burden on the police and can lead to violence and intimidation."

A police memo seen by the Post said that the EDL leadership was keen to avoid any conflict with Pride. The EDL says on its website that it champions equality for homosexuals and a member of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender division will speak at its march.

Although Avon and Somerset chief constable Colin Port could apply to the Home Secretary to ban the march, the police fear that could open the door to EDL members congregating in the city unsupervised. A security operation is being put in place to keep both groups apart and police have met with leaders of the Muslim community to allay their fears.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Bangham said: "Bristol is open for 'business as usual'. Public safety is our top priority and we're working closely with our partners in Bristol, including the city council, to ensure the EDL march is peaceful. We're seeking to minimise disruption to those who live, work and visit.

"Our challenge is to balance the right to peacefully protest with the rights of the community and citizens of Bristol. We will facilitate peaceful protest, but we will be active in tackling anyone who becomes involved in violence or disorder, whatever form it may take."

Lib Dem Bristol West MP Stephen Williams warned rival groups not to protest against the EDL.

"I have no problem with any organisation demonstrating," he said. "That's what a free and democratic society is all about. As long as it's a peaceful demonstration it should not be a problem. More to the point, others should not seek to make it a problem.

"That's where the problem lies – people who give them much more publicity by protesting against them. It's much better for Bristolians to collectively turn our backs on them. They are a reprehensible bunch, and best ignored."

Bristol Post, 27 June 2012

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The Council for American-Islamic Relations is calling on the FBI to investigate a fire that destroyed a mosque-owned structure Tuesday in Dearborn as a bias-motivated crime.

The storage space, about the size of a garage, is located off of Pelham Street next to Edsel Ford High School. It sits next to what used to be the Dearborn Woods Presbyterian Church, but is now known as the Dearborn Woods Community Center.

According to CAIR-MI Director Dawud Walid, the American Muslim Center on Outer Drive purchased the church and storage structure several years ago, and has since used the main building for funerals, weddings and other events.

On Tuesday just after 11 a.m., a fire broke out at the storage area. It was extinguished by the Dearborn Fire Department and did not spread to the main building.

However, CAIR-MI believes the fire was set intentionally, and that the arson was based on anti-Muslim bias. According to the statewide Muslim advocacy nonprofit, obscene graffiti and the word "Arabs" was discovered on the structure. Walid called on the FBI to investigate.

"If a bias motive is revealed in this case, the FBI should add its resources to those of local law enforcement authorities to help bring the perpetrators to justice," said Walid, who informed local FBI officials of the incident.

Dearborn Patch, 12 June 2012

See also "CAIR asks FBI to probe fire at building associated with Mich. mosque", CAIR press release, 12 June 2012

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PVV leader Geert Wilders has called on Muslims throughout the world to leave Islam. He made his call in a speech in New York, to promote his English-language book Marked for Death.

Wilders claims that his book explains that Islam is a "totalitarian ideology" and is an encouragement to freedom-loving Muslims to turn their back on Islam. "I support those who fight for freedom in the Islamic world completely. The Arab, Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani and Indonesian peoples have enormous potential. If they could free themselves of the yoke of Islam, if they could stop seeing Mohamed as their role model and if they could break away from the rancorous Koran, then they could achieve amazing things," Wilders said in his speech.

With reporters, Wilders went into the political situation in the Netherlands last week when he caused the collapse of government by pulling out of the budget negotiations with the conservatives (VVD) and Christian democrats (CDA). Wilders calls this a difficult decision, but says he had no other choice.

''We are now concentrating on elections on 12 September. Our campaign will be on the need to revive our national sovereignty, as without this we cannot defend our identity and fight against Islamisation." Wilders said he was not planning to move to the United States. "I am really staying in the Netherlands and will campaign for the elections with very much enthusiasm and very much good sense," he said yesterday on Radio 1.

A number of media suggested last week that Wilders might be considering an international career because his role in the Loer Hose appears to have been played out for the coming period. Former VVD MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, also a fighter against Islam, moved to the US in 2005 and was subsequently named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential persons.

NIS News Bulletin, 2 May 2012

See also "Wilders rage against Muslims channeled in Dutch Euro voter", Bloomberg, 2 May 2012

Fox News has given Wilders a platform to plug his anti-Muslim views with an interview on the Sean Hannity show. Over at the National Catholic Reporter Michael Sean Winters comments:

"... even I was shocked to find Sean Hannity hosting Geert Wilders – and promoting his book – on his Fox News show last night. Wilders is the Dutch nativist who believes Islam is at war with the West – not, some Islamicists, mind you, but Islam per se. This man is beneath contempt, a bigot pure and simple. Why anyone would want to highlight his work or his person is beyond me. But, then, I am not a Fox News programmer."

See also "Hannity paints anti-Islamic extremist Geert Wilders as a martyr – and fear mongers about World War III", Newshounds, 2 May 2012

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