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Eurabia Here We Come: Wackademics Censor the Truth in the Netherlands

According to a large majority of the chancellors of the Dutch universities, it is now verboten to criticize Islam in Dutch universities. Because it is inappropriate and dangerous and there might be violence as a result of so speaking.

From the Brussels Journal:

Last month Pieter W. van der Horst, the retiring professor of Early Christian History and Judaism at Utrecht University ... wanted to argue in his valedictory lecture that "the islamisation of European antisemitism is one of the most frightening developments of the past decades." However, his university's chancellor, the rector magnificus, Prof. Willem H. Gispen, prevented him from doing so by censoring the lecture in advance. According to Gispen the lecture was "unscientific" and "incited different population groups against each other." Van der Horst says Gispen had also told him that "Islamic students might disrupt the lecture," in which case the university "would not be able to guarantee van der Horst's safety."

The language is reminiscent of that used to discuss various aspects of the Ayaan Hirsi Ali situation, no?

Van der Horst, who has been a professor at Utrecht University since 1969, duly read out the censored version of his lecture "The Myth of Jewish Cannibalism," but had the uncensored text published in a newspaper. He felt deeply offended at the censorship of his text. "I have never been so humiliated in my whole life," he told the press. In the uncensored version Professor van der Horst posits that "in all probability" there have never in history been more Jew haters than today. "Every day the intensive propaganda of Islamic Jew haters successfully influences more Muslims throughout the world." He also rebukes Christian churches and academia, including his own univerity, that they do too little to counter the growing antisemitism. He hopes universities will have the courage to appoint critical professors of Islam.

UPDATE: PIETER W. VAN DER HORST provides his own account of the incident in the Wall Street Journal.

posted by Alcibiades @ 8:24 PM