An anti-Islam cartoon exhibition in the Netherlands has sparked fresh controversy across Europe, drawing fire from Muslims and religious rights activists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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An anti-Islam cartoon exhibition in the Netherlands has sparked fresh controversy across Europe, drawing fire from Muslims and religious rights activists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Notorious far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders plans to hold a cartoon contest blaspheming Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him and his pure progeny, in November in his right-wing Freedom Party\u2019s heavily guarded offices at the Dutch parliament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pakistan has already expressed anger at the event, with authorities there lodging a diplomatic protest against the plan, denouncing it as an attempt to defame Islam and Muslims.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday distanced his government from the contest, saying Wilders \u201cis not a member of the government,\u201d and that \u201cthe competition is not a government initiative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Dutch premier questioned Wilders\u2019 motive for organizing the event, saying his aim is not to have a debate about Islam.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“His aim is to be provocative,\u201d he said, adding that people in the European country have far-reaching freedom of speech rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis man, Geert Wilders, is known for testing the limits of freedom of expression. He is free to do that,\u201d Rutte said. \u201cThe Cabinet wants to make clear it is not a Cabinet initiative.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wilders has previously sparked fury in Muslim countries with films and comments against Islam. The opposition lawmaker lives under a round-the-clock guard alleging that he has faced death threats.<\/p>\n
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An anti-Islam cartoon exhibition in the Netherlands has sparked fresh controversy across Europe, drawing fire from Muslims and religious rights activists.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 An anti-Islam cartoon exhibition in the Netherlands has sparked fresh controversy across Europe, drawing fire from Muslims and religious rights activists.\u00a0 Notorious far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders plans to hold a cartoon contest …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[226,1136,40,372,612,531,220],"class_list":["post-6334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-anti-islamic","tag-dutch","tag-europe","tag-exhibition","tag-freedom","tag-muslims","tag-netherlands"],"yoast_head":"\n