Politeia: The Wilders Trial (III): postmodern ideologues at Court

Continued from Part II.

Today, the second day of preliminary hearings, Geert Wilders launched two dedicated trial websites (in English - Dutch).

This Court, specifically instated to hear cases of discrimination, today decided it does have a legal base to handle the case. Wilders's defence counsel, Abraham Moszkowicz had argued the Court has no standing to hear suits involving Members of Parliament. You wish!, said the pomo Court.

It's clear the Court wants to prevent this case from becoming a trial on Islam, as Leon de Winter still hoped for in this article on WSJ. The Court rejected the request by the Prosecutor that Wilders be interrogated by an investigative Judge.

Of the 18 witnesses requested by Wilders, only 3 were accepted. Theo van Gogh's butcher, rejected - Ahmadinejad's personal cleric, rejected - 5 legal experts, rejected - Afshin Ellian, rejected - Robert Spencer, rejected.

The Judges deem themselves sufficiently sage to deal with the technical intricacies without the assistence of legal expert witnesses. They've got also ample insight into Islamic exegesis, thank you very much. Moszkowicz typified it thus: "This Court basically says: we already know." Really?

Accepted as expert witnesses on Islam are psychiatrist Wafa Sultan, and arabists Hans Jansen and his student Simon Admiraal. They will be heard behind closed doors. Apparently, the news that Islam isn't the religion of peace after all, must not be disclosed to the world.

Simon Admiraal is credited with this piece of esoteric knowledge:

In traditional Islam, Abraham (Ibraham) is considered a Muslim, as is Moses (Mousa) and Jesus (Isa). Islam cleverly incorporated Judaism and Christianity and made it part of its own dogma, but stripped it of its essences. The purpose is to prove that Islam is the only true religion and has been since the times of Abraham, "the builder of the Kaaba in Mecca". That Jews and Christians beg to differ is irrelevant. Because Islam is the last of the three Abrahamic religions, they can push this revisionism without scruples.

The Court also deemed that the subjectivist indictment of "group slander" is a legitimate charge. Actually, it's an abomination! This country apparently consists of unequal collectives now, instead of equal individuals. Negative rights can only be violated by the state, but instead even private bars and tennis clubs can be dragged to court on charges of discrimination.

What's more, who's to determine what constitutes an insult anyway, let alone an "unnecessary" one?

In objective (blind) law, the choice would have been made for absolute speech rights, not for subjective 'insults' as is currently the case.

This plays right into the game of Muslim 'lawfare'. As was to be expected, Postmodernism has breeded a legal monster in which freedom can no longer be defended.

The trial proper will start at some date between 1st June and 31st October. We'll be looking forward then to an exasperating summer.

Wilders, for his part, has commented that a fair trial is now no longer possible. "This Court isn't interested in the truth." Moszkowicz phrased it best: "A Court that is overreaching itself is frightening." Indeed, postmodern ideologues abound. Or, as Aaron Eitan Meyer has it in "Stacking the Deck Against Geert Wilders", the rejection of so many experts "feeds the impression that that this is a results-driven exercise rather than a serious impartial attempt to wrestle with the profound issues presented".

An auxilary plan is already in the works: the reading out loud of 18 files full of expert testimony, for hear they will, whether they like it or not.

Update:

! One day later a verdict by a The Hague Court proves the evil that Dutch anti discrimination law produces. Apparently, Urenco producing A.Q. Kahn wasn't sufficient warning!

NRC: "Ban of Iranians at nuclear sites overturned"

A judge on Wednesday tossed out a 2008 boycott barring Iranians from Dutch nuclear sites.

The Brits are planning a show of support on March 5.

The Canadian Jewish Defence League has held support rallies on January 20 (video I, video II).

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