Politics

Wilders Announces ‘Draw Muhammad’ Contest Just Before Ramadan Ends

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Kyle Perisic Contributor
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With just one day left of the Muslim holiday Ramadan, Dutch politician Geert Wilders announced he is holding a contest to draw cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in free speech demonstration.

The Netherlands’ counter-terrorism Agency NCTV approved the contest and Wilders made the announcement of the contest in a tweet on Tuesday to his nearly 1 million followers.

“Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV gives green light to Muhammad cartoon contest in secured PVV quarters of Dutch Parliament later this year. So that’s what we’re going to do and organize!” Wilders wrote.

He added that cartoonist and ex-Muslim Bosch Fawstin will be a part of the competition, though Wilders didn’t specify his role, and “Freedom of speech is most important of all!!”

Wilders said in Wednesday tweet that he will announce the date soon, writing, “Muhammad Goes to Parliament. For the first time ever, a Muhammad cartoon contest will be organized in a parliament building. I will announce the date soon. You can already send your cartoon to: muhammadcartoons@pvv.nl.”

Ramadan ends on Thursday evening of June 14. Drawing the Muhammad is strictly forbidden for Muslims and they consider it blasphemy. But free speech is considered a pillar of Western society.

Wilders has a history of supporting freedom of speech, demonstrating that he will not be intimidated by radical Muslims who have a history of violent protests resulting in hundreds of deaths when magazines and newspapers have published images of Muhammad before.

In a deadly terrorist attack in 2015, a group of Muslim extremists attacked the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s offices and killed 12 people and injured another 11 for publishing cartoon images of a weeping Muhammad in 2006.

The popular show South Park also depicted a cartoon image of Muhammad, giving the prophet a role in the 2001 episode “The Super Best Friends.” The episode depicts major religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Moses, and Buddha.

Comedy Central and Hulu no longer stream three South Park episodes — “Super Best Friends,” “200,” and “201,” — all which depict Muhammad or refer to the Muhammad drawing controversy.

Comedy Central made the decision to stop airing any depiction of Muhammad after a Danish newspaper published 12 satirical images of Muhammad in 2005 which the led to over 200 deaths and global protests.

Wilders was also featured speaker at a similar event that hosted drawings of Muhammad in Texas back in 2015. Muslim Congressman Kieth Ellison attempted to block Wilders from entering the country, but was unsuccessful.

Two Muslims attacked the security guards at the exhibit. One of the security guards was injured and both perpetrators were killed.

Wilders is an outspoken supporter of free speech. When activist Tommy Robinson was jailed for reporting on a court case involving four Muslim men allegedly grooming and raping a teenage girl, Wilders joined thousands at a rally on June 9 in London to voice his support in releasing Robinson — who Wilders considers the “greatest freedom fighter of Britain today.” (RELATED: Thousands Attend ‘Free Tommy Robinson’ Rally)

“Our governments sold us out with mass immigration, with Islamization, with open boarders. We are almost foreigners in our own land. And if we complain about it, they call us racists or Islamophobes. But I say no more.” Wilders said at the rally. “Enough is enough … no more tyranny.

“Do you want to be Britain or Saudi Arabia?” Wilders rhetorically asked the crowd, implicitly pointing to the countries’ of the European Union sharp influx of Muslim immigrants in the past several years.

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