I grew up in Somalia, in Saudi Arabia, in Ethiopia, and in Kenya. I came to Europe in 1992, when I was 22, and became a member of Parliament in Holland.

The idea that if people are just friendly and demonstrate they want peace, that will be answered with good will - that is really naive.

Free speech is the bedrock of liberty and a free society. And yes, it includes the right to blaspheme and offend.

They decided to let immigrants in and I am an immigrant. They gave us a chance to participate in this country's life and I took it.

I was a Muslim once, remember, and it was when I was most devout that I was most full of hate.

Islam was like a mental cage. At first, when you open the door, the caged bird stays inside: it is frightened. It has internalized its imprisonment. It takes time for bird to escape, even after someone has opened the doors to its cage.

Where there is no freedom of speech, there is no conscience.