International reaction to Fitna
Encyclopedia
The International reaction to Fitna
consisted of condemnation within the international community
, several fatawā
against Geert Wilders
, and attempts by many Islamic
countries to censor
the film. The Dutch
government immediately distanced itself from the film. Several Muslim
organizations
and political parties
have organized boycott
s against Dutch
products.
that were published in the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten
in 2005. The Dutch counter-terrorism agency raised its terror risk level from "limited" to "substantial", fearing civil unrest
and economic sanctions
.
Previous violence included the burning of the Danish embassy in Syria
and other acts of violence around the world, including the murder of a Catholic
nun
.
plans available to all its consulates and embassies worldwide, in case an emergency
should arise in light of the forthcoming film, and it tightened security
measurements around certain military
installations abroad.
The Prime minister
of the Netherlands
, Jan Peter Balkenende
, worried about possible repercussions for Dutch citizens and economic interests. In response Wilders accused Balkenende of capitulating
to Islam.
Wilders had been warned by Dutch National Counterterrorism Co-ordinator Tjibbe Joustra that his film may "lead to reactions that endanger public order, security and the economy".
In one opinion poll
, 54% of Dutch people still believed that the film should be released, despite any possible negative effects.
The publication of the film was investigated by the Dutch Ministry of Justice
to find out whether the release of the film could be prevented, but this could not be done.
On March 6, 2008, the Dutch government raised its national terroristic threat level from the status 'limited terroristic threat' to 'substantial terroristic threat' because it fears Muslim terrorists will launch attacks against European targets, citing the film as justification.
Public protests have occurred on Dam Square
, in Amsterdam
, on March 22, 2008.
In response to concerns, Dutch broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide created a multi-language website to detail the film, the surrounding controversy, its creator, and the nation of its origin. The Dutch newspaper De Pers
printed a reconstruction of how the concerns came about and who was responsible for them.
Television producer Harry de Winter had a large advertisement placed on the front page of de Volkskrant
stating that if Wilders had said the things he has said about Muslims, about Jews, he would have been prosecuted for antisemitism. The advertisement was endorsed by the Jewish organisations Stichting de Initiavieven and Een Ander Joods Geluid
.
blocked access to YouTube
and a couple of other websites such as MySpace and Multiply. Minister of Menkon Info Muhammad Nuh has passed a bill that forces 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube on Monday. Kompas
has confirmed that the reason for the block is YouTube's
refusal to remove Fitna from their servers. The block has now been removed, and the foreign relation minster has apologised to the people for any inconvenience.
The EU
alerted its diplomatic mission
s around the world to expect a reaction to the release of the film.
NATO said it feared that the consequences of Fitna would affect the safety of troops in Afghanistan
. Indeed, Zabihullah Mujahid stressed that the Taliban would probably increase their attacks on Dutch military and humanitarian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, if the film were released.
President Nicolas Sarkozy
officially declared that France
would provide the necessary support to the Netherlands in suppressing any Muslim violence that would result from Fitnas release.
Iran
has threatened to review its diplomatic
stance with The Netherlands, should the film be aired. Public protests occurred in Kabul
, Afghanistan
. Egypt
is closely monitoring the situation.
In February 2008, Pakistan
internally banned YouTube
for several days due to a video clip one report claimed to be a trailer for Fitna. Google
eventually complied with the Pakistani protest and the material was removed. As a result of the block, Pakistan
accidentally caused YouTube to be unavailable worldwide for two hours.
The Grand Mufti
, Ahmad Badr al-Din, said that if Geert Wilders
pictures the image of a burning Qur'an in his film, the Dutch people will be held responsible and possible attacks against Western
public interests are not out of the question.
Wilders is the subject of a fatwa
, associated with Al-Qaeda
, calling upon Muslim
s to assassinate him in the name of Islam
.
, replaced the page with a message stating that the company “is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy
.” and that “Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation.”
On March 24, Network Solutions issued a press release
saying the company asked Wilders for a copy of the film to review to gauge compliance with the Acceptable Use Policy, and it was only after they received no response from Wilders that they suspended the website. Wilders responded saying he has other options available and his film will be made public before April 1. The shutdown was followed by extensive criticism of Network Solutions' alleged hypocrisy
in hosting the domain of Hezbollah, an entity that the United States and the Netherlands (along with four other countries) designate as a terrorist organization. On March 26, Network Solutions shut down the hizbollah.org domain as well.
reaction following the release, Jan Peter Balkenende
, Prime Minister of the Netherlands came with a reaction on behalf of the Dutch government.
Amongst other things, it stated:
Dutch parliamentarians of the largest political parties, Pieter van Geel
(CDA
), Mariëtte Hamer (PvdA
) and Mark Rutte
(VVD
) stated that it is sad that the film does not present any solutions to current problems in the Dutch society - integration of Muslim immigrants and Muslim extremism - and invited Mr. Wilders to discuss possible solutions in the parliament. In a later parliamentary debate to discuss Balkenende's televised reaction, they expressed further opinions, calling the film 'cunningly made with evil intentions' (CDA), 'a message of fear beyond compare' (PvDA) and 'paranoid' (SP). Wilders was described as a 'political pyromaniac' (VVD) and a 'fearful man' (D66
).
According to Der Spiegel
, a speaker for the Muslim organization Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO), Yusuf Altuntas, said that Wilders "is obviously looking to push the limits, but he resists crossing them." For instance, in the film a ripping sound overlaid with imagery of the Qur'an is said to be the ripping of a page from the phone book, and thunder sounds are replacing what might otherwise be perceived as bomb explosion sounds. The Arabic expert Leo Kwarten on the other hand is quoted to have said that "these subtleties may however be lost in the Arabic world."
The Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Committee) released a statement on March 28, 2008, condemning the film for reinforcing prejudice
s by implying that all Muslims are terrorists. The Committee said that the portrayal of Muslims in this manner is counterproductive, and that the Dutch Jewish community, along with the Dutch Muslim community and all of Dutch society, has a duty to combat all religious-based terrorrism, and to protect everyone against those who wish to overthrow democracy or promote religious hatred.
Politician and former Muslim Ehsan Jami had intended to release an animated cartoon
entitled The Life of Mohammed on April 20, 2008. The film, critical of Islam and the prophet Muhammad, was to depict Muhammad as a "sexual pervert" for his marriage and consummation
of Aisha
, allegedly nine years old at the time. In one clip, Muhammad is shown with an erection
, taking the girl to a mosque adorned with a Nazi swastika, in preparation of her deflowering. Following calls from the Minister of Justice
, Ernst Hirsch Ballin
, to not increase tension in society, Jami decided against its release. He spoke of his fears that the Dutch police would be unable to adequately protect his safety, and of the possibility of a Fatwa
calling for his death being issued by Iran.
The Dutch Islamic Federation petition
ed a judge for a judgement on Geert Wilders on allegations of hate speech law
violations. Wilders was found not guilty of spreading hate.
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."
, the Minister for Religious Affairs said that Fitna is "a recurrent expression of the fascism which is abhorred by all cultures", and the country's imams have been ordered to denounce the film.
In Egypt
, Foreign minister referred to Wilders' film as "a humiliation" to Islam, calling it "nothing less than repugnant," and stating that "Egypt rejects any offence or denigration of Islam and its prophet."
President Omar al-Bashir
of the Sudan
called on Muslims to "challenge those who insult" the prophet Muhammed, and asked for "a binding international charter" for the respect of religious beliefs. al-Bashir continued: ""The offenses against our Arab and Islamic nations under the banner of freedom of expression are derogatory and defamatory and go against all human values."
of Kyrgyzstan
denounced the film, saying that it defames Islam and the Qur'an. He urged Kyrgyzstan's Muslim population to counter the hostility of the film's release.
In an editorial
for the independent English-language Bangladeshi newspaper The Weekly Blitz, under the editorship of Salah Choudhury
, there were many opinion
s expressed in condemnation of the Muslim world's response: "The Muslim world that is vocal and vociferous in its demands for censorship in the West is going through a reenergized paroxysm of anger and hate," the newspaper said, and asked "is it realistic to mandate that 100% of the world’s population must be pro-Koran and pro-Muslim?" The editorial stated that Fitna's relative artistic or philosophical worth is irrelevant, and that its release is an issue of individual rights
, freedom of speech
, critical thinking
, and the West's cultural
inheratance of 3,000 years of civilization
. The editorial continued to question Muslim countries' censorship
and restriction of free speech, satirically
saying that "we should ask them firmly yet politely exactly how they so effectively censor the existing hate speech, the rampant anti-Semitic and anti-West propaganda that fill their media, Mosques, schools and universities on an hourly basis, every day, almost without exclusion." The newspaper satirically noted the hypocrisy
of how Islam interacts with other religions
, saying that Islam has "such unrivaled respect and such unprejudiced consideration for Christianity, Judaism and the rest of the world’s religious cultures and beliefs." It notes that anti-government, pro-democratic, and "moderate or revolutionary speech and actions within their societies" are censored, and that multiculturalism
, freedom of religion
, and "unqualified personal expression" is prohibited.
Pakistan called for a discussion of the film at the next Organisation of the Islamic Conference
(OIC) summit
. According to the APP
, the country's official news agency, the Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
condemned Fitna as being anti-Islamic. He said that the film was part of a series of incitingly discriminatory actions against Islam, made by the Western media. Quereshi said that the Pakistani government, and its people, are highly sensitive towards such actions made in the name of freedom of expression. Outside the Karachi Press Club
, an effigy
of Wilders, and the Dutch flag, was burned in a protest
.
In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council
(UNHRC) on April 1, the ambassador and permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations
, Masood Khan
, said that the film is a 'blatant provocation', had 'distorted the message of the Holy Qur'an', is xenophobic
and religiously intolerant
. He called for the UNHRC to do more than condemn or adopt resolutions
. As such, a Pakistani-sponsored United Nations resolution calling for the monitoring of "abuse of the right of freedom of expression" was successfully passed. The measure was accepted after achieving the required number of votes from Islamic countries, while European countries and Canada abstained
. On behalf of the OIC, Khan said that the resolution will require people to exercise their freedom of expression responsibly. This drew criticism from Reporters Without Borders
, whose press statement read:
The secretary-general of the OIC, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu
, spoke of helping a co-ordinated strategy
made by the Ummah
, the diaspora of Muslims living in non-Muslim countries, to combat a campaign of defamaing Islam in the West. İhsanoğlu had previously condemned the film as "causing insult to the sentiments of more than 1.3 billion Muslims in the world," and that it was "a deliberate act of discrimination against Muslims" that would "threaten the security and stability of the world."
On April 6, 2008, five thousand members of the Jamaat-e-Islami
political party held a demonstration in Karachi
, in protest of both Wilders' film and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons. The leader of the political party stated that "such shameful acts can never be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression or press," and asserted that anyone who committed a crime of provoking Muslims should be declared "terrorists".
On May 3, 2008, around 5000 Muslims gathered in Karachi
, Pakistan
in an aggressive protest of Wilder's film, chanting "Death to the blasphemer" and burned an effigy of Wilders. In Afghanistan
, the Islamic extremist Taliban murdered two Dutch soldiers in retaliation for the film.
of Indonesia has banned
Wilders from entering the country, and has prohibited the film from being broadcast. About 50 members of a hardline Muslim group demonstrated at the Dutch embassy in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta
, throwing eggs and water bottles to the embassy compound, before being dispersed by riot police
with water cannon
s. Protesters held signs saying "Death Sentence for Humiliating Islam", amid images of guns aimed at his head. and "Kill Geert Wilders" Indonesia has blocked access to Youtube, after its demand that copies of the film be removed from Youtube servers was not implemented. The ban was lifted on April 11, following protests and allegations of censorship
from users with Indonesian communications minister Muhammad Nuh apologising for “the inconvenience caused”. Internet Service Providers are now taking a different approach, saying they will try to block access to individual pages carrying Fitna.
According to the official news agency of the government of Indonesia, ANTARA
, the Dutch ambassador Dr Nikolaos van Dam
had sent a letter on April 1. In it, he says how Dutch society is one of peaceful co-existence, with respect for the law
, which guarantees safety and freedom of speech and freedom of religion. He says that Holland has a tradition
of respect, tolerance
and responsibility, and that offending others is not part of that tradition. van Dam said that "the Dutch government will abide by its tradition, and calls upon everyone else to act in a similar spirit". van Dam also expresses his government's desire to remain in open contact with everyone who wishes peaceful dialogue, to build a society "more firmly grounded in mutual understanding and respect". He says that there is an ongoing criminal investigation, which will determine whether a criminal offence has been committed.
On April 2, a Dutch consulate in the Indonesian city of Medan
was the scene of a student protest. The Dutch national flag
was torn from its pillar and burned, and about 50 students broke through the consulate gates.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
, a member of the Cabinet of Malaysia
government, has urged Muslim intellectuals and youth
s to "take advantage of their resourcefulness and skills which they had used against the establishment, this time to defend Islam" through the internet; a reference to when hackers
defaced a governmental webpage in protest of a proposed ban on pornography
.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, an opposition
policial party, delivered a letter to the Dutch embassy warning that the film would "invite vengeance", and, along with former president Mahathir bin Mohamad
, called for a worldwide Muslim boycott of Dutch goods. bin Mohamad said: "If the world's 1.3 billion Muslims unite and say they won't buy, then it [the boycott] will be effective."
The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia, the Consultative Council, and the Muslim Restaurants Association of Malaysia released a joint statement referring to Fitna as having "openly insulted the Quran", and called on Muslims to boycott Dutch goods. Malay supermarket Mydin
has marked Dutch goods in red, indicating their country of origin
.
There was a further demonstration outside the Dutch embassy in Kuala Lumpur
on April 4, 2008, attended by approximately fifty members of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. Slogan
s such as "Long live Islam" and "Crush the Netherlands" were shouted. A leader of the political party said: "He wants to insult Islam, insult our prophet, insult our Qur'an," and responded that "because he is slandering Islam," a Fatwa ordering Wilders' death should be decreed. The Dutch ambassador's response was: "The call for the death of Mr Wilders is a very emotional one, which in no way can be justified."
In Singapore, issued a statement strongly condemning the film, with deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng
saying: "Freedom of expression does not give anyone the licence to insult another's religion or race."
The government of the Philippines
has condemned the film, saying it "heightens misperceptions about a religion of peace
."
, the government-operated news agency for Bahrain
, released a statement regarding the film. Through the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the government referred to Wilders as slanderous, and that Fitna was part of "the escalating hostility and unjust war waged from time to time against Islam." The Supreme Council called for "peaceful protests that reflect the civilized aspect of Islam," and recommended dialogue
with the West
to "spread the true tenets of Islam and shed light on the life and precepts of prophet Mohammed." The Supreme Council also called for Islamic countries and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to push for a United Nations resolution to criminalise blasphemy against Islam
, "for the sake of global peace and harmony".
Mohammad Ali Hosseini
, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs said Fitna was "heinous", blasphemous
, and that its release "is indicative of the continuation of the evilness and deep vengeance such Western nationals have against Islam and Muslims." Iran's official government spokesperson
, Gholam-Hossein Elham
, said that "The new wave of the fight against Islam and promoting Islamophobia, which was started by the U.S., has so far opposite effects in the world of Islam as well as other parts of the globe." Elham stated that the governments 'of the countries where the anti-Islamic moves have been made' would, in future, prevent any further actions against Islam, saying that 'insults against the holy prophet of Islam and the divine religion were against the principles of freedom of expression'. In Tehran
, approximately seventy members of the paramilitary
force Basij
protested outside the Dutch embassy. They chanted slogans such as "Down with USA", "Down with Israel", "Dutch Ambassador to Iran Should Be Expelled", and called for the closure of Royal Dutch Shell
and Philips
. A spokesperson for the protesters said that the release of the film was a ploy by imperialists
to harm Muslim countries, insult the prophet Muhammed, and stage a Crusade
, adding: "We will never remain silent in the face of ploys by domestic or foreign enemies. During a Khutba
(sermon) on April 4, 2008 broadcast on Iranian state radio, Ayatollah
Ahmad Khatami
accused the "Zionist entity
" of Fitna's making and release. He said: "Behind these satan
ic acts can be found the oppressive powers and the Zionist regime." Of Wilders, Khatami said: "This poor Dutch deputy has made 40 trips to Israel over the past 25 years." Khatami concluded that "we see the hand of the Zionist regime behind these satanic acts and we cry 'death to Israel'." He stated that Fitna and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons were a reaction against the "blossoming of Islam," and that "these films and caricatures are disseminated under the pretext of freedom of information in Europe. This is a great lie of Western liberal democracy, because anyone who speaks out against the official version of the Holocaust is jailed," referring to Holocaust denial
.
Khatami spoke of a Europe actively engaged in defaming Islam, saying that "there is a catchy disease spreading in Europe today, whose victims feel obliged to insult Islam and to fight against the Muslims," mentioning the conversion of Magdi Allam
from Islam to Catholicism
as further proof of his statements. He claimed that European "plans" that had been "devised for hundreds of years have borne absolutely no fruit, which is the reason why they have begun conducting such wretched moves." Khatami said that "such moves are made in Europe under the cover of freedom of expression prove that such a freedom does not exist there, since as soon as an intellectual begins talking about the Holocaust
, they put him to trial, condemn his move, and imprison him." He claimed that Islam in the Netherlands is increasing, saying that "the Dutch have also bought a large number of electronic versions of Qur'an in their own language and a large number of people in Holland have openly announced they have converted to Islam."
53 parliamentarians of Jordan
have signed a petition, calling on Prime Minister Nader Dahabi to expel the Dutch ambassador and sever all diplomatic ties with Holland. Jordan also summoned Wilders to court, as Fitna was deemed to incite hatred.
The Dutch ambassador of Qatar
said that: "In Holland, we have full freedom of expression. There is absolutely no censorship. People are expected to behave responsibly and those who cross the limits will be accountable for their actions."
The Saudi Arabia
n embassy in The Hague
called the film provocative and "full of errors", that could ultimately lead to hatred of Muslims.
The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey
condemned the film as being 'incompatible with freedom of speech and thought', saying that it "aimed to portray Muslims as potential terrorists and to gradually exclude them from the international community
." The Directorate said that "Islam is unfortunately face-to-face with a new 'fitna' due to the film, which promotes discrimination, hatred and violence." It continued to say that the film's objective was to create worldwide prejudice against Islam, and that "it is a serious indication of irresponsibility that in the film negative implications are directed at Muslim religious scholars, who never refrain from sharing their knowledge on religion with the Dutch government." The Directorate said that followers of other religions also did not accept the notion that terrorism
is associated with Muslims, and that "this is an auspicious development for restoring peace among different cultures in the world."
United Arab Emirates Foreign minister, Sheikh
Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, condemned the film as being critical and insulting to the Prophet Muhammed.
The Yemen
i parliament condemned the film, calling it inflammatory, discriminatory
towards Muslims, and promoting religious violence and hatred, whilst stressing the need to respect all religions, cultures, and civilizations without prejudice.
In Denmark, Kurt Westergaard
, the cartoonist from one of the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Muhammed
, has expressed concerns because his cartoon is used in the film without his permission, a violation of copyright. The Danish Union of Journalists has said it will file a lawsuit on Westergaard's behalf as he is still in hiding from the death threats against him. Westergaard says his cartoon was aimed against Islamic terrorists, not against Islam as a religion. Similarly Dutch director Rob Muntz announced to file a lawsuit because of the uncredited use of his interview with Theo van Gogh
.
Westergaard drew a new cartoon showing Geert Wilders with a bomb on his head and a sign saying "Danger! Freedom of expression".
The Norwegian
government (Labour Party
) sharply distanced itself from the movie. Secretary of state
Raymond Johansen
from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry
said in a statement to the newspaper Dagsavisen
that "Wilders attempts to promote a content which contributes to hatred and suspicion. I profoundly disagree with the content, and I sharply distance myself from it." Per-Willy Amundsen
, Spokesperson on Immigration Issues of the opposition Progress Party
, however found the film largely correct, and challenged Johansen to present what that was false about it.
United Kingdom: Foreign Minister David Miliband
announced his commitment to the “European values of freedom of speech” but said “in each of our countries
” there are legal checks to ensure speech could not incite religious or racial hatred.
: With 22% of its population being Muslim. Suriname has the highest Islamic population by percentage in the New World
. The Surinamese agreement of Muslims launched a statement which said: "We regret the fact that the Dutch MP Geert wilders abuses feelings of fear and ignorance across the white Dutch population by insulting en bashing the Islam systematically....His latest provocation (the film Fitna) is a insult to the Islam and its 1,3 billion followers across the world".
n Minister for foreign affairs, Stephen Smith
, "deplored" the film's release, saying that it is "an obvious attempt to generate discord between faith communities," and accused it of inciting racial hatred
.
Ban Ki-moon
stated on on March 28, 2008 that
In its statement, The Muslim World League said that Fitna's release was "[an] offensive act that aims to spread discord between people." The European Union’s
Slovenia
n president repudiated the film, commenting that it served “no other purpose than inflaming hatred”. The EU foreign ministers also condemned the film. “The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected”, the ministers said in their statement, released after a meeting in Brdo, Slovenia. Europe’s highest human rights authority, the Strasbourg
based Council of Europe
, called the film “a distasteful manipulation which exploits ignorance, prejudice and fear”.
Lengthier responses were released by the Arab European League
and the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World.
material, as well as other forms of Islamophobia such as the theatrical
interpretation of Salman Rushdie's novel
, The Satanic Verses
, and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, should be banned in Europe. It said that "humiliation of the values that are held in high esteem by people cannot be justified by the freedom of speech" or artistic expression
. It stated that "freedom of speech and disseminating ideas do not amount to the right to insult," and that no-one's "sacred values" should be humiliated. It went on to call for European states to "not give permission to such publications, broadcasts and policies," and asked that they "take the necessary regulations that shall regard the Islamophobic acts and incidents as a crime." The UNIW likened Islamophobia to antisemitism and its legal status in Europe, saying that if Islamophobia and Islamophobic publications are not made illegal, "marginal extremist-racist groups that are after discrimination may be strengthened." It said that Islamophobia is an infringement of human rights
, and "a perilous discrimination." It said:
The UNIW called on Europe "to use their common sense and heed, and to revise their attitudes in order to build social peace."
released a short film, Al Mouftinoun, in response to Fitna. It was released March 28 on YouTube
, one day after Fitna was released. Al Mouftinoun criticizes Fitna's director Wilders as a racist
. The film was created by the AEL because they find that Muslim
s are being marginalised and discriminated
against by Fitna.
On their website, the AEL claimed the following:
Fitna (film)
Fitna is a 2008 short political, propaganda film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders with his view on the religion of the Islam. Approximately 17 minutes in length, the movie shows selected excerpts from Suras of the Qur'an, interspersed with media clips and newspaper cuttings showing or...
consisted of condemnation within the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
, several fatawā
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
, and attempts by many Islamic
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
countries to censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
the film. The Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
government immediately distanced itself from the film. Several Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organizations
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
and political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
have organized boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
s against Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
products.
Prior to the release
It was feared that the film would lead to violent demonstrations by Muslims much like the organized protests against the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoonsJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
that were published in the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
in 2005. The Dutch counter-terrorism agency raised its terror risk level from "limited" to "substantial", fearing civil unrest
Civil disorder
Civil disorder, also known as civil unrest or civil strife, is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance caused by a group of people. Civil disturbance is typically a symptom of, and a form of protest against, major socio-political problems;...
and economic sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
.
Previous violence included the burning of the Danish embassy in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and other acts of violence around the world, including the murder of a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
.
In the Netherlands
The movie was first mentioned in the Dutch media on November 27, 2007. The Dutch government almost immediately expressed great concern about the film release. It made evacuationEmergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
plans available to all its consulates and embassies worldwide, in case an emergency
Emergency
An emergency is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative...
should arise in light of the forthcoming film, and it tightened security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
measurements around certain military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
installations abroad.
The Prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
, worried about possible repercussions for Dutch citizens and economic interests. In response Wilders accused Balkenende of capitulating
Capitulation (surrender)
Capitulation , an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory....
to Islam.
Wilders had been warned by Dutch National Counterterrorism Co-ordinator Tjibbe Joustra that his film may "lead to reactions that endanger public order, security and the economy".
In one opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
, 54% of Dutch people still believed that the film should be released, despite any possible negative effects.
The publication of the film was investigated by the Dutch Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior...
to find out whether the release of the film could be prevented, but this could not be done.
On March 6, 2008, the Dutch government raised its national terroristic threat level from the status 'limited terroristic threat' to 'substantial terroristic threat' because it fears Muslim terrorists will launch attacks against European targets, citing the film as justification.
Public protests have occurred on Dam Square
Dam Square
Dam Square, or simply the Dam is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the most well-known and important locations in the city.- Location and description :...
, in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, on March 22, 2008.
In response to concerns, Dutch broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide created a multi-language website to detail the film, the surrounding controversy, its creator, and the nation of its origin. The Dutch newspaper De Pers
De Pers
De Pers is a freely distributed Dutch language tabloid newspaper in the Netherlands, with a circulation of around 200,000. Its competitors are Metro and Sp!ts. The first edition of De Pers was published on January 23, 2007....
printed a reconstruction of how the concerns came about and who was responsible for them.
Television producer Harry de Winter had a large advertisement placed on the front page of de Volkskrant
De Volkskrant
de Volkskrant is a national daily Dutch morning newspaper, the leading centre-left broadsheet, although now in tabloid size.-History:...
stating that if Wilders had said the things he has said about Muslims, about Jews, he would have been prosecuted for antisemitism. The advertisement was endorsed by the Jewish organisations Stichting de Initiavieven and Een Ander Joods Geluid
Een Ander Joods Geluid
Een Ander Joods Geluid is a Dutch-Jewish organisation founded in May 2001 to promote the public debate concerning Israel...
.
Other reactions
On 7 April 2008, IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
blocked access to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and a couple of other websites such as MySpace and Multiply. Minister of Menkon Info Muhammad Nuh has passed a bill that forces 146 ISP's in Indonesia to block access to YouTube on Monday. Kompas
Kompas
Kompas is the most widely read newspaper in Indonesia. Published by Kompas-Gramedia Group Publishing since June 28, 1965, it has a reputation in Indonesia for high-quality writing and investigative journalism...
has confirmed that the reason for the block is YouTube's
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
refusal to remove Fitna from their servers. The block has now been removed, and the foreign relation minster has apologised to the people for any inconvenience.
The EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
alerted its diplomatic mission
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
s around the world to expect a reaction to the release of the film.
NATO said it feared that the consequences of Fitna would affect the safety of troops in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. Indeed, Zabihullah Mujahid stressed that the Taliban would probably increase their attacks on Dutch military and humanitarian peacekeepers in Afghanistan, if the film were released.
President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
officially declared that France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
would provide the necessary support to the Netherlands in suppressing any Muslim violence that would result from Fitnas release.
Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
has threatened to review its diplomatic
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
stance with The Netherlands, should the film be aired. Public protests occurred in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
is closely monitoring the situation.
In February 2008, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
internally banned YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for several days due to a video clip one report claimed to be a trailer for Fitna. Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
eventually complied with the Pakistani protest and the material was removed. As a result of the block, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
accidentally caused YouTube to be unavailable worldwide for two hours.
The Grand Mufti
Grand Mufti
The title of Grand Mufti refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases...
, Ahmad Badr al-Din, said that if Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
pictures the image of a burning Qur'an in his film, the Dutch people will be held responsible and possible attacks against Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
public interests are not out of the question.
Wilders is the subject of a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
, associated with Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, calling upon Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s to assassinate him in the name of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Network Solutions website suspension
On March 5, 2008, a preliminary version of the movie's official website, fitnathemovie.com, was put online. The only page on the site consisted of a picture of the Qur'an accompanied by the text "Geert Wilders presents Fitna" and "Coming soon". On March 22, the hosting provider of the website, Network SolutionsNetwork Solutions
Network Solutions, LLC is a technology company founded in 1979. The domain name registration business has become the most important division of the company. As of January 2009, Network Solutions managed more than 6.6 million domain names.-History:...
, replaced the page with a message stating that the company “is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy
Acceptable use policy
An acceptable use policy is a set of rules applied by the owner/manager of a network, website or large computer system that restrict the ways in which the network site or system may be used...
.” and that “Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation.”
On March 24, Network Solutions issued a press release
News release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy...
saying the company asked Wilders for a copy of the film to review to gauge compliance with the Acceptable Use Policy, and it was only after they received no response from Wilders that they suspended the website. Wilders responded saying he has other options available and his film will be made public before April 1. The shutdown was followed by extensive criticism of Network Solutions' alleged hypocrisy
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
in hosting the domain of Hezbollah, an entity that the United States and the Netherlands (along with four other countries) designate as a terrorist organization. On March 26, Network Solutions shut down the hizbollah.org domain as well.
After the release
The reaction was partly mild in comparison with what was expected, with some Muslim delegates describing it as “not as jarring as anticipated”, saying they were “extremely relieved”. A worldwide violent reaction is not expected by several sources, in stark contrast with threats made by Islamic leaders in the months before the release of the film. Death threats did occur against Wilders and the company that hosted the film.In the Netherlands
In a televisedTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
reaction following the release, Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
, Prime Minister of the Netherlands came with a reaction on behalf of the Dutch government.
Amongst other things, it stated:
"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... ...We therefore regret that Mr Wilders has released this film. We believe it serves no purpose other than to cause offence."
Dutch parliamentarians of the largest political parties, Pieter van Geel
Pieter van Geel
Petrus Leonardus Bastiaan Antonius van Geel is a Dutch politician for the CDA.He was State Secretary of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment from 2002 until 2007 and a member of the House of Representatives in 2002, 2003 and from 2006 till 2010.- External links : , Parlement & Politiek...
(CDA
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
), Mariëtte Hamer (PvdA
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
) and Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
(VVD
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
) stated that it is sad that the film does not present any solutions to current problems in the Dutch society - integration of Muslim immigrants and Muslim extremism - and invited Mr. Wilders to discuss possible solutions in the parliament. In a later parliamentary debate to discuss Balkenende's televised reaction, they expressed further opinions, calling the film 'cunningly made with evil intentions' (CDA), 'a message of fear beyond compare' (PvDA) and 'paranoid' (SP). Wilders was described as a 'political pyromaniac' (VVD) and a 'fearful man' (D66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
).
According to Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
, a speaker for the Muslim organization Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid (CMO), Yusuf Altuntas, said that Wilders "is obviously looking to push the limits, but he resists crossing them." For instance, in the film a ripping sound overlaid with imagery of the Qur'an is said to be the ripping of a page from the phone book, and thunder sounds are replacing what might otherwise be perceived as bomb explosion sounds. The Arabic expert Leo Kwarten on the other hand is quoted to have said that "these subtleties may however be lost in the Arabic world."
The Centraal Joods Overleg (Central Jewish Committee) released a statement on March 28, 2008, condemning the film for reinforcing prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
s by implying that all Muslims are terrorists. The Committee said that the portrayal of Muslims in this manner is counterproductive, and that the Dutch Jewish community, along with the Dutch Muslim community and all of Dutch society, has a duty to combat all religious-based terrorrism, and to protect everyone against those who wish to overthrow democracy or promote religious hatred.
Politician and former Muslim Ehsan Jami had intended to release an animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
entitled The Life of Mohammed on April 20, 2008. The film, critical of Islam and the prophet Muhammad, was to depict Muhammad as a "sexual pervert" for his marriage and consummation
Consummate
Consummation or consummation of a marriage, in many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, is the first act of sexual intercourse between two individuals, following their marriage to each other...
of Aisha
Aisha
Aisha bint Abu Bakr also transcribed as was Muhammad's favorite wife...
, allegedly nine years old at the time. In one clip, Muhammad is shown with an erection
Erection
Penile erection is a physiological phenomenon where the penis becomes enlarged and firm. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular and endocrine factors, and is usually, though not exclusively, associated with sexual arousal...
, taking the girl to a mosque adorned with a Nazi swastika, in preparation of her deflowering. Following calls from the Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Security and Justice is the Dutch ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice , but at the start of the Rutte cabinet, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior...
, Ernst Hirsch Ballin
Ernst Hirsch Ballin
Ernst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from November 7, 1989 until May 27, 1994 in the Cabinet Lubbers III...
, to not increase tension in society, Jami decided against its release. He spoke of his fears that the Dutch police would be unable to adequately protect his safety, and of the possibility of a Fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
calling for his death being issued by Iran.
The Dutch Islamic Federation petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
ed a judge for a judgement on Geert Wilders on allegations of hate speech law
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
violations. Wilders was found not guilty of spreading hate.
In November 2008, a pamphlet that was distributed to children aged 10–12 years compared Fitna to Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf
Mein Kampf is a book written by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926...
, 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."
Africa
In AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, the Minister for Religious Affairs said that Fitna is "a recurrent expression of the fascism which is abhorred by all cultures", and the country's imams have been ordered to denounce the film.
In Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Foreign minister referred to Wilders' film as "a humiliation" to Islam, calling it "nothing less than repugnant," and stating that "Egypt rejects any offence or denigration of Islam and its prophet."
President Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
called on Muslims to "challenge those who insult" the prophet Muhammed, and asked for "a binding international charter" for the respect of religious beliefs. al-Bashir continued: ""The offenses against our Arab and Islamic nations under the banner of freedom of expression are derogatory and defamatory and go against all human values."
Central Asia
The Grand MuftiMufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
denounced the film, saying that it defames Islam and the Qur'an. He urged Kyrgyzstan's Muslim population to counter the hostility of the film's release.
South Asia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh "condemned in the strongest terms" the release of Fitna. It said that "Islam is a faith of peace which preaches patience and understanding," and the film's "unwarranted and mindless release can have grave consequences."In an editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
for the independent English-language Bangladeshi newspaper The Weekly Blitz, under the editorship of Salah Choudhury
Salah Choudhury
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is the editor of the Bangladeshi tabloid The Weekly Blitz the most influential anti-Jihadist newspaper in Bangladesh, and editor-in-chief of vernacular weekly Jamjamat....
, there were many opinion
Opinion
In general, an opinion is a subjective belief, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by an argument, although people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented...
s expressed in condemnation of the Muslim world's response: "The Muslim world that is vocal and vociferous in its demands for censorship in the West is going through a reenergized paroxysm of anger and hate," the newspaper said, and asked "is it realistic to mandate that 100% of the world’s population must be pro-Koran and pro-Muslim?" The editorial stated that Fitna's relative artistic or philosophical worth is irrelevant, and that its release is an issue of individual rights
Individual rights
Group rights are rights held by a group rather than by its members separately, or rights held only by individuals within the specified group; in contrast, individual rights are rights held by individual people regardless of their group membership or lack thereof...
, freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
, and the West's cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
inheratance of 3,000 years of civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
. The editorial continued to question Muslim countries' censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and restriction of free speech, satirically
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
saying that "we should ask them firmly yet politely exactly how they so effectively censor the existing hate speech, the rampant anti-Semitic and anti-West propaganda that fill their media, Mosques, schools and universities on an hourly basis, every day, almost without exclusion." The newspaper satirically noted the hypocrisy
Hypocrisy
Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
of how Islam interacts with other religions
Islam and other religions
Over the centuries of Islamic history, Muslim rulers, Islamic scholars, and ordinary Muslims have held many different attitudes towards other religions...
, saying that Islam has "such unrivaled respect and such unprejudiced consideration for Christianity, Judaism and the rest of the world’s religious cultures and beliefs." It notes that anti-government, pro-democratic, and "moderate or revolutionary speech and actions within their societies" are censored, and that multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, freedom of religion
Freedom of religion
Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any...
, and "unqualified personal expression" is prohibited.
Pakistan called for a discussion of the film at the next Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Upon the groups's renaming, some sources provided the English-language translation "Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation", but and have since indicated the preferred English translation omits the "the". is an international organisation consisting of 57...
(OIC) summit
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
. According to the APP
Associated Press of Pakistan
Associated Press of Pakistan is a government-operated national news agency of Pakistan. It is not associated with the Associated Press agency .-Lack of financial resources:...
, the country's official news agency, the Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Hussain Qureshi is well-known Politician in Pakistan. He was the Foreign Minister of Pakistan in the coalition government of PPP, Muttahida Quami Movement[MQM], ANP and JUI-F formed after the 2008 general elections. He was a senior leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, where...
condemned Fitna as being anti-Islamic. He said that the film was part of a series of incitingly discriminatory actions against Islam, made by the Western media. Quereshi said that the Pakistani government, and its people, are highly sensitive towards such actions made in the name of freedom of expression. Outside the Karachi Press Club
Karachi Press Club
The Karachi Press Club , is an association of primarily news journalists, but also includes academics, business people and members of the public service, and is located at Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. KPC was the first press club of Pakistan. Its first election was held in 1958, I.H...
, an effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
of Wilders, and the Dutch flag, was burned in a protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
.
In a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
(UNHRC) on April 1, the ambassador and permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Masood Khan
Masood Khan
Masood Khan is a career diplomat who is the current Pakistan Ambassador to China since September 2008. Before that he was the ambassador and permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2005 to 2008...
, said that the film is a 'blatant provocation', had 'distorted the message of the Holy Qur'an', is xenophobic
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
and religiously intolerant
Religious intolerance
Religious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute intolerance...
. He called for the UNHRC to do more than condemn or adopt resolutions
United Nations resolution
A United Nations resolution is a formal text adopted by a United Nations body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly.-Legal status:...
. As such, a Pakistani-sponsored United Nations resolution calling for the monitoring of "abuse of the right of freedom of expression" was successfully passed. The measure was accepted after achieving the required number of votes from Islamic countries, while European countries and Canada abstained
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
. On behalf of the OIC, Khan said that the resolution will require people to exercise their freedom of expression responsibly. This drew criticism from Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, whose press statement read:
"The growing influence of Organisation of the Islamic Conference member states within the Human Rights Council is disturbing. All of the council’s decisions are nowadays determined by the interests of the Muslim countries or powerful states such as China or Russia that know how to surround themselves with allies."
The secretary-general of the OIC, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu is a Turkish academic, diplomat and currently the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the second largest intergovernmental organisation after the United Nations...
, spoke of helping a co-ordinated strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
made by the Ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
, the diaspora of Muslims living in non-Muslim countries, to combat a campaign of defamaing Islam in the West. İhsanoğlu had previously condemned the film as "causing insult to the sentiments of more than 1.3 billion Muslims in the world," and that it was "a deliberate act of discrimination against Muslims" that would "threaten the security and stability of the world."
On April 6, 2008, five thousand members of the Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
political party held a demonstration in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, in protest of both Wilders' film and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons. The leader of the political party stated that "such shameful acts can never be tolerated in the name of freedom of expression or press," and asserted that anyone who committed a crime of provoking Muslims should be declared "terrorists".
On May 3, 2008, around 5000 Muslims gathered in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in an aggressive protest of Wilder's film, chanting "Death to the blasphemer" and burned an effigy of Wilders. In Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, the Islamic extremist Taliban murdered two Dutch soldiers in retaliation for the film.
Southeast Asia
President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
of Indonesia has banned
Ban (law)
A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something.Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act and others see it as maintaining the "status quo"...
Wilders from entering the country, and has prohibited the film from being broadcast. About 50 members of a hardline Muslim group demonstrated at the Dutch embassy in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, throwing eggs and water bottles to the embassy compound, before being dispersed by riot police
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
with water cannon
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of metres / hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control. Most water cannon fall under the category of a fire...
s. Protesters held signs saying "Death Sentence for Humiliating Islam", amid images of guns aimed at his head. and "Kill Geert Wilders" Indonesia has blocked access to Youtube, after its demand that copies of the film be removed from Youtube servers was not implemented. The ban was lifted on April 11, following protests and allegations of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
from users with Indonesian communications minister Muhammad Nuh apologising for “the inconvenience caused”. Internet Service Providers are now taking a different approach, saying they will try to block access to individual pages carrying Fitna.
According to the official news agency of the government of Indonesia, ANTARA
ANTARA
ANTARA is the official news agency of the government of Indonesia. It was founded on 13 December 1937 by Adam Malik, Soemanang, AM Sipahoetar and Pandoe Kartawigoena...
, the Dutch ambassador Dr Nikolaos van Dam
Nikolaos van Dam
Nikolaos van Dam is a Middle East scholar, former Dutch Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Indonesia, and author....
had sent a letter on April 1. In it, he says how Dutch society is one of peaceful co-existence, with respect for the law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, which guarantees safety and freedom of speech and freedom of religion. He says that Holland has a tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
of respect, tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and responsibility, and that offending others is not part of that tradition. van Dam said that "the Dutch government will abide by its tradition, and calls upon everyone else to act in a similar spirit". van Dam also expresses his government's desire to remain in open contact with everyone who wishes peaceful dialogue, to build a society "more firmly grounded in mutual understanding and respect". He says that there is an ongoing criminal investigation, which will determine whether a criminal offence has been committed.
On April 2, a Dutch consulate in the Indonesian city of Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
was the scene of a student protest. The Dutch national flag
Flag of the Netherlands
The flag of the Netherlands is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. Since 1937, the flag has officially been the national flag of the Netherlands and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.-Description:...
was torn from its pillar and burned, and about 50 students broke through the consulate gates.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is a Malaysian politician and is currently the Minister for Defence in the Barisan Nasional coalition government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Bagan Datoh constituency in Perak...
, a member of the Cabinet of Malaysia
Cabinet of Malaysia
The Cabinet of Malaysia is the executive branch of Malaysia's government. Led by the Prime Minister, the cabinet is a council of ministers who are accountable collectively to the Parliament. According to the Article 43 of the Constitution, members of the Cabinet can only be selected from members...
government, has urged Muslim intellectuals and youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
s to "take advantage of their resourcefulness and skills which they had used against the establishment, this time to defend Islam" through the internet; a reference to when hackers
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
defaced a governmental webpage in protest of a proposed ban on pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, an opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
policial party, delivered a letter to the Dutch embassy warning that the film would "invite vengeance", and, along with former president Mahathir bin Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad
Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad . is a Malaysian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister. His political career spanned almost 40 years.Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir...
, called for a worldwide Muslim boycott of Dutch goods. bin Mohamad said: "If the world's 1.3 billion Muslims unite and say they won't buy, then it [the boycott] will be effective."
The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia, the Consultative Council, and the Muslim Restaurants Association of Malaysia released a joint statement referring to Fitna as having "openly insulted the Quran", and called on Muslims to boycott Dutch goods. Malay supermarket Mydin
Mydin
Mydin is a Malaysian chain of hypermarket, supermarket & emporiums. It is notable for bringing local & overseas products at affordable prices catering to a large segment of Malaysian population.-History:...
has marked Dutch goods in red, indicating their country of origin
Country of origin
Country of origin , is the country of manufacture, production, or growth where an article or product comes from...
.
There was a further demonstration outside the Dutch embassy in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
on April 4, 2008, attended by approximately fifty members of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party. Slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s such as "Long live Islam" and "Crush the Netherlands" were shouted. A leader of the political party said: "He wants to insult Islam, insult our prophet, insult our Qur'an," and responded that "because he is slandering Islam," a Fatwa ordering Wilders' death should be decreed. The Dutch ambassador's response was: "The call for the death of Mr Wilders is a very emotional one, which in no way can be justified."
In Singapore, issued a statement strongly condemning the film, with deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng
Wong Kan Seng
Wong Kan Seng is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served as the country's Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2011...
saying: "Freedom of expression does not give anyone the licence to insult another's religion or race."
The government of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
has condemned the film, saying it "heightens misperceptions about a religion of peace
Religion of Peace
The Religion of peace is a political neologism used as a description of Islam. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, some politicians described Islam as a "religion of peace" in an effort to differentiate between Islamic terrorists and non-violent Muslims...
."
Southwest Asia
The Bahrain News AgencyBahrain News Agency
The Bahrain News Agency is the state news agency of Bahrain. It is run under the Bahraini Ministry of Culture and Information.BNA is a member of the Federation of Arab News Agencies.-External links:* *...
, the government-operated news agency for Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, released a statement regarding the film. Through the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the government referred to Wilders as slanderous, and that Fitna was part of "the escalating hostility and unjust war waged from time to time against Islam." The Supreme Council called for "peaceful protests that reflect the civilized aspect of Islam," and recommended dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
with the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
to "spread the true tenets of Islam and shed light on the life and precepts of prophet Mohammed." The Supreme Council also called for Islamic countries and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to push for a United Nations resolution to criminalise blasphemy against Islam
Islam and blasphemy
Blasphemy in Islam is any irreverent behavior toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs that Muslims revere. The Quran and the hadith do not speak about blasphemy. Jurists created the offence, and they made it part of Sharia. Where Sharia pertains, the penalties for...
, "for the sake of global peace and harmony".
Mohammad Ali Hosseini
Mohammad Ali Hosseini
Mohammad Ali Hosseini is the vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran. He is the current spokesman of the Ministry and Vice Minister of parliamentary affairs.-References:...
, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs said Fitna was "heinous", blasphemous
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
, and that its release "is indicative of the continuation of the evilness and deep vengeance such Western nationals have against Islam and Muslims." Iran's official government spokesperson
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
, Gholam-Hossein Elham
Gholam-Hossein Elham
Gholam-Hossein Elham was Iran's official government spokesperson. He was a member of the Guardian Council and former Minister of Justice upon the death of Jamal Karimi-Rad....
, said that "The new wave of the fight against Islam and promoting Islamophobia, which was started by the U.S., has so far opposite effects in the world of Islam as well as other parts of the globe." Elham stated that the governments 'of the countries where the anti-Islamic moves have been made' would, in future, prevent any further actions against Islam, saying that 'insults against the holy prophet of Islam and the divine religion were against the principles of freedom of expression'. In Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, approximately seventy members of the paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
force Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
protested outside the Dutch embassy. They chanted slogans such as "Down with USA", "Down with Israel", "Dutch Ambassador to Iran Should Be Expelled", and called for the closure of Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
. A spokesperson for the protesters said that the release of the film was a ploy by imperialists
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
to harm Muslim countries, insult the prophet Muhammed, and stage a Crusade
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, adding: "We will never remain silent in the face of ploys by domestic or foreign enemies. During a Khutba
Khutba
Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...
(sermon) on April 4, 2008 broadcast on Iranian state radio, Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ahmad Khatami
Ahmad Khatami
Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami is a senior Iranian Ayatollah, as well as a senior member of the Assembly of Experts. In December of 2005, Ali Khamenei appointed him as Tehran’s substitute Friday prayer leader.He was born in the town of Nīr, Northern Iran...
accused the "Zionist entity
Zionist entity
Zionist entity is a phrase often used by Arabs and Muslims as a pejorative for the State of Israel. The term is described as a means of expressing hostility towards Israel, refusing to acknowledge its existence as a state, and denying its right to exist. Virginia Q...
" of Fitna's making and release. He said: "Behind these satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
ic acts can be found the oppressive powers and the Zionist regime." Of Wilders, Khatami said: "This poor Dutch deputy has made 40 trips to Israel over the past 25 years." Khatami concluded that "we see the hand of the Zionist regime behind these satanic acts and we cry 'death to Israel'." He stated that Fitna and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons were a reaction against the "blossoming of Islam," and that "these films and caricatures are disseminated under the pretext of freedom of information in Europe. This is a great lie of Western liberal democracy, because anyone who speaks out against the official version of the Holocaust is jailed," referring to Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
.
Khatami spoke of a Europe actively engaged in defaming Islam, saying that "there is a catchy disease spreading in Europe today, whose victims feel obliged to insult Islam and to fight against the Muslims," mentioning the conversion of Magdi Allam
Magdi Allam
Magdi Cristiano Allam , is an Egyptian-born Italian journalist and political leader, noted for his criticism of Islamic Extremism, his defence of Judeo-Christian roots of Europe and the West, and his articles on the relations between Western culture and the Islamic world...
from Islam to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
as further proof of his statements. He claimed that European "plans" that had been "devised for hundreds of years have borne absolutely no fruit, which is the reason why they have begun conducting such wretched moves." Khatami said that "such moves are made in Europe under the cover of freedom of expression prove that such a freedom does not exist there, since as soon as an intellectual begins talking about the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, they put him to trial, condemn his move, and imprison him." He claimed that Islam in the Netherlands is increasing, saying that "the Dutch have also bought a large number of electronic versions of Qur'an in their own language and a large number of people in Holland have openly announced they have converted to Islam."
53 parliamentarians of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
have signed a petition, calling on Prime Minister Nader Dahabi to expel the Dutch ambassador and sever all diplomatic ties with Holland. Jordan also summoned Wilders to court, as Fitna was deemed to incite hatred.
The Dutch ambassador of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
said that: "In Holland, we have full freedom of expression. There is absolutely no censorship. People are expected to behave responsibly and those who cross the limits will be accountable for their actions."
The Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n embassy in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
called the film provocative and "full of errors", that could ultimately lead to hatred of Muslims.
The Directorate of Religious Affairs in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
condemned the film as being 'incompatible with freedom of speech and thought', saying that it "aimed to portray Muslims as potential terrorists and to gradually exclude them from the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
." The Directorate said that "Islam is unfortunately face-to-face with a new 'fitna' due to the film, which promotes discrimination, hatred and violence." It continued to say that the film's objective was to create worldwide prejudice against Islam, and that "it is a serious indication of irresponsibility that in the film negative implications are directed at Muslim religious scholars, who never refrain from sharing their knowledge on religion with the Dutch government." The Directorate said that followers of other religions also did not accept the notion that terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
is associated with Muslims, and that "this is an auspicious development for restoring peace among different cultures in the world."
United Arab Emirates Foreign minister, Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, condemned the film as being critical and insulting to the Prophet Muhammed.
The Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i parliament condemned the film, calling it inflammatory, discriminatory
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
towards Muslims, and promoting religious violence and hatred, whilst stressing the need to respect all religions, cultures, and civilizations without prejudice.
Europe
Kurt Westergaard
Kurt Westergaard is a Danish cartoonist who created the controversial cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb in his turban. This cartoon was the most contentious of the 12 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, which met with strong and sometimes violent reactions from Muslims worldwide...
, the cartoonist from one of the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Muhammed
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
, has expressed concerns because his cartoon is used in the film without his permission, a violation of copyright. The Danish Union of Journalists has said it will file a lawsuit on Westergaard's behalf as he is still in hiding from the death threats against him. Westergaard says his cartoon was aimed against Islamic terrorists, not against Islam as a religion. Similarly Dutch director Rob Muntz announced to file a lawsuit because of the uncredited use of his interview with Theo van Gogh
Theo van Gogh (film director)
Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor.Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam and aroused controversy among Muslims...
.
Westergaard drew a new cartoon showing Geert Wilders with a bomb on his head and a sign saying "Danger! Freedom of expression".
The Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
government (Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
) sharply distanced itself from the movie. Secretary of state
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Raymond Johansen
Raymond Johansen
Raymond Johansen is a Norwegian politician and party secretary of the Labour Party, following the footsteps of his uncle, Thorbjørn Berntsen, who is one of the veterans of the Norwegian Labour Party....
from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway...
said in a statement to the newspaper Dagsavisen
Dagsavisen
Dagsavisen is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999, and it is now fully independent...
that "Wilders attempts to promote a content which contributes to hatred and suspicion. I profoundly disagree with the content, and I sharply distance myself from it." Per-Willy Amundsen
Per-Willy Amundsen
Per-Willy Amundsen is a Norwegian politician and Member of Parliament for the Progress Party. He is currently the party's Spokesperson on Energy Issues.-Early and personal life:...
, Spokesperson on Immigration Issues of the opposition Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
, however found the film largely correct, and challenged Johansen to present what that was false about it.
United Kingdom: Foreign Minister David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
announced his commitment to the “European values of freedom of speech” but said “in each of our countries
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
” there are legal checks to ensure speech could not incite religious or racial hatred.
South America
SurinameSuriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
: With 22% of its population being Muslim. Suriname has the highest Islamic population by percentage in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. The Surinamese agreement of Muslims launched a statement which said: "We regret the fact that the Dutch MP Geert wilders abuses feelings of fear and ignorance across the white Dutch population by insulting en bashing the Islam systematically....His latest provocation (the film Fitna) is a insult to the Islam and its 1,3 billion followers across the world".
Oceania
AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Minister for foreign affairs, Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith (Australian politician)
Stephen Francis Smith , is the Australian Minister for Defence. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia....
, "deplored" the film's release, saying that it is "an obvious attempt to generate discord between faith communities," and accused it of inciting racial hatred
Ethnic hatred
Ethnic hatred, inter-ethnic hatred, racial hatred, or ethnic tension refers to feelings and acts of prejudice and hostility towards an ethnic group in various degrees. See list of anti-ethnic and anti-national terms for specific cases....
.
International organizations
After the release of the film, a number of international organizations released statements or otherwise responded to the film. United Nations' Secretary-GeneralUnited Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
stated on on March 28, 2008 that
In its statement, The Muslim World League said that Fitna's release was "[an] offensive act that aims to spread discord between people." The European Union’s
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n president repudiated the film, commenting that it served “no other purpose than inflaming hatred”. The EU foreign ministers also condemned the film. “The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected”, the ministers said in their statement, released after a meeting in Brdo, Slovenia. Europe’s highest human rights authority, the Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
based Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, called the film “a distasteful manipulation which exploits ignorance, prejudice and fear”.
Lengthier responses were released by the Arab European League
Arab European League
The Arab European League or AEL is a radical Pan-Arabist civil rights movement/organization in Belgium and the Netherlands.-Foundation:...
and the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World.
Union of NGOs of the Islamic World
The Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW) issued a press release, stating that the film "heavily included insults to the Holy Qur’an and to the Islamic values." The UNIW said that distribution of such IslamophobicIslamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
material, as well as other forms of Islamophobia such as the theatrical
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
interpretation of Salman Rushdie's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters...
, and the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, should be banned in Europe. It said that "humiliation of the values that are held in high esteem by people cannot be justified by the freedom of speech" or artistic expression
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
. It stated that "freedom of speech and disseminating ideas do not amount to the right to insult," and that no-one's "sacred values" should be humiliated. It went on to call for European states to "not give permission to such publications, broadcasts and policies," and asked that they "take the necessary regulations that shall regard the Islamophobic acts and incidents as a crime." The UNIW likened Islamophobia to antisemitism and its legal status in Europe, saying that if Islamophobia and Islamophobic publications are not made illegal, "marginal extremist-racist groups that are after discrimination may be strengthened." It said that Islamophobia is an infringement of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, and "a perilous discrimination." It said:
"The reason why Muslim public opinion have not overreacted to these aforementioned broadcasts, policies and events is that they have a common sense stemming from their belief. Nevertheless, it does not mean that they shall never react. It should be ensured that Muslim public opinion react to these all the Anti-Islamist broadcasts, policies and acts through peaceful means."
The UNIW called on Europe "to use their common sense and heed, and to revise their attitudes in order to build social peace."
Arab European League
The Arab European LeagueArab European League
The Arab European League or AEL is a radical Pan-Arabist civil rights movement/organization in Belgium and the Netherlands.-Foundation:...
released a short film, Al Mouftinoun, in response to Fitna. It was released March 28 on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, one day after Fitna was released. Al Mouftinoun criticizes Fitna's director Wilders as a racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. The film was created by the AEL because they find that Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s are being marginalised and discriminated
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
against by Fitna.
On their website, the AEL claimed the following:
The announced movie of Wilders and the Danish cartoons are part of an agenda to provoke Muslims in Europe and around the world under the flag of freedom of expression. There can be no doubt about their intentions. Defending their statements with the right of expression is deceptive. There should be a debate on the content.
The right-wing movement should not be underestimated. They represent a large part of European society. They are advocating for the eradication of equality as a constitutional law. And more often advocating for constriction of the rights of ethnic minorities. The right-wing movement in the Netherlands and in Europe in general is not compatible with its own" Western " values.