|
MPAC - April 1, 2008
“Fitna” fails to provoke
Washington, DC – April 1, 2008 -- The debut of the latest anti-Muslim mini-film, entitled "Fitna", from extreme rightwing Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders last week was highly anticipated for the expected violent backlash it would provoke. Five days after its Internet release and millions of downloads later, the so-called backlash has amounted to little more than a ripple among Muslims worldwide.
Wilders attempt to provoke a violent response from Muslims and the ensuing raised security threat levels which accompanied the release of the film serves only to raise the international profile of the propagandist at the expense of Islam and the Muslims. While a handful of demonstrations took place in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia, the international response to the film has been notable for its failure to transpire. Instead, the film has drawn widespread condemnations from both Muslim countries, international bodies, and politicians from around the world.
MPAC applauds the resounding statements made by international leaders condemning the film as anti-Muslim, offensive and hateful. On Thursday, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands said:
"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 offense."
Mainstream Dutch parliamentarians also said 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. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called it "offensively anti-Islamic," and added that "freedom
must always be accompanied by social responsibility". The European Union president repudiated the film, saying that it served "no other purpose than inflaming hatred".
"Fitna" features nothing new in terms of its propaganda methods. It is jam-packed with the usual cherry picked Quranic recitations juxtaposed with horrific footage of hateful statements by obscure Muslim clerics, violence and terrorist attacks by extremists. It ends with 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. In essence, it is a classic example of Islamophobia, a distorted and hateful manipulation of reality which exploits ignorance, prejudice and fear.
At the center of "Fitna" are five verses from the Qur'an which are mistranslated, quoted out of context and misinterpreted by Wilders to support his claim that the text is the inspiration for so-called Muslim violence and hate taking place today. The film was removed from the Internet yesterday by Wilders, after the cartoonist behind the infamous Muhammad cartoons threatened to sue him for copyright infringement for using his cartoon without permission.
American viewers should be less than shocked by "Fitna", since it mirrors so closely propaganda which has aired on the Fox News Channel entitled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." The two films almost mirror one another in their use of classic propaganda methods,
exploiting viewers' ignorance, fear and emotion. Thankfully, however, Muslims worldwide have demonstrated the values of civility and restraint taught by their faith in the face of such a crude, distorted and hateful depiction of their faith and their sacred text.
|
