On 2 November 2004 Mohammed Bouyeri gunned down Dutch film director, writer and opinion maker Theo van Gogh in broad daylight. In the years leading up to his murder, now five years ago, Van Gogh had been a scathing critic of what he liked to refer to as “fascist” Islam.

The debate on the influence of Islam on Dutch society has continued to rage ever since, with right-wing politician Geert Wilders now taking central stage. What role would Theo van Gogh have played in the current debate? And is his murder the reason that Geert Wilders has attracted such a following in the Netherlands?
 
By Klaas den Tek, Philip Smet and Martijn van Tol

The Netherlands was in shock when Theo van Gogh was shot dead in the streets of Amsterdam, the second politically motivated murder to hit the country in a relatively short time. His killer, Mohammed Bouyeri, was a Muslim of Dutch-Moroccan origin. He was so deeply offended by Van Gogh’s comments about Muslims that he decided to take action against him. Van Gogh liked to be provocative in order to make sure his message was heard, notoriously referring to Muslims as “goat shaggers”. He warned that Islam would come to dominate Western culture in the future and would stifle freedom of speech:
 
"If there’s one movement I would still take part in, it would be a broad coalition against religious fascism, particularly in Europe. Religious fascism as propagated by Islam. (...) That seems to me to be the only cause worth fighting for. I’m not bothered about the rest."
 
Politician Geert Wilders appears to have followed in Theo van Gogh’s footsteps. His Freedom Party already has a considerable parliamentary presence, but if the opinion polls are to be believed, it could become the biggest party in the country come the next elections.

Minority view
If he were still alive today, would a relative outsider like Theo van Gogh vote for the popular – and many would argue populist – Geert Wilders? "No doubt about it," exclaims Tomas Ross, writer and friend of Theo van Gogh. "I don’t think so," counters Dutch-Moroccan writer Mohammed Benzakour, who crossed swords with Van Gogh on many occasions.
 
"Wilders is being taken very seriously and is very much in the limelight. Theo would have turned away from that spectacle in disgust," explains Benzakour. "Theo always adopted the minority view. He couldn’t help it. He was a provocateur through and through. He hated following the mainstream. Wilders is far from being an underdog these days. So no, Van Gogh would not have voted for him."
 
Two and a half years before Van Gogh was murdered, the Netherlands was shaken to its foundations by another political murder: the assassination of Pim Fortuyn. A politician only weeks away from a major electoral breakthrough, Fortuyn was an immensely popular figure who was also dedicated to combating the influence of Islam on Dutch society. Theo van Gogh was a friend of Pim Fortuyn’s. "In fact, Theo thought Fortuyn was too soft on Islam," insists Tomas Ross. "Wilders and Van Gogh share a massive, inexplicable and irrational fear of Islam. What Wilders is saying now can be traced right back to what Theo said." Ross has no doubt whatsoever: Wilders is Van Gogh’s true heir.
 
Clever exploitation
Sociologist Dick Pels believes that is going too far. "They fit into the same movement of 2002: the voters’ revolt, the rise of Pim Fortuyn. They share the same fear of the ‘Islamification’ of Dutch culture. But it is true that Wilders’ success was made possible by Theo van Gogh’s murder. Since then, many people see Islam as a threat and that is something Wilders cleverly exploits."
 
Of course, much has changed in the Netherlands in the five years since Theo van Gogh’s murder. But the immigration and integration debate rumbles on unabated. Does Theo van Gogh’s absence leave a gaping hole in that debate? "Once thing I definitely do not miss is his insulting tone," says Dick Pels. "But I do miss his non-conformism. It is always fine when a culture spawns characters like Theo van Gogh, people who swim against the current. There are far too few of them around."

A discussion with depth
"I miss him, most certainly," says writer and friend Tomas Ross. "He would have been an incredibly fanatical advocate of Wilders. And because he was so smart and intelligent, he could have argued the case better than Wilders himself. When Wilders talks it all sounds so very simple and rigid. Theo was capable of approaching the same issues from a philosophical perspective, drawing on his knowledge of Western history and religion. He would have given the discussion depth."
 
Even Mohammed Benzakour misses Theo van Gogh: "No matter how offensive he could be, Theo always retained a note of humour. Wilders’ insults are grim and hateful. Imagine that Wilders' party won the elections and he started sending all Muslims back to their homeland. If Theo had still been alive, I’m sure he would have given me a warm place of refuge under his roof."

Photo: Geert Wilders in front of the monument in Amsterdam's Oosterpark commemorating Theo van Gogh, De Schreeuw (The Scream)