An extreme right Dutch member of parliament called for banning the Koran in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders, head of the Freedom Party, on Wednesday called the Islam holy book “fascist†and compared it to Adolf Hitler’s infamously anti-Jewish book “Mein Kampf.â€
Wilders wrote in the newspaper De Volkskrant that the Koran urges Muslims “to oppress, persecute or kill Christians, Jews, dissidents and non-believers, to beat and rape women, and to establish an Islamic state by force.”
The lawmaker’s statement was condemned by the Dutch government, which said Wilders had hurt community relations in the Netherlands and was an insult to the majority of Muslims who eschew violence.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
