August 11, 2004 ☼ Foreign Affairs
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
Bjørn Stærk reports that Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s trip to Norway is creating a controversy, where some parties are opposed to allowing an avowed Islamic fundamentalist to make public appearances. Belgium and the Netherlands had recently denied him entry on the basis of his beeing seen as a threat to national security.
The reactions are understandable, for there is no way to quarantine ideology. But they must remind Europe the challenges liberal democracies face in having to deal with Islamic fundamentalists. Democratic tradition requires allowing even a virulent fundamentalist to speak, but the dangers they pose to society are palpable.
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