Dutch lawmaker cancels Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest
Amsterdam, Aug 31: Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders has cancelled a scheduled Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest here in November following widespread protest in Pakistan that raised concerns over security to the participants.
The far-right opposition Dutch lawmaker, who for years has lived under round-the-clock protection because of death threats sparked by his fierce anti-Islam rhetoric, cancelled the event following concerns of extreme threat after a 26-year-old Pakistani man was arrested who allegedly planned an attack on Wilders.
"To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided not to let the cartoon contest go ahead," Geert Wilders said in a written statement, noting he did not want others endangered by the contest he had planned for November.
The contest was to have been held at the tightly guarded offices of his Party for Freedom in the Dutch parliament building.
"It's not just about me," Wilders, who has a history of inflammatory statements about Islam, said in the statement. Strong opponents of the event "see not only me, but the entire Netherlands as a target".
He followed up the statement later on Thursday with a tweet saying: "Islam showed its true face once again with death threats, fatwas and violence. However, the safety and security of my fellow countrymen comes first."
The Dutch government had been at pains to distance itself from the contest. Prime Minister Mark Rutte last week questioned Wilders' motive for organising the contest.
"His aim is not to have a debate about Islam. His aim is to be provocative," Rutte said.
The planned contest sparked a death threat this week from a 26-year-old man, reportedly a Pakistani, who was arrested Tuesday in The Hague.
Starting Wednesday, thousands of Islamists set off on a protest march towards Pakistan's capital Islamabad demanding Imran Khan's new government sever diplomatic ties with the Netherlands over the "blasphemous" competition.
The Tehreek-e-Labbaik party (TLP) called off the protest after the competition was called off, a party official told Efe Friday.
Thousands of supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik, who had started from the eastern city of Lahore in 300 buses and trucks and dozens of smaller vehicles on Wednesday, remained on the outskirts of the capital after Wilders cancelled the contest.
"A Tehreek-e-Labbaik delegation went to meet the government delegation led by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. After successful talks and the cancellation of the blasphemous cartoons, Tehreek-e-Labbaik ended its march," Zubair Ahmed, a spokesperson of the party told Efe.
"The blasphemous cartoon contest is cancelled and this is our moral victory," Qureshi said at a press conference after talks with TLP.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
IPL 2026 to be held between March 26-May 31 window
Mumbai (PTI): The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held between the March 26 to May 31 window but it remains to be seen if Bengaluru, the home of RCB, holds the opening match.
As per the norms, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium should host the tournament opener given the home side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2025 title.
While the venue has received conditional clearance from the Karnataka state government, it also needs to meet the necessary safety and security standards following the death of 11 fans in a stampede during RCB's victory celebrations in June this year.
The mini-auction for IPL 2026 will be held in Abu Dhabi today with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders coming in with the biggest purse.
