Dutch Government Could Ban Anti-Islam Film
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The Dutch government was today examining the legality of banning a film attacking Islam amid fears that it would fan sentiment against the Netherlands in Muslim countries.
The Telegraaf newspaper reported that the coalition government was divided on the film, with the Christian Democrats leaning towards a ban but Labour favouring freedom of expression and calling on Muslim countries to prevent violence against the Netherlands.
The 15-minute film, called Fitna—an Arabic term used in the Qur’an and sometimes translated as “strife”—was made by Geert Wilders, a rightwing politician who leads the nine-member PVV (Freedom) party.
Wilders has argued that there is no such thing as moderate Islam, and has called for a ban of the Qur’an, which he compares to Hitler’s Mein Kampf.
“The core of the problem is fascistic Islam, the sick ideology of Allah and Muhammad as it is set out in the Islamic Mein Kampf: the Koran,” he wrote in a comment piece for the Volksrant newspaper last year.
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the Nato secretary general, has expressed concern about the safety of Nato troops after protests against the film in Afghanistan.
“If the [troops] find themselves in the line of fire because of the film, then I am worried about it and I am expressing that concern,” he said in a television interview.
Yesterday, around 1,000 Afghans protested against the republication of a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers and Wilders’ plan to air the film.
The protesters, mostly religious clerics in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, demanded the withdrawal of Danish and Dutch troops from Afghanistan.
The Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, warned last week that the Netherlands risked economic sanctions and attacks against its troops because of the film. He stopped short, however, of saying that it should not be broadcast.
In 2006, demonstrations and rioting broke out in many Muslim countries after Danish cartoons, one showing the prophet with a turban resembling a bomb, appeared in a Danish newspaper. At least 50 people were killed and three Danish embassies attacked.
Balkenende said the Dutch government did not share Wilders’ views, adding that the cabinet was obliged to point out the risks of transmitting the film.
Wilders—a target of death threats on Islamist websites—said he had completed the film and was in negotiations with TV stations for its broadcast either this month or in April.
The politician, who has gained support in recent opinion polls, has warned of a “tsunami of Islamisation” in a country that is home to nearly 1 million Muslims.
In 2004, a young Dutch man of Moroccan parentage stabbed and shot the controversial film-maker Theo Van Gogh, a distant relative of the artist.
The attacker said the killing was in response to a film about Islam and domestic violence that Van Gogh had made with the Somalian-born activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, then an MP, which showed images of naked veiled women with lines from the Koran projected over them.
From her self-imposed exile in Washington, Hirsi Ali criticised the new film as “provocation”.
She called on the major Dutch political parties to restart the debate on immigration that has split Dutch society in recent years rather than leaving the field to extremists.
(Posted on March 4, 2008)
Dutch Movie About Islam Threatens Nation
AP, March 2, 2008
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has warned a maverick lawmaker of the risks to Dutch national interests if he presses ahead with a film criticizing the Koran.
{snip}
Wilders said his short film would portray the Koran as a “fascist book.” He does not yet have a broadcaster for it, but says he will release it on the Internet if he fails to find one.
In a statement after Balkenende’s news conference, Wilders accused the Cabinet of “bowing to fear of terror and fear of Islam” and rejected calls to scrap the movie.
{snip}
Last week, the Pakistani government ordered Internet providers to restrict access to YouTube, allegedly to prevent Pakistanis from accessing a clip of Wilders in which he makes derogatory remarks about Islam. The move inadvertently caused a worldwide outage of the video sharing site.
The Dutch development minister called off a visit to Somalia on Friday after he was warned his life would be in danger on the trip.
{snip}
In an earlier last week, Wilders said negative reactions to his film “only served to prove the point” that Islam should be criticized.
Wilders said the film would demonstrate how the Koran incites violence and intolerance of women and homosexuals.
Muslim groups in the Netherlands say they will file hate-speech charges against Wilders for previous statements, such as his description of Islam as a “retarded” religion. The Grand Mufti of Syria has warned of “bloodshed” if the film is released.
The Dutch national antiterrorism coordinator has told Wilders he may have to go into hiding abroad once his film is released. He already lives under constant police protection.
Dutch embassies have warned staff to brace for similar violence if the film is broadcast.
Comments
So the Religion Of Perpetual outrage is…outraged? Who would have guessed. Islam promises bloodshed if the movie is released?
Cower before their threats today, and you will cower in slavery forever. Show some backbone. Free men submit before no one.
Islam is an abomination, a cult of death and tyranny. Contrary to everything the west holds dear…the enemy of freedom, independence, creativity, free will, free speech and freedom of religion.
They threaten death and violence is we don’t suppress free speech? The cure for free speech is more free speech, not a cowardly submission to demands for censorship.
Bring it on, I say. The more outrage, the better. Make Islam expose their intolerance and hatred of freedom for all to see. Release the film worldwide. Book it in every theater possible, free of charge, free popcorn, in glorious wide screen Technicolor.
Posted by Edward at 7:43 PM on March 4
I have a better idea. Let’s lock-up everyone in the Dutch government who wants to ban the film.
Posted by Tim at 8:00 PM on March 4
Lets have the film.
Lets deal with the muslims by brutal force if they riot.
Let them know that we will not be intimidated.
We will throw them all out.
Posted by at 8:08 PM on March 4
One word is all I have to say is this : COWARDS ….
Posted by lydia at 8:33 PM on March 4
Oh! I get it, we shouldn’t criticize criminals who mug people on the streets because that might make them mad and therefore they might mug more people.
Posted by dkidwell at 8:58 PM on March 4
Cowards.
Posted by Diamed at 10:20 PM on March 4
Release the film and let the rioting begin.
And deport every rioter and their complete family.
Any demonstrator or other muslim traitor be deported.
The muslims must be made to be respectful of Christianity and western customs.
They may practise their own customs in the privacy of their own home.
No sharia, no welfare, no mosques, no prayer rooms, no foot baths, nothing muslim or else deportation.
And end all muslim immigration.
This prime minister is a total disgrace. It is incredible that such a spineless pathetic excuse for a man is allowed to lead a country.
Lets have the film, the riots and the consequences.
It is either now or later and later will be worse.
Posted by at 1:40 AM on March 5
COWARDS is the game and I know them by name….while the boot is at the throat of everybody else moslims get what they want, when they want and they get to control the playing field…courtesy of multiculturalsim…… whites themselves want the ban because it may hurt them financially….they would rather have Geert Wilders be silenced the same way they did Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh……..LOL.
Posted by Lisette at 1:43 AM on March 5
“The government was divided on the film, with the Christian Democrats leaning towards a ban but Labour favouring freedom of expression and calling on Muslim countries to prevent violence against the Netherlands.”
— — — — — —
That’s the wrong approach. You don’t just ASK the Moslems to please be nicey nice. They will laugh at you and spit in your face. You TELL them that any damage done, they will be held fully accountable for. And you put them on notice that they will be required to PAY for such damage, in full, and that you will take whatever appropriate steps to exact restitution or take retaliation — INCLUDING EXPULSION OF THE MOSLEMS NOW RESIDING IN THE NETHERLANDS, and confiscation of all their assets. Military action should also not be ruled out. As part of the EU, the Netherlands should have some clout in this respect. You have to let them know that you’re not kidding and that any destruction will be paid for, and will cost them heavily. Moslems understand only strength. You have to deal with them from a position of strength.
There was a time, before 1945, when this would have been done, before Europeans were transformed into wimps. And the Moslems would have gotten the message. There’s no reason why it can’t be done again. The Dutch still have the same genes that their ancestors had.
Posted by browser at 1:50 AM on March 5
If the Dutch government prohibits the film from being shown, their reputation for tolerance gets flushed down the toilet.
Posted by Soprano Fan at 1:52 AM on March 5
“If the [troops] find themselves in the line of fire because of the film, then I am worried about it and I am expressing that concern.”
This has nothing to do with the safety of NATO’s soldiers. I am afraid that doesn’t even pass the laugh test.
And the same goes for the “well-being” of the Danish “people.”
The reaction against this film has EVERYTHING to do with elites maintaining their power.
No matter how absurdly that power manifests itself. In this case it’s multi-cultural neoliberalism.
Posted by David Bolingbroke at 5:05 AM on March 5
Again, as always, truth and safety are sacrificed to the great devil of political correctness.
Posted by at 7:34 AM on March 5
This is just my observation, but it looks like only the Euro Moslems pull this kind of stuff. Here in SE Asia, my country’s substantial Muslim minority seems to get along fine with the locals. Maybe Muslims only hate white people.
Posted by Lost in Paradise at 7:40 AM on March 5
Isn’t it amusing how the response of Muslims to this film affirms the message of the film?
Posted by at 10:37 AM on March 5
Is this Netherlands the same Netherlands that’s so liberal it has coffee shops where cannabis is openly smoked, where prostitution is legalized and where pornography of the strongest, most disturbing kind such as bestiality is openly sold ? the liberal, anything goes country i visited over ten years ago? or do I have it confused with another???
Posted by John, somewhere in Staffordshire at 10:49 AM on March 5
Three steps for making the world a better place:
1) Show the movie everywhere and for free.
2) Give the ensuing rioters a whiff or two (or three) of grapeshot.
3) Make absolutely no apologies to muslim bullies.
This whole thing could be resolved easily if we had an ounce of backbone.
Posted by Joe at 11:54 AM on March 5
This filmaker’s not too bright. Not at all. Here’s a way to avoid death threats, and even negative ‘controversy’. Simply make an anti-christian movie. Add some violence. Sprinkly in some anti-family, and pro-drug and crime references. The more the better. Then sit back and wait for the film awards.
Posted by at 1:54 PM on March 5
The Dutch have long had a reputation for cowardice, reports such as these indicate that that reputation is hardly going to be challenged. As for ‘Dutch national interests’ perhaps they have a tradition for safeguarding these as it was recorded that, in 1939 the Dutch Nazi party had less than 1000 members, less than a week after war was declared it rose, I seem to recall, to over 50,000 members, possibly more.
Posted by A Mayer at 3:29 PM on March 5
I can’t imagine UN troops in Afghanistan could possibly be endangered by a film. I thought they were endangered by heavily-armed, maniacal, hut-dwelling primitives who’ve hated every foreign army to pass through the area in the last 3000 years.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 4:03 PM on March 5
What if they banned the Koran? (It is FILLED with inflammatory anti-non-Muslim attacks.
Posted by at 10:07 PM on March 5
Government never learns. The more you ban something, the more popular it will become. If they ban this film, it will be a huge hit on the internet, guaranteed.
Posted by jewamongyou at 10:54 PM on March 5
“Young Dutch man of Moroccan parentage” - there is and can be no such thing. He was a Dutch citizen, but not Dutch, not a Dutch man. The best way to phrase such things is to imply that that citizenship status is questionable and reversible, thus:
“An Arab (or Berber) with Dutch citizenship”
or even better
“An Arab (or Berber) who, under policies in place at the time, was given Dutch citizenship at birth”
Posted by Irish at 12:17 AM on March 7
The nice kid at the end of the block who likes our collection of dinosaur skulls is Dutch. No Arab can be Dutch, and no Dutch can be an Arab.
Posted by Michael C. Scott at 12:19 PM on March 7
“Young Dutch man of Moroccan parentage” - there is and can be no such thing.”
Irish
……………
I heartily agree with you. But go tell that to the Dutch!
Posted by ghw at 5:46 PM on March 7