In a move that enraged European Islamophobes, on December 26 Google deactivated the gmail account used by right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders for distributing anti-Islam stickers... Wilders has gained notoriety in the Muslim world and is known in the West for his anti-Islam statements and speeches. In the Netherlands, he is a prominent politician, the founder and leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, the fourth-largest party in the Dutch House of Representatives. The complaint against Wilders was made by Mohamed Rubbae, also a Dutch politician, activist and the head of the National Council of Moroccans. Rubbae lodged his complaint with Google after many Muslims and others expressed outrage about the stickers that Wilders was disseminating through [email protected] The sticker, which mimicked the flag of Saudi Arabia, read in Arabic, "Islam is a lie. Muhammad is a criminal. The Qur'an is poison." Both the Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister publicly expressed their condemnation of Wilders' actions. Wilders himself tweeted about the Google decision on December 2. "Unbelievable," he wrote. "Google just blocked the account. It seems Mohammed Rabbae's complaint was successful." Rubbae was pleased with Google's decision. This is clearly stated in the rules of Google," he said. "It is good that the company adheres to its rules and [they are] not just for show." Wilders protested the decision, claiming that the sticker was not meant as an action against Muslims as the majority of people of this faith are not violent. But his argument was probably undermined by his numerous past anti-Islam activities. He is widely known for his campaigns to stop what he views as the 'Islamisation of the Netherlands'. He compares the Qur'an with [Hilter's] Mein Kampf and has campaigned to have the book banned in the Netherlands. He advocates ending immigration from Muslim countries and supports banning the construction of new mosques. Wilders is not only opposed to Islam but to the European Union as well. In a recent interview with the BBC, Wilders said one of his main goals as a politician is the dismantling of the European Union. He believes that the Netherlands gains nothing from being a member of the EU. Wilders also took the opportunity during his interview with the BBC to disparage immigrants once again, calling Islam an "inferior culture" and adding that future Eastern European migrants should stay home. The battle between Wilders and the critics of his sticker campaign, however, may not be over. Wilders says he will set up another email account to make the stickers available, adding that "thousands" of people asked for one during the week they were available on the cancelled account. Mohamed Rubbae and the National Council of Moroccans are just as resolute. Rubbae says if Wilders does start sending out more stickers, he will complain to Google about that email address as well. They argue that while the right to freedom of speech is enshrined for every person in a democracy like the Netherlands, it is particularly worrying for them that a politician of such popularity is allowed to publicly attack the faith of hundreds of millions of people around the world without an official stronger response.
