*Fitna The Movie will no doubt once more plunge Europe into another heated debate over free speech.
Some will see (the author) Mr. Wilders as an irresponsible and bigoted individual who is knowingly creating a situation that could lead to violence and greater misunderstanding. Others will view him as a brave libertarian pioneer unafraid of standing up to those who would use violence to accomplish their aims.
Fitna In Arabic, its title means "strife" or "conflict" of the type that occurs within families or any other homogenous group.
Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament from the conservative Party for Freedom, has been outspoken in his criticism of Islam and his support of immigration restrictions.
He says Islam and the Koran are a long-term threat to the Netherlands and the world, and that his film is a "last warning."
"It's not a provocation, but the harsh reality and a political conclusion," Wilders told reporters on Thursday.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende rejected the film in a statement Thursday, saying, "The film equates Islam with violence. We reject this interpretation. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence. In fact, the victims are often also Muslims."
The film opens with a controversial caricature of Islam's prophet, Mohammed -- one of those that prompted demonstrations in early 2006 after newspapers published the images -- followed by translated portions of the Quran.
The passages are followed by graphic images of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks against the United States juxtaposed with audio from 911 calls made by the victims trapped inside the World Trade Center in New York.
The video includes disturbing images of other terror attacks; bloodied victims; beheadings of hostages; executions of women in hijab, the traditional full-body attire; and footage, with English subtitles, of Islamic leaders preaching inflammatory sermons against Jews and Christians.
- To the Light - The Truth, The Reality, The Beauty of Islam (Islamic Rebuttal Films)
Name: EuroYank - Virginia Hoge Home: United States About Me: Euro Yank is an internationally famous blogger, an American born in Germany that left for the USA with family at age six and has lived in Luxembourg for the past ten years. He is a committed anti-fascist and a student of history who is politically progressive and believes in the ideals of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights for all Americans. He is also an American war veteran. He was active on American Talk Radio, and has been prominent online with 26 blogs with over 25 million hits. His investigative journalism has exposed top international news stories no one else has reported on. He is also a well-known political commentator. He has been repeatedly censored and banned, but despite these setback continues nonstop. Virginia Olive Hoge is an artist and writer living in Pasadena, California. As a progressive whistle-blower, she conducts investigations into corrupt media and outs the harm it causes to the poor and important social services. She is has been conducting an 11-month investigation of Topix.com, she is the first one in the nation to do so. See my complete profile E-Mail
