Fitna downloaded by millions as Europe braces for violence
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke after all: http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3792, as promised, before the end of March. Within hours, millions of people had accessed it.
The film juxtaposes graphic images of Islamist terrorism — including bombings and beheadings — with verses from the Koran, footage of Muslim clerics endorsing violence, and newspaper headlines dealing with various aspects of radical Islam.
In recent months reports on the planned film, entitled Fitna (an Arabic word in the Koran translated as “strife” or “ordeal”), have http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3585 in the Islamic world ranging from allegations of blasphemy and diplomatic maneuvers to angry street demonstrations.
European authorities warned of more violence to come, and the Dutch http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3153, citing complaints, even though the site was merely a holding page with no accessible content.
The right-wing lawmaker subsequently succeeded in getting the film posted on the British video sharing site, LiveLeak. Despite a few hitches overnight, as of early Friday morning (U.S. eastern daylight time) the English version had been viewed more than 2.5 million times and the Dutch one 2.7 million times, according to figures on the site.
LiveLeak said in a statement it did not endorse the views expressed in the film, and that many of those involved with the site found some of the material offensive. But, it added, “our being offended is no reason to deny Mr. Wilders the right to have his film seen. Pre-emptive censorship or a discriminatory policy towards freedom of speech are both things we oppose here.”
Earlier, weeks of delays in the film’s expected release sparked some speculation that the whole thing was an experiment or elaborate hoax, with Wilders using the threat of the film to draw out reactions — from Muslims and European governments alike — and so prove his contention that Islam brooks no criticism, and that Western governments will bend over backwards to appease radical Muslims.
Fueling the hoax theory was a Web site set up with a similar URL to Wilders’ — and since taken down — where a message read in part: “It should be fairly obvious by now that there is no ‘Fitna’ movie … we all know the month of April starts with the 1st April and that day is famous for (practical) jokes … if you are here to find the Famous Fitna movie I guess you have been had. On the other hand, if you are worried about how much unrest the rumor of a 15 minute movie about Islam can create, maybe it is time to identify and deal with the issues at hand.”
But Wilders last week assured supporters and detractors that it was not an April Fool’s joke, and on Thursday the film was finally available for people to view and judge for themselves.
Running at just over 16 minutes, it begins with a warning about shocking images to follow, then gives a glimpse of the most infamous of the 12 “Mohammed” cartoons published by Danish newspapers in 2005 — the one depicting the prophet’s turban as a bomb with a lit fuse.
A digital clock starts ticking down, and a translation of a verse from the Koran (sura 8:30) appears: “Prepare for them whatever force and cavalry ye are capable of gathering to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies …”
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Correspondent: Fitna is a powerful film, and the most compelling part is a chart which shows the huge growth of Europe’s Islamic population as a result of postwar immigration policies. Viewers of the film are bound to link the threat of militant Islam with the misrule they suffer under the present ruling elite, who have allowed the Third World invasion.
The response of these elites in acting more upset with Wilders than with the fruits of their own policies, also underscores the fact that “diversity,” with calls for censorship and campaigns from special http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3342, is a threat to ancient European traditions.
As with the http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3445."
Additionally, Zionist forces are now crying about a situation they http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3402? For Zionists to attempt to dictate the terms of the fightback against Islam now is the height of arrogance. And it also doesn’t change the fact that Islam is a very real problem that has to be confronted in our own homelands if we hope to survive as a people.