[scroll down for the film]
Sorry. I am a militant atheist and a pretty good graphic designer - so I’m offended by the movie in two ways. First balls and second production values - it had a shortage of both.
Fitna, for the 6 people who don’t know, is the film by Dutch politician Geert Wilders - Wilders had asked for the banning of the Koran and this film was supposed to be brutally harsh about that book. Muslims around the world of course have threatened to throw a fit if the film were released.
So it has now been released - and I understand the lack of overt offence - he didn’t literally tear apart the Koran, he didn’t talk about the founder’s pedophilia etc… he attacked it from a fairly Liberal perspective as anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-liberal. I imagine it is to win votes - not from extremists, but from regular workers, who see the movie, see the moderation and decide that if people are killing nuns over that trifle then maybe he is write about the inherent violence of mainstream Islam. Fair play that, but at the end of the day a burnt embassy is a burnt embassy, so why not go all in?
Next, production values. That’s the best he could do? Really? That’s shameful - if I’m going to get a death sentence on my head, I at least want to be able to hold that head high for a job well done. This film was not well done, it’s standard youtube fare.
Overall I’m very disappointed.
I don’t know what I’ll do, maybe I’ll go burn the Dutch consulate or break a window at a pannekoek house. We graphic designing atheists can be pretty violent when wronged.
If you’re curious about what normal people are saying about this, you can hunt the zeitgeist here.
You can find the film here:
As an atheist (dunno what you mean by militant, I think there is only one kind) and a BA on Meida and Communication I agree with your review that it is lame and I would add some points as to why it is so.
The film is a pamphlet. It tries to associate the deeds of some lunatics (who try to justify themselves with the Q’uran) with ALL the moslims. It is like saying that ALL Ameircans like to go into universities and shoot at least 20 people, just as a hobby. It is NOT TRUE.
It is also poorly done. Some of Wilders blunders:
- The use of the Danish cartoon was not authorized by the cartoonist. He just called Wilders a thief in an interview on Dutch TV.
- He changed some words on the verses (soerat 8, vers 60 does not say ‘terrorize’)
- The image he uses of Van Gogh’s killer is actually a Moroccan raper. Proof that xenophobes think that all Muslims look and act the same?
I also feel pretty offended that the BBC deared to call him a film-maker on an article. Film-maker my soft-part-where-I-sit-upon!
I think the clip was okay. Certainly not what it could have been. I do think people make too many excuses for religion, particularly Islam. It’s okay to point of all of Christianity’s flaws, but not Islam?!? I am glad the clip at least points out how crazy Muslims CAN be. What would you think of Christians who started doing this? Of course you would expect them to be called out, just like the KKK.
We set up division of religion from government in the United States for a reason, you know? If nothing else maybe this clip will remind people what happens to people when religion controls them.
Again, not very well done but at least someone is not afraid to make a point about it.