HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Fitna (film)
OR:
Fitna (film) on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''Fitna'' ( ar, فِتْنَة) is a 2008 short film by
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
parliamentarian
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the film attempts to demonstrate that the Qur'an motivates its followers to hate all who violate Islamic teachings. The film shows selected excerpts from Suras of the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
, interspersed with media clips and newspaper cuttings showing or describing acts of violence and/or hatred by Muslims. The film argues that Islam encourages – among other things – acts of
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
,
antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
,
violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...
, violence and subjugation of infidels and against homosexuals and Islamic
universalism Universalism is the philosophical and theological concept that some ideas have universal application or applicability. A belief in one fundamental truth is another important tenet in universalism. The living truth is seen as more far-reaching th ...
. A large part of the film details the influence of Islam on the Netherlands. The film was published on the Internet in 2008. Shortly before its release, its announcement was suspended from its website by the American provider because of the perceived controversy. It stirred a still continuing debate in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
as well as abroad. The Arabic title-word " fitna" means "disagreement and division among people" or "a test of faith in times of trial".


Production

The Friends of the Party for Freedom (PVV) foundation commissioned the film. It contracted a
production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...
credited in the film as "Scarlet Pimpernel Productions", a
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
adopted out of fear of reprisal. In fact large parts of the documentary '' Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West'' written by Wayne Kopping and Raphael Shore were copied. Both films have been described as part of the
counter-jihad Counter-jihad, also spelled counterjihad and known as the counter-jihad movement, is a self-titled political current loosely consisting of authors, bloggers, think tanks, street movements and campaign organisations all linked by apocalyptic bel ...
movement.


Release

The exact nature of ''Fitna''s release was 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 The Nieuwspoort (English: News gate) is a society catering to Dutch politicians, lobbyists and journalists so they can informally meet. It's also a place where press conferences from politicians (most notably the Prime Minister of the Netherlands' ...
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. Having failed to successfully negotiate a transmission of the film with any Dutch
television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...
, Wilders created a website, ''www.fitnathemovie.com'', on 5 March 2008 with the intention of releasing the film. However, this was subsequently suspended (see below). On 22 March, the Dutch Muslim Broadcasting Association (NMO) nl.html" ;"title=":nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep.html" ;"title="/nowiki> nl">:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep.html"_;"title="/nowiki>:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep">nl/nowiki>_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._Wilders_declined,_quoted_as_saying_"No_way,_NMO." Wilders_released_the_film_on_27_March_2008_on_the_video_website_LiveLeak._The_following_day,_LiveLeak_removed_the_film_from_their_servers_after_receiving_threats_that_they_described_as_being_"of_a_very_serious_nature"._The_film_soon_appeared_on_various_
nl">:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep.html"_;"title="/nowiki>:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep">nl/nowiki>_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._Wilders_declined,_quoted_as_saying_"No_way,_NMO." Wilders_released_the_film_on_27_March_2008_on_the_video_website_LiveLeak._The_following_day,_LiveLeak_removed_the_film_from_their_servers_after_receiving_threats_that_they_described_as_being_"of_a_very_serious_nature"._The_film_soon_appeared_on_various_BitTorrent_(protocol)">BitTorrent_and_ nl">:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep.html"_;"title="/nowiki>:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep">nl/nowiki>_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._Wilders_declined,_quoted_as_saying_"No_way,_NMO." Wilders_released_the_film_on_27_March_2008_on_the_video_website_LiveLeak._The_following_day,_LiveLeak_removed_the_film_from_their_servers_after_receiving_threats_that_they_described_as_being_"of_a_very_serious_nature"._The_film_soon_appeared_on_various_BitTorrent_(protocol)">BitTorrent_and_Video_hosting_service">video_sharing_ An_online_video_platform_(OVP),_provided_by_a_video_hosting_service,_enables_users_to_upload,_convert,_store_and_play_back_video_content_on_the_Internet,_often_via_a_structured,_large-scale_system_that_may_generate_revenue._Users_will_generally_u_...
_websites. LiveLeak_reinstated_''Fitna''_on_30_March,_after_security_upgrades_offering_increased_protection_to_its_staff_had_been_implemented._Soon_after,_Wilders_withdrew_the_film_to_make_some_minor_edits,_such_as_removing_the_copyrighted_Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy.html" ;"title="Video_hosting_service.html" "title="BitTorrent_(protocol).html" ;"title=":nl:Nederlandse Moslim Omroep">nl">:nl:Nederlandse_Moslim_Omroep.html" ;"title="/nowiki>:nl:Nederlandse Moslim Omroep">nl/nowiki> 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. Wilders declined, quoted as saying "No way, NMO." Wilders released the film on 27 March 2008 on the video website LiveLeak. The following day, LiveLeak removed the film from their servers after receiving threats that they described as being "of a very serious nature". The film soon appeared on various BitTorrent (protocol)">BitTorrent and Video hosting service">video sharing An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...
websites. LiveLeak reinstated ''Fitna'' on 30 March, after security upgrades offering increased protection to its staff had been implemented. Soon after, Wilders withdrew the film to make some minor edits, such as removing the copyrighted Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy">''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons. Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist, was pleased with the news and believed the lawsuit would be dropped. In September 2008, Wilders agreed to pay Westergaard 7500 euros for using his ''Jyllands-Posten'' cartoon without permission. A revised edition, containing a new cartoon in place of the contentious one, and a corrected picture of Bouyeri, was released on LiveLeak on 6 April.


Distribution

On 14 December 2008, a conference entitled "Facing Jihad" was organized at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Geert Wilders,
Aryeh Eldad Aryeh Eldad, M.D. ( he, אריה אלדד, born 1 May 1950) is an Israeli physician, politician and former medical officer. Eldad is a professor of medicine, and was head of the plastic surgery and burns unit at the Hadassah Medical Center. He w ...
, Robert Spencer, Itamar Marcus,
Daniel Pipes Daniel Pipes (born September 9, 1949) is an American historian, writer, and commentator. He is the president of the Middle East Forum, and publisher of its ''Middle East Quarterly'' journal. His writing focuses on American foreign policy and the ...
, Shlomo Sharan, and John David Lewis were in attendance. During the conference, ''Fitna'' was put on view and distributed to all conference attendees; it was announced that it would be shown in several European parliaments. The
Ruder Finn Ruder Finn is a public relations firm with headquarters in the United States and China. It is a large privately owned communications agency, serving corporations, governments, and non-profits. It also has offices in San Francisco, London, Washin ...
PR company organized the conference and set up the group's website, and are also actively distributing the film. Finn distributed the film for free.


Plot

The film 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.


Themes

Wilders described the film as a push for a '' Leidcultuur'', a
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
that "draws on Christian, Jewish, humanistic traditions and that poses a challenge to the Islamic problem".


The Qur'an and terrorism

The film starts with a caricature of the
Prophet Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
with a bomb on his head, shown next to a
timer A timer is a specialized type of clock used for measuring specific time intervals. Timers can be categorized into two main types. The word "timer" is usually reserved for devices that counts down from a specified time interval, while devices th ...
counting down from 15 minutes. Suras are juxtaposed to video clips of Imams stating Islamic teaching, and videos of violent atrocities committed in the name of Islam, including major
terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
s. The first Sura of the film, Al-Anfal verse 60, is translated as:
Footage In filmmaking and video production, footage is raw, unedited material as originally filmed by a movie camera or recorded by a ( often special) video camera, which typically must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or ...
of the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
is shown, followed by the Madrid train bombings. Imam
Abu Hamza al-Masri Mustafa Kamel Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى كامل مصطفى; born 15 April 1958), also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri (; , – literally, father of Hamza, the Egyptian), or simply Abu Hamza, is an Egyptian cleric who was the imam of Finsbury Park ...
rises above the smoke and declares "Allah is happy when non-muslims get killed." Stills taken from the
7 July 2005 London bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
show an exploded bus and the underground train. The next Sura,
An-Nisa An-Nisa' ( ar, ٱلنِّسَاء, ; The Women) is the fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses ( āyāt). The title derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including verse 34 and verses 127-130.Hale ...
verse 56, is shown as a justification for Islamic antisemitism. Sheikh Bakr Al-Samarai is shown raising a sword while declaring: "If Allah permits us, O nation of Mohammed, even the stone will say O Muslim. A Jew is hiding behind me, come and cut off his head. And we shall cut off his head! By Allah, we shall cut it off! O Jews! Allahu Akbar! Jihad for the sake of Allah!" An auditorium of several hundred people respond with approving chants and fist shaking. Following this, a three-year-old Muslim girl, says that Jews are "apes and pigs" in an interview on Iqraa TV. Sura 47, verse 4 is shown in relation to the murder of Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh, committed by
Mohammed Bouyeri Mohammed Bouyeri ( ar, محمد بويري ; born 8 March 1978) is a Moroccan-Dutch convicted terrorist serving a life sentence without parole in the prison of Nieuw Vosseveld (Vught) for the assassination of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. A ...
. Bouyeri is reported as saying: "If I had the opportunity to get out of prison, and I had the opportunity to do it again, what I did on November 2nd, Allah I would have done exactly the same". Protesters are shown supporting Van Gogh's murder, warning others to heed the lesson or "pay with your blood". Dutch newspaper headlines are reproduced, outlining
intimidating Intimidation is to "make timid or make fearful"; or to induce fear. This includes intentional behaviors of forcing another person to experience general discomfort such as humiliation, embarrassment, inferiority, limited freedom, etc and the victi ...
threats of murder to prominent
critics of Islam A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governm ...
, followed by footage of
Eugene Armstrong Members of the Iraqi insurgency began taking foreign hostages in Iraq beginning in April 2004. Since then, in a dramatic instance of Islamist kidnapping they have taken captive more than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis; among them, dozens o ...
's beheading. Armstrong's disembodied head is shown held up by Al-Qaeda terrorists.


The Qur'an as a means for Islamic universalism

The final Sura used in the film is Quran 8:39: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
is quoted as saying: Ibrahim Mudeiris is seen speaking to a congregation. He says: "We have ruled the world before, and by Allah, the day will come when we will rule the entire world again! The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we rule Britain and the entire world!" Abdul Rahman Saleem speaks in English: "You will take over the USA! You will take over the UK! You will take over Europe! You will defeat them all! You will get victory! You will take over Egypt! We trust in Allah!" Demonstrators outside the Danish embassy to Britain are shown holding signs that read: "Islam will dominate the world" and "Freedom go to hell".


Islam and the Netherlands

The final segment of the film deals with issues related to Islam in the Netherlands, under the heading: "The Netherlands under the spell of Islam". These issues include opposition to democracy, Islamic views on homosexuality and women's treatment in Islam. An unidentified person claims that "The
mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
will be part of the system of the government of
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
", in an apparent refusal to accept
liberal democracy Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into ...
. Wilders juxtaposes a newspaper headline "Cabinet: no ban on
burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
" against a Muslim woman fully covered up. A graph illustrating the number of Muslims in the Netherlands since 1909 is shown against a background of Muslim women. Dutch police are shown removing their shoes before entering a mosque. A Dutch Muslim expresses his desire to enact an
honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...
, if his mother or sister commits ''
zina ''Zināʾ'' () or ''zinā'' ( or ) is an Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse. According to traditional jurisprudence, ''zina'' can include adultery, fornication, prostitution, rape, sodomy, incest, and bestiality. ' ...
'', the Islamic concept of
extramarital sex Extramarital sex occurs when a married person engages in sexual activity with someone other than their spouse. The term may be applied to the situation of a single person having sex with a married person. Where extramarital sexual relations do n ...
. Another condemns homosexuality, saying "Islam considers something like that a crime". A postcard is shown, ostensibly from the Netherlands, with pictures of mosques in place of visitor attractions, with the words "''Groeten uit Nederland''" ("Greetings from the Netherlands") superimposed. Audio recordings that are said to have been taken from mosques in the Netherlands show Imams denouncing political parties, "worldly concepts like liberalism nddemocracy". Another states that female adulterers must be " stoned" to death, even when the man commits the adultery. A graphic image of gays being hanged, under Sharia law is a depiction of a possible future dystopian Netherlands. A series of
clips CLIPS is a public domain software tool for building expert systems. The name is an acronym for "C Language Integrated Production System." The syntax and name were inspired by Charles Forgy's OPS5. The first versions of CLIPS were developed st ...
show female genital cutting, a woman's disembodied head lying on a floor, and a burqa-clad woman being shot through the head by a man. Finally, a succession of newspaper headlines are shown, containing stories related to Islam in the Netherlands, their views, actions, ambitions and politics. Some verified headlines are: *"Sudanese demand execution of British 'miss teddy bear (see Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case) *"Almost half of young Moroccans anti-Western" *"Throw gays from tall buildings" *"Al-Qaeda proclaims death penalty Jihad against Wilders" The film ends with a hand seen gripping a page of the Qur'an and a call to action from Wilders to defeat "Islamic ideology", likening it to
Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...
and
Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
.


Quranic chapters

The following Suras are mentioned in ''Fitna'' in order of appearance. The
translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
is from Pickthall's ''The Meaning of the Glorious Koran''. Only the passages marked as bold are included in the quotations in the film, while the related passages are omitted. Al-Anfal (''The Spoils of War'') Q8:60–61 Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged. And if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it, and trust in Allah. Lo! He, even He, is the Hearer, the Knower.
An-Nisa An-Nisa' ( ar, ٱلنِّسَاء, ; The Women) is the fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses ( āyāt). The title derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including verse 34 and verses 127-130.Hale ...
(''The Women'') Q4:56–57 Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise. And as for those who believe and do good works, We shall make them enter Gardens underneath which rivers flow - to dwell therein for ever; there for them are pure companions—and We shall make them enter plenteous shade.
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
(''Muhammad'') Q47:4 Now when ye meet in battle those who disbelieve, then it is smiting of the necks until, when ye have routed them, then making fast of bonds; and afterward either grace or ransom till the war lay down its burdens. That (is the ordinance). And if Allah willed He could have punished them (without you) but (thus it is ordained) that He may try some of you by means of others. And those who are slain in the way of Allah, He rendereth not their actions vain.
An-Nisa An-Nisa' ( ar, ٱلنِّسَاء, ; The Women) is the fourth chapter (sūrah) of the Quran, with 176 verses ( āyāt). The title derives from the numerous references to women throughout the chapter, including verse 34 and verses 127-130.Hale ...
(''The Women'') Q4:89–90 They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them, Except those who seek refuge with a people between whom and you there is a covenant, or (those who) come unto you because their hearts forbid them to make war on you or make war on their own folk. Had Allah willed He could have given them power over you so that assuredly they would have fought you. So, if they hold aloof from you and wage not war against you and offer you peace, Allah alloweth you no way against them. Al-Anfal (''The Spoils of War'') Q8:38–39 Tell those who disbelieve that if they cease (from persecution of believers) that which is past will be forgiven them; but if they return (thereto) then the example of the men of old hath already gone (before them, for a warning). And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then lo! Allah is Seer of what they do


Differences between first and second release

The first edition used copyrighted Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons without permission. These were removed from the second edition. Also in the first edition of the film, and removed from the second edition, when referring to the murder of Theo van Gogh a picture of the Dutch
rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Salah Edin is displayed instead of the murderer
Mohammed Bouyeri Mohammed Bouyeri ( ar, محمد بويري ; born 8 March 1978) is a Moroccan-Dutch convicted terrorist serving a life sentence without parole in the prison of Nieuw Vosseveld (Vught) for the assassination of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. A ...
. The picture was shot for the rapper's album 'Nederlands Grootste Nachtmerrie' (Netherlands' Worst Nightmare), which according to the singer's website, was shot to be 'exactly like the mugshot of convicted killer Mohamed B'. A 2007 article by Dutch tabloid newspaper DAG had illustrated an article about the killer with the photograph. On that occasion, Salah Edin's received an out-of-court libel settlement for the publication."News"
 - page on Salah Edin's website. The photo was said by the rapper to be intended to depict "the way the average white Dutch citizen sees me, as a young Moroccan Muslim radical. That's why I chose to do this picture and use it for the front cover of my album. It is in no way supporting the deeds of Mohamed B."


Reaction

International reaction to ''Fitna'' consisted of condemnation in the
Muslim community ' (; ar, أمة ) is an Arabic word meaning "community". It is distinguished from ' ( ), which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history. It is a synonym for ' ...
,
fatwā A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist ...
s by Al-Qaeda and an Australian imam calling for the beheading of Geert Wilders, and attempts by
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
n countries to censor the film. The Dutch government allegedly "distanced itself from the film". Several Muslim
organizations An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...
and political parties have organized boycotts against Dutch products.
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, the most populous Muslim country and itself a Dutch colony until 1949, has conducted a ban on several web sites, such as
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, MySpace,
Rapidshare RapidShare was an online file hosting service that opened in 2002. In 2009, it was among the Internet's 20 most visited websites and claimed to have 10 petabytes of files uploaded by users with the ability to handle up to three million users si ...
and
Metacafe Metacafe was an Israeli video-sharing website, launched in July 2003. During the mid-2000s, it was one of the largest video-sharing websites, though eventually began to be superseded by YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion. In August 2021, the platform' ...
, as directed by the Ministry of Communications and Informations. On April 11, the Indonesian government lifted the ban. Indonesian communications minister Muhammad Nuh apologised to the public for the inconvenience. Geert Wilders' film failed to generate much "controversy" in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
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". In response to the film, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen published an op-ed in the Arabic-language newspaper ''
Asharq al Awsat ''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'' on March 30. In the article, he asks of the readers to "keep the head cool and the relations warm" and urged dialogue, not provocation, as a means to bridge the cultural differences. On 1 April, a debate was held about the film 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.


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 A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
and is considering taking legal action against Wilders. The Danish Union of Journalists has said it will file a lawsuit on Westergaard's behalf. Similarly Dutch director Rob Muntz announced to file a lawsuit because of the uncredited use of his interview with Theo van Gogh. In 2010 and 2011 Wilders was accused of criminally insulting religious and ethnic groups and inciting hatred and discrimination. However, he was found not guilty in June 2011. On 12 February 2009, Wilders was denied entry to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
after being invited by the Lord Pearson of the
United Kingdom Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member ...
to show his film in the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
. He declared this "a sad day for the United Kingdom" and accused the government of cowardice. Wilders appealed the ban, and on 13 October 2009, it was overturned by the
Asylum and Immigration Tribunal The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) was a tribunal constituted in the United Kingdom with jurisdiction to hear appeals from many immigration and asylum decisions. It was created on 4 April 2005, replacing the former Immigration Appellate A ...
. The UK Home Office then stated its intention not to appeal the tribunal decision, and Wilders' planned visit to the UK went ahead, with his arriving in the country on 16 October 2009. Wilders described the decision to overturn the ban as a "victory for freedom of speech".


Films made in response

On 28 March, a film was released by the
Arab European League The Arab European League (Dutch: ''Arabisch-Europese Liga'', AEL) is a Pan-Arabist political organisation active in Belgium and the Netherlands.
, named '' Al Mouftinoun''. The film Ashkar was declared the winner on 3 May 2008. A Saudi
blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
ger made a contra-film in April called ''Schism''. It was also released on LiveLeak.


Sequel

Wilders has stated that he plans to release a sequel to ''Fitna''. In March 2010, Wilders announced that he plans to release a second movie about the spread of Islam, but not until after Dutch elections in June. He said the sequel to his 2008 film would focus on the consequences of mass migration from Muslim countries, freedom of expression, and ''Sharia'' or Muslim law. He indicated that he received help from professionals in the US to make his film. In 2017, Wilders announced on
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that he was making a sequel.


See also

*
Criticism of Islam Criticism of Islam is broadly defined as criticism of the Islamic religion in its beliefs, principles, and/or any other ideas attributed to Islam. Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. Early written disapprovals came fr ...
* Freedom of speech *''
Submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
'' – 2004 Dutch short film critical of Islam


References


External links


Watch Fitna
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitna Geert Wilders 2008 documentary films 2008 controversies 2008 films Documentary films critical of Islam Dutch documentary films Films about terrorism Documentary films about jihadism Islam in the Netherlands Islam-related controversies in Europe Anti-Islam works Compilation films 2008 in Islam Counter-jihad