Sun, 22 November 2009
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Fitna, the film by right-wing populist politician Geert Wilders on what he sees as the dangers of Islam, has triggered widespread media attention in Muslim countries but no fierce protests.
By the Radio Netherlands News DeskThere has been no trouble in response to the release of Fitna, the film by right-wing populist politician Geert Wilders on what he sees as the dangers of Islam. According to the Dutch Interior Ministry’s crisis centre, the reaction throughout the Netherlands has been calm. Neither have there been any reports of unrest internationally.
The story has naturally attracted a great deal of media attention in the Middle East. The response from the major media organisations has been restrained and the tone moderate, especially in comparison to previous incidents such the Danish cartoon crisis.
The Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera reported both in its main news bulletin and on its website that while Muslims were upset, their response has been more moderate than it was in comparable cases in the past. It quotes a number of leaders of Dutch Islamic organisations who have made similarly moderate comments. The channel clearly stated that the Dutch government has distanced itself from the film and tried to persuade Mr Wilders not to go ahead with the release.
In context
The international Arabic newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat describes the film at length, commenting that Dutch public broadcasters have refused to screen it. The newspaper also puts the film into context, mentioning that Mr Wilders has received death threats and that in 2004 film maker Theo van Gogh was murdered for making a film criticising the treatment of women in Islam.
However, the vast number of readers’ responses featured on Arabic language websites such as that of the television channel al-Arabiyya reflect a much greater degree of anger and frustration about the film.
In Indonesia the chairman of the country’s top clerical body the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, Umar Shihab, warned of possible disturbances in response to Fitna. He advised Indonesians against watching the film on the internet. At the same time he appealed to people not to react emotionally.
Isn't truth a defence against libel or slander? The Islamist radicals, and their apologists in European governments, seem to imply that Wilders is making false accusations about Islam. Not having seen the film due to the odious censorship by governments and private companies, I can't comment except from the responses from the radical Islamists and news reports. However, Wilders uses actual passages from the Koran (aka Qu'ran), so what is the crime? Showing non-Muslims what is in the "holy" book? Or showing illiterate Muslims what is in the book? The Bible has many passages, particularly in the Old Testament, that are violent or advocate punishment for a littany of sins. So it is also illegal to read the Bible in the Netherlands or Europe? Or is Wilders correctly pointing out that members of a religion need to move on from the literal, radical interpetation of their holy books and live in a tolerant, democratic society?
The film apparently shows the disgusting images of that beheader animal swinging some guy's head in the air. How true, it's the ignorant illiterate Muslims, just like the ignorant US Bible bashers, who don't understand the holy books and somehow misread them to promote violence.
What's an 'Islamist' by the way, a barbarian savage Islamic?
Christianity, particularly prior to the Reformation under the Catholics, was extremely brutal at times. As were most religions at some point in time. The problem is Islam has no "one person" or "strong/smart enough leader" to bring about a likewise 'reformation' or to issue a global authoritative view that violence and misogny is wrong. Also, the Koran itself appears to dwell on what, to use the term loosely, an similiar "Old Testament" viewpoint, whereas the Bible has the "Newer" part which takes away much of the judgementalism, sexism, and violence from the "old law". Islam sticks to laws written centuries ago whereas Christians/Jews, for the most part, have modernised, had reformations, had schisms, and allowed secular states and religious tolerance. Something Muslims still won't allow without a fight or protest in many cases. Even the worst Christians today, however, don't do acts like a large number of Muslims do. You don't hear of "US Bible Thumpers" stoning people, beheading people, throwing acid in the face of their women, killing their own daughters over "honour", not allowing girls in school, forcing drapes on women, etc. You do, on occaision, find individual people, or sometimes cults, that kill but those are few and far between whereas some of these "customs" are common in the Islamic world. They need to join, at minimum, the 18th or 19th century- which was still exploitative in Europe but not as much as before. It is probably hopeless to expect them to join the civilised world anytime soon.
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