Geert Wilders Shifts Stance on Islam: Acknowledges the 'Totalitarian Ideology of Hate and Terror' as a Religion

In the wake of recent elections, the Netherlands is actively engaged in heated discussions to form a government under Geert Wilders’ PVV, which garnered the most votes by far, marking a pivotal moment in its political landscape. Wildly popular figure Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom won a significant 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament, is at the forefront of new talks with other parties to form a majority conservative cabinet. This development comes after Wilders’ party achieved a massive victory, underscoring the substantial support for his policies among the Dutch electorate. Despite his numerous gestures towards compromise, the landscape remains fraught with challenges, as other political parties exhibit reluctance and resistance, potentially thwarting Wilders’ endeavors. Against this backdrop of complex negotiations and entrenched positions, the fate of Dutch governance hangs precariously in the balance.

Currently, Wilders is in talks with three other parties to secure a majority in parliament. These parties include the Liberal VVD, known for its center-right stance on economic issues; the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), a party that champions the interests of farmers and rural communities; and Pieter Omtzigt’s Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC), a new political force advocating for transparency and reform in governance. The collaboration among these diverse parties underscores the intricate process of coalition-building in Dutch politics.

A new report released by informateur Ronald Plasterk highlights a significant change in Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom’s (PVV) stance on Islam. Historically, the PVV has not regarded Islam as a religion but rather as a totalitarian and hate-spreading ideology. However, according to the Plasterk report, all participating political parties, including the PVV, now advocate for the protection of religions, including Islam.

Plasterk is a Dutch politician who has held several governmental roles, notably serving as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. In Dutch politics, an “informateur” is an individual tasked with gathering information and exploring potential government coalition options following an election. They play a pivotal role in the government formation process by consulting with various political parties and presenting their findings to the monarch or the parliament. This role, unfamiliar to many outside the Netherlands, is akin to a facilitator who helps bridge differences among parties to form a viable government. This concept has no direct equivalent in the U.S. political system but is vital in multiparty landscapes where governments are almost always a coalition.

The milder rhetoric of PVV leader Geert Wilders toward Islam during the campaign was also noticeable. Previously, the PVV consistently wrote in its party program that ‘Islam is a totalitarian ideology,’ but that sentence was omitted from the last election program. In the Plasterk report, it becomes clear that the PVV, to make concessions toward other parties, now will have to offer religious freedoms and protection to Islam. At the beginning of January, Wilders made other concessions to potential government coalition partners, announcing that he’s withdrawing legislation he proposed in 2018 that calls for a ban on mosques and the Quran.

‘A consequence of the above is that all religions in the Netherlands, such as Christianity and Islam, fall under the freedom of religion, as guaranteed in article 6 of the Constitution, which reads, “Everyone has the right to profess his religion or belief, individually or in community with others, without prejudice to everyone’s responsibility according to the law.” This freedom also entails that criticism of religion, for example, criticism of Islam and Christianity, is allowed to individuals and organizations,’ writes Plasterk in his report.

Geert Wilders submitted a motion in 2022 to recognize Islam as ‘an ideology of hate and terror.’ In the second term of the General Considerations in 2022, PVV leader Geert Wilders submitted nine motions. One was a motion of no confidence against the entire cabinet, and another was a call on the government, due to the recent attack on Salman Rushdie, to recognize Islam as ‘an ideology of hate and terror.’

In 2022, British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie was stabbed in New York by a 24-year-old Muslim man living in New Jersey. However, this was not without precedent. Rushdie has been under a fatwa from the Iranian ayatollah for decades because of his Islam-critical book The Satanic Verses. Rushdie was declared an outlaw, and anyone who would kill him could count on a substantial sum of money.

The Islamic stabbing attack sent shockwaves through Dutch politics. ‘I have been fighting against intolerant, violent Islam for 20 years and have received many fatwas – the last one just this year -and I live in unfreedom,’ Wilders responded at the time. After the stabbing incident, Wilders faced a new wave of threats. Messages even discussed the amount of money on the head of the PVV leader.

During the General Considerations in September 2022, Wilders submitted nine motions. One of them was a request to the government to ‘consider, in light of the recent attack on the writer Salman Rushdie, that Islam is an ideology of hate and terror.’ Wilders was very satisfied with this motion, calling it ‘the best motion of the day.’

De beste motie van vandaag.

😁😁😁 pic.twitter.com/3fD0QNBewD

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) September 22, 2022

The motion did not go without Islamic criticism. Turkish-controlled Islamic DENK party leader, Muslim Farid Azarkan, had asked the entire cabinet and the House of Representatives to “show solidarity with a religion of a million people in the Netherlands.” Azarkan added: “I cannot stand that here, at every debate, hatred is sown by Geert Wilders about Muslims, about refugees, and that we all accept that every time.”

Update on Coalition Talks and Political Landscape

Despite the ongoing concessions Geert Wilders’ has made on his policies towards Islam and the broader discussions on religious freedoms, the political landscape in the Netherlands remains in flux. Recent developments have further complicated the formation of a new government. Pieter Omtzigt’s Nieuw Sociaal Contract party’s decision to abstain from the next round of talks has introduced a new challenge to the already intricate negotiations. Additionally, the resignation of Ronald Plasterk, the overseer of the discussions, adds another layer of uncertainty to the process. With parliament set to debate Plasterk’s report and appoint a new informateur to lead the next round of talks, the path to forming a stable government grows increasingly uncertain. As Geert Wilders emphasizes the urgency of governance, the search for consensus among the parties continues, with the fate of the Dutch government hanging in the balance.