If Van Gough were, indeed, trying to start a relgious war, then there are secular laws in the Netherlands to deal with him. I have; however, never heard such a claim before and find it preposterous in the extreme that a Dutch army would march on Mecca.
It seems to me, the real threat was that Van Gough might cause practicing Dutch Muslims to question their faith. That he offended people is a certainty, but it is hard to imagine that he had the international impact in life that he now has in death. I suspect the "scholar" who issued the contract on Van Gough had no understanding of the harm his murder would do to the cause of Islam. What might have worked in the 7th Century will almost certainly not work in the 21st.
So, putting aside the morally bereft justification offered, one has to ask....what has been gained here in a utilitarian sense?
the gain is that people are no longer so free to insult Allah and his messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
disagree with us fine, but insults... i would have thought theo van gogh and the danish matter as well as salman rushdie would have taught the west better and i certainly think it has.
Abu Abdullah