If the Netherlands is such a modern, liberal democracy, then why are its politicians being silenced by assassination? Conservative parliamentary candidate Pim Fortuyn was killed by an “animal rights activist” on May 6, 2002. Theo van Gogh, who made a film about the mistreatment of women in Muslim societies, was stabbed and shot to death by an Islamist on November 2. Geert Wilders, a member of parliament who opposes Turkey’s entry into the EU, is receiving death threats. Holland, once a model for tolerance, has become too tolerant.

The assassin -- the animal rights activist -- who shot Pim Fortuyn 6 times did so

…because he thought [Fortuyn] was a threat to the "weaker" groups in society, like immigrants and animals.

Fortuyn was an animal -- a mammal, that is. Take an animal’s life to protect other animals that may or may not even be threatened? Talk about preemption. Fortuyn’s killer, Volkert van der Graaf, confessed to the crime and was sentenced to a mere 18 years in prison. Think Holland has gone soft?

…Dutch courts usually jail defendants convicted of a single murder for 12 to 16 years.

Only 21 life sentences have been handed down in the past 50 years, generally for serial murders.

Theo van Gogh was murdered by an Islamist:

Two knives were left in his body, one pinning a note to his chest, said by Dutch media to contain lines from the Koran.

Will Van Gogh’s assassins be given slaps on the wrist as was Fortuyn’s killer? Maybe it will be different this time around. The Dutch electorate has chosen a center-right coalition which has been standing up to Islamic extremism. The move to the right was due in part to Fortuyn’s murder, but probably also in reaction to the Netherlands’ open-door immigration policy: The country’s Muslim population has rocketed to almost 1 million (5.5% of the population). Nine Islamists have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in Van Gogh’s murder. The coalition government has vowed again to crack down on the Islamists:

Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Gerrit Zalm promised more funding for intelligence services, and said terror suspects with dual nationality might be deported.

Some Dutch have gotten ugly, taking the law into their own hands in revenge for Van Gogh’s murder. They have lowered themselves to the level of the Islamists. But other Hollanders, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, have reacted better. Thousands showed their disapproval of Van Gogh’s killing:

A large number of Dutch Muslims were among the crowd protesting against the killing in Amsterdam's Dam Square on Tuesday, carrying banners with slogans such as "not in the name of my Islam".

What is happening now in Holland is a portent of things to come. Europeans, perhaps too late, are faced with deciding what to do with their burgeoning third world populations -- especially Muslims. Will Europeans roll over, remaining overindulgent, allowing their continent to become an Islamist caliphate? Or will they finally force their Muslim populations to become assimilated with modern beliefs in tolerance, democracy, and secular justice systems? The jury is still out. The Dutch are starting on the right track. Will the rest of Europe follow?

Sane Europeans will be heartened by President Bush’s resounding election victory in the U.S. American Islamists, as well as their Left-Wing allies, have been given a clear message: behave or face the consequences.