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The murder of Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim extremist caused a world-wide commotion and brought several problematic issues to the surface that demand answers. Firstly, are there any parallels between the killing of Van Gogh and that of right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn, both of them being popular critics of Islam, and secondly, did Van Gogh, who used very offensive language in speaking about Islam, cross the line of journalistic decency and freedom of speech? A third question deserving attention concerns the position of Muslims in Dutch society and, finally, what the assassination of Van Gogh and its aftermath say about Dutch society. The author examines these questions which are not only important to the Netherlands, but may also stimulate debates elsewhere.

Jan Herman Brinks is a Specialist in the contemporary history of Germany and the Netherlands. He was formerly a Researcher associated with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University (1995-1996) then at the University of Bath and at Birkbeck College in London (1997-1998). From 2002 to 2004, he worked as a Researcher at the Centre for German-Jewish Studies at the University of Sussex.