SOLO Op-Ed: But He Was Asking For It! (In memory of Theo van Gogh)

November 2, 2007

November 02, 2007 marks the 3-year anniversary of the ritual murder of Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh. Theo van Gogh was shot eight times, had his throat slit, and was left lying on the street with a 5-page manifesto stuck to his torso with a knife. To simply say he was murdered or assassinated is a gross understatement. He was ritually slaughtered. Up close, personal, score-settling, vengeance-exacting slaughter. Not political assassination, not a mugging gone wrong; it was a barbaric death frenzy.

But he was asking for it! He shouldn't have said all those nasty things! He shouldn't have called Muslims goat-fuckers! She should not have been wearing that short skirt in that part of town! She was a cock tease! She was coming on to him! Oh wait, that was a different case, my bad.

There is an awkwardness and hesitancy to commemorate van Gogh's slaughter. People have become so afraid of the “Islamophobe” label. As if to recognise that what happened to Theo van Gogh was ideologically sanctioned, brutal murder for the sake of words, and to demand that it never happens again is to equate themselves with violent racists, xenophobics, and other scum who use force as a way to suppress ideas that they don't agree with.

Well, there's a big clue right there. Not all Muslims are of the poor, defenseless, cringing minority variety. There are some who, specifically using their religion as sanction, wish to utilise force as a way to suppress ideas that they don't agree with, or would murder and terrorise for an insult. To point to them, as Theo did, and call them out on it, is not xenophobic or Islamophobic, it is rational. Theo was living in a time and place where people were afraid to say what was happening around them. Criticism of the Islamic religion, and criticism of its violent and fanatical practitioners had become pathologised,
instantly equating any slight against Islam or any Muslim as xenophobic, Isalmophobic and racist. There was also the 800-pound gorrilla in the room, the unspoken threat that if you did get too loud and offensive, you may end up very dead. People did not want to acknowledge that; better you hush them up by passing them off as racist cranks, than test the theory.

Theo knew what was happening around him. He recognised that it wasn't a handful of fanatics, but a concerted movement to bring Western Europe under Islamic rule. A concerted movement that utilised the unwitting 'moderate' Muslims as a shield and disguise. A balancing act, where the 'moderates' neither condoned nor condemned, but cried that it wasn't them, they're not to blame, theirs is a 'religion of peace' hijacked by a small number of fanatics. The media gladly played along—any accusations leveled were met with pictures of cringing defenseless Muslims who were being 'victimised' by 'Islamophobes.'

Theo saw through it all. He got loud, he got angry, he got dead.

Lance Davey
ldavey@xtra.co.nz
063554398
SOLO SOLOPassion.com