Fitna (Film)
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Fitna is a 2008 short film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the film shows a selection of Suras from the Qur’an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper clippings showing or describing acts of violence and/or hatred by Muslims. The movie wishes to demonstrate that the Qur’an, and the Islamic culture in general, motivates its followers to hate all who violate the Islamic teachings. Consequently, the film argues, Islam encourages, among others, acts of terrorism, antisemitism, violence against women, and Islamic universalism. A large part of the movie deals with the influence of Islam on the Netherlands.
The film’s title, “fitna“, is an Arabic term used to describe “disagreement and division among people” or a “test of faith in times of trial”.[1] Wilders, a prominent critic of Islam, described the movie as “a call to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamization“.[2]
On March 27 2008, Fitna was released to the Internet on the video sharing website Liveleak in Dutch and English versions. The following day, Liveleak removed the film from their servers, citing serious threats to their staff. On March 30, Fitna was restored on Liveleak following a security upgrade, only to be removed again shortly afterwards by Wilders himself because of copyright violations. A second edition was released later.
[edit] Release
The exact nature of Fitna’s release had been uncertain up until its official launch. This was due to concerns of the legality of its content and anticipated acts of terrorism. The Dutch press centre Nieuwspoort offered to release the film, on the condition that Wilders would pay for the increased security required during the press conference and the weeks after it. Wilders declined to do so, citing prohibitive costs.[4][5]
Having failed to successfully negotiate a transmission of the film with any Dutch television station,[6][7][8] Wilders created a website, www.fitnathemovie.com, on March 5, 2008 with the intention of releasing the film.[9][10][11] However, this was subsequently suspended (see below).
On March 22, the Dutch Muslim Broadcasting Association (NMO) offered to air the film, on the proviso that it could be previewed for any possible illegal material and that Wilders would take part in a debate with proponents and opponents afterwards.[12][13] Wilders declined, quoted as saying “No way, NMO.”[14]
Wilders released the film on March 27, 2008 on the video website Liveleak.[15] The following day, Liveleak removed the film from their servers after receiving threats which they described as being “of a very serious nature”.[16][17][18] The film soon appeared on various BitTorrent and video sharing websites.[19]
Liveleak reinstated Fitna on March 30, after security upgrades offering increased protection to its staff had been implemented.[20] Soon after, Wilders withdrew the film[21] to make some minor edits, such as removing the copyrighted Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons[22] and the photograph of Salah Edin, a rapper wrongly identified as Mohammed Bouyeri, in response to lawsuits.[23] Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist, was pleased with the news and believed the lawsuit would be dropped.[22]
A revised edition, containing a new cartoon in place of the contentious one, and a corrected picture of Bouyeri, was released on Liveleak on April 6.[24]
The movie shows a selection of Suras from the Qur’an, interspersed with newspaper clippings and media clips with The Arabian Dance and Åses død as an underscore.[25][26][27]
[edit] Themes
Wilders said the 15-minute film show how verses from the Qur’an are being used today to incite modern Muslims to behave violently and anti-democratically based on those verses.[28][29][30] He later described the film as “a call to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamization,”[2] and a push for a Leitkultur, a culture that “draws on Christian, Jewish, humanistic traditions and that poses a challenge to the Islamic problem.”[31]
An-Nisa 56, translated here as: “Those who have disbelieved our signs, we shall roast them in fire. Whenever their skins are cooked to a turn, we shall substitute new skins for them, that they may feel the punishment; Verily Allah is sublime and wise.”
The following Suras are mentioned in Fitna in order of appearance:[71]
[edit] Reaction
Main article: International reaction to Fitna
International reaction to Fitna consisted of condemnation in the Muslim community, a Fatwā by Al-Qaeda against Geert Wilders, and attempts by Southeast Asian countries to censor the film.[69][78][79] The Dutch government immediately distanced itself from the film.[80] Several Muslim organizations and political parties have organized boycotts against Dutch products.[citation needed]
Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, has conducted a ban on several web sites, such as YouTube, MySpace, Rapidshare and Metacafe, as directed by the Ministry of Communications and Informations.[81] On April 11, the Indonesian government lifted the ban. Indonesian communications minister Muhammad Nuh apologised to the public for the inconvenience.[82][83]
Geert Wilders’ film failed to generate much controversy in Iran although the government did express its outrage on the day of its release and conservative websites complained about it for a while. By and large, Fitna elicited indifference among the general public. There was an anti-Fitna demonstration, but just 30 people turned up and they were carrying signs that had nothing to do with the film.[84]
In response to the movie on Sunday March, 30 an op-ed by the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen, was printed in the Arabic Newspaper Asharq al Awsat. In the article, he asks of the readers to “keep the head cool and the relations warm”. He urges the need of dialogue, instead of provocation, as a means to bridge the differences between cultures.[85]
On April 1, a debate was held about the movie in the Dutch parliament. In this debate, the government and Geert Wilders accused each other of lying about facts of their previous communication. According to various members of the government, Wilders had told in previous conversations about his intentions to tear parts out of the Qur’an and setting them on fire. Wilders denied this.[86]
In November 2008, a pamphlet that was distributed to children aged 10-12 years compared Fitna to Mein Kampf, stating that “Geert Wilders’ film Fitna and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf are based upon one-sided points-of-view. Fortunately there are also other books and plays that -on the contrary- show respect for people with other ideas or faiths or that look different.”[87]
[edit] Legal actions
One of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons was included in the film without the permission of the artist, Kurt Westergaard. Westergaard has asserted that this infringes his copyright and is considering taking legal action against Wilders.[88]
Various Dutch people filed an official complaint against the movie, after it was released. The Dutch Ministry of Justice is determining whether any statutes will be broken by the publishing of the film. According to some experts, prosecution is without merit, because Wilders has been aware in advance of legal possibilities and impossibilities.[89]
Jordan is preparing a criminal case against Wilders, noting that it might be considerable time before an indictment is issued.[90] Meanwhile, the groups making the complaint (The Messenger of Allah Unites Us)[91] have urged the boycotting of Dutch products, and blame The Hague for not indicting Wilders themselves for inciting hatred of Islam. Less than a month later, the chief prosecutors in Amsterdam issued statements to the effect that Wilders will not be indicted on incitement to hatred charges within the Netherlands. Chief prosecutor Leo De Wit further noted that the content was “offensive to Muslims, but that they had to be taken in the context of the political debate around Islam in the Netherlands”. De Wit concluded, “we find Wilders’ remarks were limited to Islam as a religious movement”.[92] Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen has ordered an analysis of the risks faced by the MP, noting the possibility that Wilders, while abroad, could be arrested and deported to Jordan at the latter’s request.
In January 2009 the Amsterdam appeals court ordered prosecutors to try him for making anti-Islamic statements. “In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to… draw a clear line,” the court in Amsterdam said. Mr Wilders said the judgement was an “attack on the freedom of expression”. Prosecutors said that they could not appeal against the judgement and would open an investigation immediately.[93]
[edit] Movies made in response
On March 28 a movie was released by the Arab European League, named Al Mouftinoun.[94] There was also a call to submit a response movie to a special Geert Wilders Film festival.[95] The movie Ashkar[96] was declared the winner on May 3rd 2008.[97] A Saudi blogger made a contra-movie in April, named Schism.[98]
Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitna_(film)
