Once again, a critic of Islam has been placed under heavy security in the Netherlands. Ehsan Jami, a local council member for the Dutch Labour Party and a former Muslim, has been afforded extra protection since Monday this week, on the orders of the National Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. The local politician, who also heads a committee established to fight for the interests of former Muslims, was the target of a violent, physical attack outside a supermarket near his home in Voorburg last Saturday.
Ehsan Jami (pictured) was knocked to the ground and kicked by a group of three men: two young Moroccans and one Somali. During the incidents, his attackers called him a 'filthy homo' and 'filthy traitor'. Mr Jami's advisor, Afshin Ellian, later pointed out that it was not the first time he had been physically attacked:
"He's also been threatened before, attacked or beaten up, and he reported this to the police too. This is the third time."
Afshin Ellian, an academic and columnist, is also being protected by the authorities.
On the web
Ehsan Jami now shares the dubious honour of enjoying the same kind of security given to other threatened individuals, including former Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali who ultimately decided to move abroad. Meanwhile, the question has been asked in various quarters as to why Mr Jami has only now been given serious protection, especially in light of the fact that his address and telephone number have been available on an Islamic website for at least two weeks.
The Labour Party councillor had already attracted considerable publicity with his critical remarks about Islam. These have included his comparing the Prophet Muhammad with Osama bin Laden and describing some passages in the Koran as 'backward'.
Freedom of religion
Ehsan Jami operates through his committee to argue the case of people who have turned their backs on the Muslim faith. Since the attack, he has made it known that he would prefer to remain indoors for the time being, but that he has no intention of staying silent or toning down his comments about Islam:
"I will go on fighting for freedom of religion, because even though they can, of course, harm my body, they can never do that to my ideology."
Not isolated
Afshin Ellian does not regard what happened to Mr Jami as an isolated incident. In his view, the climate of intolerance in the Netherlands has hardened in recent years, and he says that such incidents put him in mind of the atmosphere in places such as the country of his birth, Iran, or Pakistan:
"We ought never to forget that people like former Amsterdam councillor and current deputy minister Ahmed Aboutaleb and Amsterdam City Mayor Job Cohen have also been threatened, and you really can't accuse them of making any harsh statements against Islam. Many opinion-shapers and satirists are simply scared to death of writing anything about Islam."
*RNW translation (tpf/imm)
Tags:
Aboutaleb,
attack,
Cohen,
critical,
freedom,
ideology,
Islam,
Netherlands,
politician,
Prophet,
protection,
security
shafee,
06-02-2008
- USA
This is the nature of Islam, to kill those who leave Islam and beat up and force others to convert. "Korean Pastor Says Hostages Were Beaten for Not Converting to Islam" http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=32328
mohammed ali,
31-12-2007
- Bangladesh
Actually I don't believe in Islam at all.
elias ,
08-09-2007
- lebanon
to bigmo : u r a big liar < plz don't tell us who islam is especially us the arabs christians because we know everything about this religion who teach hate and terrorism and don't forget that we know everything writen in the quran because we understang very good arabic language not like the poor westerns ok god bless u and like jesus said u know the truth and the thruth will free u
TheGoodGuy,
28-08-2007
-
There is NO FREEDOM in Islam at all!!! Your every daily and nightly activity is prescribed in minute details. And your are threatened with death, if your deviate, in this life and with eternal damnation in the next. You are taught that you have two angels hovering over your shoulders. The one to the left, records all your evil thoughts and deeds, and the one to the right records all the good. With such teachings you live in a state of constant fear of even the slightest deviation. You are under absolute control. You even don't own your life! You are literally SLAVE of the tyranical Moon god. That's the reason for the crecent on mosques and other Islamic ingravings. Any muslim or muslimah (muslim female) leaving Islam is thus considered to have stolen from god, and so forfeited his/her life and must be killed! With all the possesions going to the State.
Narrated Ikrima: Ali burnt some people and this news reached Ibn 'Abbas, who said, "Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet said,
'Don't punish (anybody) with Allah's Punishment.' No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet said, If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.'"
- Sahih Bukhari 4:52:260
Bigmo,
24-08-2007
-
I don't think he understands islam and neither did his attackers. It always seems to me that everybody has accepted the Islam of the Sunni and Shia sect. He does not know any other understanding of islam and neither his attackers.
Quran gives COMPLETE freedom.
The Quran(Koran) Concerning freedom:
2:256 There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clearly from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing.
16:82 But if they turn away from you, your only duty is a clear delivery of the Message .
6:107 Yet if God had so willed, they would not have ascribed Divinity to aught besides Him; hence, We have not made you their keeper, nor are you a guardian over them.
4:79-80 Say:'Whatever good betides you is from God and whatever evil betides you is from your own self and that We have sent you to mankind only as a messenger and all sufficing is God as witness. Whoso obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys God. And for those who turn away, We have not sent you as a keeper."
11:28 He (Noah) said "O my people! think over it! If I act upon a clear direction from my Lord who has bestowed on me from Himself the Merciful talent of seeing the right way, a way which you cannot see for yourself, does it follow that we can force you to take the right path when you definitely decline to take it?°
17:53-54 And tell my servants that they should speak in a most kindly manner. Verily, Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men; for verily; Satan is mans foe .... Hence, We have not sent you with power to determine their Faith.
21:107-109 (O Prophet?) 'We have not sent you except to be a mercy to all mankind:" Declare, "Verily, what is revealed to me is this, your God is the only One God, so is it not up to you to bow down to Him?' But if they turn away then say, "I have delivered the Truth in a manner clear to one and all, and I know not whether the promised hour is near or far."
22:67 To every people have We appointed ceremonial rites which they observe; therefore, let them not wrangle over this matter with you, but bid them to turn to your Lord. You indeed are rightly guided. But if they still dispute you in this matter, `God best knows what you do."
24.54. Say: "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you. If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear (Message).
88:21 22; And so, exhort them your task is only to exhort; you cannot compel them to believe.
48:28 He it is Who has sent forth His Messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to the end that tie make it prevail over every religion, and none can bear witness to the Truth as God does.
36:16 17 (Three Messengers to their people) Said, "Our Sustainer knows that we have indeed been sent unto you, but we are not bound to more than clearly deliver the Message entrusted to us.'
39:41 Assuredly, We have sent down the Book to you in right form for the good of man. Whoso guided himself by it does so to his own advantage, and whoso turns away from it does so at his own loss. You certainly are not their keeper.
42:6 48 And whoso takes for patrons others besides God, over them does God keep a watch. Mark, you are not a keeper over them. But if they turn aside from you (do not get disheartened), for We have not sent you to be a keeper over them; your task is but to preach ....
64:12 Obey God then and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away (no blame shall attach to our Messenger), for the duty of Our Messenger is just to deliver the message.
67:25 26 And they ask, "When shall the promise be fulfilled if you speak the Truth?" Say, "The knowledge of it is verily with God alone, and verily I am but a plain warner."
The Quran(Koran) concerning justice:
"And among His signs are the creation of the heaven and earth, and the variation in your language and your colors; verily in that are signs for those who know" (30:22).
"Satan seeks only to cast among you enmity and hate"(5:91).
O you who believe! Stand out for justice, as witnesses to God, and even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be rich or poor. An-Nisaa’ 4:134
"O you who believe! Be the maintainers of justice and bearers of witness for God's sake though it be against your own self, parents and relatives" (4:135).
"O you mankind! We have created you from a single pair of male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you know each other. Verily the most honored in the sight of God is the one who is most righteous" (49:13).
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety and fear God, for God is well acquainted with all that you do. 5:8
And thus We made of you a justly balanced community that you might bear witness to humankind and the Apostle might bear witness over you. 2:143
O you who believe, observe your duty to God with right observance, and die not except in a state of submission (to Him). And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of God, and do not separate, and remember God's favor unto you: how you were enemies and He put love between your hearts so that you became as brothers by His grace: and how you were upon the brink of a fire and He saved you from it. Thus God makes clear His revelations unto you so that you may be guided" (3:102-103).
"The believers are nothing else other than brothers, Thus make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to God that you may haply receive His mercy" (49: 1 0).
Islam is peace
peace adv,
sattar614@earthlink.net,
21-08-2007
-
It is up to us all, how we live together, everyone should have his views with no fear of being attacked. By media or any one. Muslims should accept other opinions more and others should accept Muslims views. We need to learn how to live together. Islam or any religion is not good.
frans peter van veen,
20-08-2007
-
Ayaan Hirsi Ali did not decide to move abroad, she was asked to leave! One fact that needs to be corrected.
Rational Indian,
13-08-2007
- India
We r with u Mr Ehsan Hashmi. Ur a man endowed with gr8 courage. Hindu mythology (in sumamry) says that every tyranny has a life cycle:
CRIME
TIME
SUBLIME
