The Netherlands has a reputation as a liberal society which tolerates behavior that is often still regarded as vice in many other places. Thus it seems paradoxical that once again, another Dutch politician has created an international controversy over his active intolerance and downright disdain for the religion of Islam.

The casual observer could be forgiven for dismising Geert Wilders, and his strongly anti-Islam rhetoric, as just another fringe radical who is given to posturing. But when Mr. Wilders, who is a member of the Dutch parliament, debuted his unabashedly anti-Koran short film called “Fitna” this past week he caused a considerable stir and received international press attention. Television news reports quoted a number of leading politicians around the world, including the Dutch Prime-Minister, as expressing deep concerning that Mr. Wilders’ actions would lead to another terrorist strike or other forms of violence. Given the fact that the film is not being shown in movie theaters (and in fact was only available on the internet for a few days), the reason that Mr. Wilders has received so much attention for his actions can hardly be linked to the commercial value or popularity of his work.

In fact, the apprehension surrounding Mr. Wilders’ activities is largely based on concern over a recent trend of anti-Islamic sentiment expressed by political leaders in Europe in general, and in the Netherlands in particular. The release of Mr. Wilders’ film follows on the heels of the well publicized situation of Aayan Hirsi Ali, another Dutch parliamentarian who also was outspoken in her criticism of Islam. Because of her collaboration with a famous Dutch director, Theo van Gough, on a movie which was critical of Islam’s treatment of women, the film maker was assassinated and she subsequently decided to go into hiding. Ms. Ali would later leave the Netherlands altogether.

Before Ms. Ali, another Dutch political leader named Pim Fortuyn also created a sensation for his overt attacks upon Islam, and in particular Muslim immigrants. Mr. Fortuyn, who was by all accounts a gifted speaker, used rhetorical flourish to appeal to the simmering resentment against Muslim immigrants within the Netherlands. His popularity soared as a result and the Rotterdam based politician soon became a leading figure in the Netherlands and a serious contender to become the world’s first openly gay head of government. His assassination in 2002 cut short his ambition, but the party he founded became the third largest in the election which followed his death.

Mr Wilders’ recent film is just another chapter in what many perceive to be an ongoing, and intensifying European onslaught of rhetoric against Islam. Placed in the context of the publishing, and then republishing of the now famous Danish cartoons which offended millions of Muslims by linking Mohammed with suicide bombers, the British government’s granting of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie (the author of Satanic Verses, a book highly critical of Islam), the almost certain rejection of Turkey’s bid for membership by the European Union based largely on its status as a “Muslim” nation, and the flap over the Pope’s use of a quote linking Islam and violence during a lecture given in Germany, it is easy to see why Mr. Gilder’s film may be seen as another public insult to Islam.

To Americans, who often perceive Europe to be rather soft and non-threatening in their foreign and military policy, it may come as a surprise to hear of so many provocations. The answer to this paradox is that Europe in many ways is on the front lines of the confrontation between the Islamic East, and “Christian” West. Most western European countries have large Muslim minority populations drawn from North Africa and Turkey. Due to the fact that many of these minority communities have had trouble integrating into their host countries there seems to be an increasing resentment of Islam and Muslims themselves within Europe’s native populations. A sentiment which politicians like Geert Wilders, who was recently named according to one poll as the most popular politician in the Netherlands, are able to tap into and use as a basis for their own political ascendancy.

Whether Mr. Wilder’s fifteen minute film expressing his viewpoint that Islam and violence are inextricably linked will cause any direct reaction is hard to know. As of the writing of this blog, it doesn’t seem to have. One thing is for certain however; this latest incident does not help the growing perception that there is a brewing cultural war between Islam and the West, and that Europe is in the middle of it.