Irshad Manji and Tofik Dibi on Dutch TV

Earlier today (or, strictly speaking, yesterday) the reform-minded Muslims Irshad Manji and Tofik Dibi were heckled and assaulted during a public debate in the Netherlands. Below is a discussion about the incident from the Dutch television program Pauw & Witteman. Ms. Manji and Mr. Dibi were interviewed in both Dutch and English, and the Dutch portions have been subtitled.

Many thanks to H. Numan for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:


H. Numan has also written an essay about Tofik Dibi and the dilemma he faces in the Netherlands. It will be published here sometime tomorrow (or, strictly speaking, later today).

Below is an article about the events described in the video:

Netherlands: Radicals Disrupt Islam Debate in Amsterdam

The Islamists threatened and spat on Ms Manji. Tofik Dibi, who accompanied Ms Manji to the police station where she filed a report, said that "the disruption of the debate shows that even in the Netherlands it is necessary to continue the debate on a free and moderate Islam." Eventually, the police were called in to remove the protestors. A police spokesperson later said that two of the 22 men involved were arrested, one for making threats and one for insulting police. Irshad Manji, a known critic of Islam, is the author of The Islam Dilemma. On the current affairs programme Pauw en Witteman she said she had experienced her share of fierce opposition but that she had never before seen anything like this.

The Islamists, who also threw raw eggs, demanded that the debate participants leave the stage; the debaters refused. Mr Dibi later tweeted that the debate "about a promising new generation of Muslims" was later continued at the request of Ms Manji. Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders tweeted: "Dibi does not deserve eggs from radical Muslims or disruption of the meeting. He must be able to say what he wants."


Hat tip for the RNW article: JP.