Consider that you have an important message that you feel the world needs to hear. Now imagine that the consequence of sharing that message means that your life is constantly in danger, you and your family must live under 24 hour protection and you continuously receive a flow of morbid death threats. You know that the threats are to be taken seriously because a number of your friends and compatriots have been brutally slain for sharing your vision.

Such is the fate of Dutch Politician Geert Wilders who has recently experienced a stunning electoral victory in the Netherlands, almost tripling the number of seats held by his rapidly growing Freedom Party.

Wilders seems to be among the last bastions fighting for the national integrity of his country, battling the sweeping tide of Islamist immigration and the cultural disrespect that many Islamist immigrants show their host countries. Pim Fortuyn, a politician that shared similar views, was shot in a parking lot outside a Radio Studio in Hilversum in 2002, and Theo Van Gogh a filmmaker who was shooting a documentary named “Submission ” that was critical of the treatment of women in Islam, was stabbed to death in November or 2004.

The 150 member Dutch parliament is complex and politically splintered; often government forming talks can take a number of months. Wilders thus far has been unable to find common ground with enough of the other larger parties to enable him to be part of a new government, but will no doubt, take his place as a formidable parliamentary opposition and use that platform to build greater momentum for the next election.

Geert Wilders is said to have been deprived of a personal life for his political opinions. He is moved by his state-provided bodyguards to a different location every night, and cannot receive visitors unless they are carefully screened and escorted at all times. He is married to a Dutch- former diplomat, with whom he can only meet about once every week because of security concerns. He has said that he wouldn’t wish these restrictions on his worst enemy.

One can only imagine the courage and sheer dedication that it takes for a person like Wilders to wake up every morning knowing that he has most likely sacrificed the comforts of his wife and family for the sake of his ideals and what he believes to be the greater good of the Dutch people and the rest of the free world. He has offered his personal freedom and peace for the sake of that of his people.

The contemporary politicians that many of us are used to are very different creatures, often spineless and lacking vision. The true idealists that risk life and limb for their causes are few and far between.

Of course this threat of Islamist expansionism is a matter of growing concern for many in Europe and in democracies around the globe. How do we preserve our national integrity while staying true to our founding principles of religious freedom and tolerance?

Wilders carries the answer in the form of intellectual honesty and moral courage; a rare and most precious commodity. The rapid growth of his electoral base has shown that he addresses these concerns comprehensively, and the gross omission by his political opponents has lost them support.

Wilders is a rare historic personality whom we certainly haven’t seen the last of, his resilience is commendable and his indomitable spirit will guarantee that his voice is heard. “The price for freedom is eternal vigilance” said Thomas Jefferson, Wilders stands at the front lines of freedom resembling a new age Churchill.

By standing against political correctness, saying what needs to be said, and at great personal expense doing what needs to be done Wilders is placed into a new category of leadership. Every thinking man must respect his courage and take a moment to listen to what he has to say.

The Author is the director of the Algemeiner Journal and the GJCF and can be e-mailed at defune@gjcf.com.

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