Amsterdam - A Dutch legislator who has criticized Islam and demanded that the Koran be banned, on Monday said he would go ahead with plans to release a film criticizing the Muslim holy book in January. Geert Wilders, writing in the daily daily Volkskrant newspaper, said the Dutch government was exerting "inadmissible pressure" on him not to go through with the film.
Wilders is leader of the liberal-rightist Freedom Party, known for its harsh stance on immigrants and Islam.
In August, he published an article criticizing Islam. He also demanded that the Koran be banned.
Some 40 individuals have since filed a complaint against Wilders with the Dutch police. They claim the politician has violated the Dutch laws on discrimination and freedom of religion.
In Monday's Volkskrant, Wilders said the public prosecutor has postponed the decision whether to file criminal charges against him until January, to increase pressure on him not to release his film.
The Dutch government has warned Wilders of the security risk involved in making the film, noting the assassination of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who had also produced a film criticizing Islam.
But Wilders says his film was necessary to "open people's eyes."
"Contrary to similar paragraphs from the Bible and the Torah, paragraphs from the Koran describing miserable things are still widely being practised today," Wilders wrote.
"Muslims should learn to accept some criticism."
Legislator Rita Verdonk, who like Wilders, is also known for a harsh position on issues involving immigrants, expressed her willingness to form a government with the Freedom Party leader in an interview with the daily Telegraaf on Monday. She is the first Dutch politician to do so.
"He has guts," Verdonk was quoted as saying. She stressed, however, she did not agree with Wilders' demand to ban the Koran. "I uphold the Dutch constitution," she said.
Around 800,000 Muslims live in the Netherlands, a country of 16.9 million.
