Sean Hannity interviewed Dutch politician Geert Wilders last night about his new autobiography. Hannity made a big deal out of the death threats Wilders faces and the security he lives with. But somehow, Hannity forgot to tell the “we report, you decide” network's viewers that Wilders is an anti-Islamic extremist. Instead, Wilders was painted as some kind of free-speech (Christian) martyr. Even worse, Hannity used the opportunity to suggest we're on the verge of a World War III version of a holy war.
The Christian Science Monitor wrote about Wilders:
Mr. Wilders is widely known in Europe for a platform to ban the Quran, along with new mosques, and Muslim immigrants – and for his incendiary speeches. He calls Islam “the ideology of a retarded culture” and likens the Quran to “Mein Kampf.”
Of course, that's no reason to kill anyone but it certainly adds a dimension to Wilders beyond the whitewashed version Hannity provided.
Hannity viewers were told Wilders was “a controversial voice against radical Islam.” He was shown saying, “Free speech is no longer a given” but something that has to be fought for again.” Hannity introduced Wilders by saying he faces “assassination threats” and is “unable to go anywhere without 24-hour protection.” The deliberate implication was that Wilders' reason had been met with an over-the-top response because Muslims are nothing more than radical zealots doing their best to stamp out any voice in opposition.
“You are marked for death because of your statements on Islam,” Hannity said. He wore that earnest face that regular Hannity watchers know is a certain sign of disingenuousness or duplicity. In this case, Hannity, failed to mention what statements had marked Wilders for death.”
“What is your life like now, that you have to deal with (death threats)?” Hannity asked sympathetically.
Wilders got right into the victim role, talking about how he can't walk the streets “in a normal way.” But he made it seem as though the enmity he had engendered was for merely “criticiz(ing) Islam... all the persons who have the guts to tell the truth about Islam.”
Still with that phony baloney look of Hanctimony, Hannity said, “I think we're living now in very dangerous times.” And then he did his best to inflame the tensions. “And if there's gonna be a World War III,, I think it's going to be because of the rise of radical Islamists.” He went on to bash Obama for not being anti-Islamic enough and then suggested we're all gonna die as a result. “Do you see the rise in Islamic extremism around the world and do you think this turns itself into potentially World War?”
I've written before about how Hannity doesn't so much as ask questions as try to push his guests to say what he wants said – and this was a perfect example. There could be little doubt in his mind what a guy like Wilders would respond. And sure enough, he did:
“I'm afraid I have to subscribe to everything you said,” WIlders agreed. And then he took a step further into Hannity Heaven by saying that we have to support Israel against the Arab countries (think: attack Iran).
Hannity seemed delighted as he ended the interview.
Humans are basically animals and, if you’ve ever been somewhere that there’s a desperate animal, it’s liable to attack. Wilders and his Islamophobic associates don’t want to work with moderate Muslims to keep the Netherlands’ tradition of tolerance of ALL religions. No, Wilders and his haters treat even the most moderate Muslims—the ones who moved to the Netherlands to flee persecution in their own homelands—as though they’ve bombed churches and synagogues (and why do I get the feeling that Wilders would be targeting Jews if there were no Muslims to persecutre?) and setting up the “Caliphate” and unjustly persecuting good Dutch Christians and Jews. Then, when Muslims start acting out in “radical” ways, Wilders uses that as some sort of proof that his ideas need to be heeded.
So, basically, for the good of all Dutch citizens (or is it subjects?—never really sure with monarchies), Wilders needs to be exiled for HIS radical ideas. (Maybe if the German government had deported Hitler back to Austria after his participation in that little incident in Munich, the Nazi Party would’ve never amounted to anything more than the minor nuisance it was before 1923.)
