Wilders Strikes Again

Every country has its share of politicians who display signs of being either loons or would-be demagogues. Here in the Netherlands we have Geert Wilders, who yesterday called for a complete ban on the sale of the Qu’ran or its use in mosques. Well what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, I say, if you’re going to ban the Qu’ran, then logically you should also ban the Bible, which is also not short of toe-curling passages and injunctions to kill the non-believer. But, of course, the publicity-hungry Mr. Wilders and his sympathisers can’t see that particular beam lodged firmly in their eyes. A more measured response came from Afshin Ellian, advisor to ex-Muslim Ehsan Jami, whose beating-up outside of his local supermarket apparently initiated this wild idea from Wilders. Ellian pointed out that instead of banning the book, firmer measures should be taken against the radical imams and mosques that use the Qu’ran to spread hatred.