Thursday 24 July 2008

Comment on Fitna

The short film Fitna, made by Dutch parliament member Geert Wilders is a collection of old news images that relates the terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda-related groups to certain texts in the Koran. It also shows some Muslim preachers call for violence against Jews and people of other faiths. It shows some extremists who use Islam to justify their intolerant opinions and violent actions. The film then calls upon Muslims to remove these texts from the Koran.
The Dutch society has almost unanimously rejected the film. Not only the Dutch government, but also all the major Dutch organizations and all political parties from left to right (with the exception of Wilders’ own party) have rejected the film. None of the Dutch TV stations has been willing to broadcast the film. In fact, rarely has the Dutch society been so in agreement about anything as about refusing the suggestions raised in this film. The Dutch people respect freedom of speech but oppose insults and lack of respect as these do not contribute to a climate of tolerance.

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