Virtual Book Burning: Amazon Submits to Sharia Law in Europe

An alert reader of Germany's Politically Incorrect -- relayed by Gates of Vienna -- observes that Amazon appears to have deleted Geert Wilder's bestseller from its European stores.

The new book by Geert Wilders, Marked for Death, is apparently neither being advertised nor offered in European Amazon. About two months before its publication date, it was possible to reserve the book on your Amazon wish list. In that space now, there is an empty window — without even a dust jacket. Unavailable. Then if you go to amazon.de, you find out it no longer exists.

...If you call up the book on amazon.com and then substitute .de for .com in the address line, so you can order the same book in English, the message appears: “Sorry, the web address you have given does not exist on our website.” If you try this procedure with any other book in English, the “translation” from amazon.com to amazon.de works effortlessly, as always.

Well, OK, not at German Amazon. Maybe British? So instead of dot.com, we put in dot.co.uk. The result is the message: “We’re sorry, the web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site.” Hmm, no active site for the new Wilders book.

If you try the same procedure with another English language book, you get the respective active pages on amazon.co.uk and amazon.co.fr. Just not with Geert Wilders’ book.

Our impression: Amazon does not intend to offer Geert Wilders’ new book in Europe. Since Amazon is having no problems with it in the USA, and the book there is at the stupendous bestseller rank of 459, the suspicion is that someone in Europe has caused some trouble or made some threats. So, is the idea really to keep the book away from Europe?

Why is Amazon worried about listing Wilder's book? Amazon reviewer Bruce -- who gives the book five stars -- describes its content in stark terms.

Geert Wilders new book, "Marked for Death" is an absolute must read and a breath of fresh air. In a methodical way it traces exactly why Islam has been such a curse for all those societies where it is practised. In the words of Mr. Wilders, "Throughout history, Islam has brought poverty, social strife, backwardness, intolerance, and tyranny to societies where it was practiced. This trend continues today, as the curse of Islam hampers the quest for freedom and democracy in the Middle East." The dangers it poses to the West cannot be underestimated and our pandering to Islam and indeed encouraging Muslim immigration to our lands can only undermine our democratic values. Mr. Wilders explains why Islam does not merit the description of it being a "religion." Rather it is really a totalitarian system of beliefs based on hatred and inequality and ultimately control of the human being.

There is a term -- "dhimmitude" -- that perfectly describes Amazon's seeming behavior. I wonder how many other books have been censored for "our own good"?

I liken this kind of conduct to a virtual book burning.