Dutch Muslims Urge Calm Over Quran Film
January 24, 2008 - 3:58pm
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - A Dutch Muslim group appealed Thursday for calm at home and abroad in reaction to an anti-Quran film a right-wing politician says he is making.
Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, says his film will portray the Quran as a "fascist book" that incites violence and intolerance of women and homosexuals.
The Dutch director of a previous film critical of Islam was murdered by a Muslim radical on an Amsterdam street in 2004, prompting a backlash that included the torching of several mosques.
The moderate National Moroccan Council said Thursday it will try to "neutralize the threat" posed by the upcoming film, which Wilders says is still under production.
"At the moment, practically all Muslim groups ... are working to ensure a peaceful and responsible reaction" to the film, said the group's chairman, Mohamed Rabbae, at a news conference in The Hague.
"We will have succeeded if, after the film, Mr. Wilders is frustrated," Rabbae said. "If he sees there are no riots and Muslims are cleverer and more democratic than he thinks."
Wilders has yet to find a broadcaster prepared to air the film once it is finished. But he has said that if he cannot find one, he will post it on the Internet.
Even though it is uncertain the film will ever be broadcast, the government has put cities on alert for possible violence. It has also warned its overseas embassies about a possible reaction similar to the one that erupted across the Muslim world over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005.
"That a 10-minute film that's never been shown may lead to riots, boycotts and other bad things, says everything about the nature of Islam," said Wilders in an open letter Thursday. "Nothing about me."
Wilders' party holds nine of the Dutch parliament's 150 seats.
In the past, he has said that half the Quran should be torn up and has compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Wilders said his film will not closely resemble "Submission," the short film written by right-leaning former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
"Submission" criticized the treatment of women under Islam, citing Quranic verses that appeared to justify abuse.
The film's director, Theo Van Gogh, was murdered in 2004. A Muslim extremist shot him numerous times, slit his throat and used a knife to pin a letter to his chest threatening the life of Hirsi Ali. She now lives in the United States under 24-hour guard.
Rabbae said his group represents the majority of the more than 850,000 Muslims living in this nation of 16.3 million.
The group also will call on Dutch Muslims who feel victimized or insulted by the film to file criminal complaints against Wilders for racial or religious vilification.
(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - A Dutch Muslim group appealed Thursday for calm at home and abroad in reaction to an anti-Quran film a right-wing politician says he is making.
Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, says his film will portray the Quran as a "fascist book" that incites violence and intolerance of women and homosexuals.
The Dutch director of a previous film critical of Islam was murdered by a Muslim radical on an Amsterdam street in 2004, prompting a backlash that included the torching of several mosques.
The moderate National Moroccan Council said Thursday it will try to "neutralize the threat" posed by the upcoming film, which Wilders says is still under production.
"At the moment, practically all Muslim groups ... are working to ensure a peaceful and responsible reaction" to the film, said the group's chairman, Mohamed Rabbae, at a news conference in The Hague.
"We will have succeeded if, after the film, Mr. Wilders is frustrated," Rabbae said. "If he sees there are no riots and Muslims are cleverer and more democratic than he thinks."
Wilders has yet to find a broadcaster prepared to air the film once it is finished. But he has said that if he cannot find one, he will post it on the Internet.
Even though it is uncertain the film will ever be broadcast, the government has put cities on alert for possible violence. It has also warned its overseas embassies about a possible reaction similar to the one that erupted across the Muslim world over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005.
"That a 10-minute film that's never been shown may lead to riots, boycotts and other bad things, says everything about the nature of Islam," said Wilders in an open letter Thursday. "Nothing about me."
Wilders' party holds nine of the Dutch parliament's 150 seats.
In the past, he has said that half the Quran should be torn up and has compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Wilders said his film will not closely resemble "Submission," the short film written by right-leaning former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
"Submission" criticized the treatment of women under Islam, citing Quranic verses that appeared to justify abuse.
The film's director, Theo Van Gogh, was murdered in 2004. A Muslim extremist shot him numerous times, slit his throat and used a knife to pin a letter to his chest threatening the life of Hirsi Ali. She now lives in the United States under 24-hour guard.
Rabbae said his group represents the majority of the more than 850,000 Muslims living in this nation of 16.3 million.
The group also will call on Dutch Muslims who feel victimized or insulted by the film to file criminal complaints against Wilders for racial or religious vilification.
January 24, 2008 - 3:58pm
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - A Dutch Muslim group appealed Thursday for calm at home and abroad in reaction to an anti-Quran film a right-wing politician says he is making.
Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, says his film will portray the Quran as a "fascist book" that incites violence and intolerance of women and homosexuals.
The Dutch director of a previous film critical of Islam was murdered by a Muslim radical on an Amsterdam street in 2004, prompting a backlash that included the torching of several mosques.
The moderate National Moroccan Council said Thursday it will try to "neutralize the threat" posed by the upcoming film, which Wilders says is still under production.
"At the moment, practically all Muslim groups ... are working to ensure a peaceful and responsible reaction" to the film, said the group's chairman, Mohamed Rabbae, at a news conference in The Hague.
"We will have succeeded if, after the film, Mr. Wilders is frustrated," Rabbae said. "If he sees there are no riots and Muslims are cleverer and more democratic than he thinks."
Wilders has yet to find a broadcaster prepared to air the film once it is finished. But he has said that if he cannot find one, he will post it on the Internet.
Even though it is uncertain the film will ever be broadcast, the government has put cities on alert for possible violence. It has also warned its overseas embassies about a possible reaction similar to the one that erupted across the Muslim world over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005.
"That a 10-minute film that's never been shown may lead to riots, boycotts and other bad things, says everything about the nature of Islam," said Wilders in an open letter Thursday. "Nothing about me."
Wilders' party holds nine of the Dutch parliament's 150 seats.
In the past, he has said that half the Quran should be torn up and has compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Wilders said his film will not closely resemble "Submission," the short film written by right-leaning former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
"Submission" criticized the treatment of women under Islam, citing Quranic verses that appeared to justify abuse.
The film's director, Theo Van Gogh, was murdered in 2004. A Muslim extremist shot him numerous times, slit his throat and used a knife to pin a letter to his chest threatening the life of Hirsi Ali. She now lives in the United States under 24-hour guard.
Rabbae said his group represents the majority of the more than 850,000 Muslims living in this nation of 16.3 million.
The group also will call on Dutch Muslims who feel victimized or insulted by the film to file criminal complaints against Wilders for racial or religious vilification.
(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press Writer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - A Dutch Muslim group appealed Thursday for calm at home and abroad in reaction to an anti-Quran film a right-wing politician says he is making.
Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, says his film will portray the Quran as a "fascist book" that incites violence and intolerance of women and homosexuals.
The Dutch director of a previous film critical of Islam was murdered by a Muslim radical on an Amsterdam street in 2004, prompting a backlash that included the torching of several mosques.
The moderate National Moroccan Council said Thursday it will try to "neutralize the threat" posed by the upcoming film, which Wilders says is still under production.
"At the moment, practically all Muslim groups ... are working to ensure a peaceful and responsible reaction" to the film, said the group's chairman, Mohamed Rabbae, at a news conference in The Hague.
"We will have succeeded if, after the film, Mr. Wilders is frustrated," Rabbae said. "If he sees there are no riots and Muslims are cleverer and more democratic than he thinks."
Wilders has yet to find a broadcaster prepared to air the film once it is finished. But he has said that if he cannot find one, he will post it on the Internet.
Even though it is uncertain the film will ever be broadcast, the government has put cities on alert for possible violence. It has also warned its overseas embassies about a possible reaction similar to the one that erupted across the Muslim world over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in 2005.
"That a 10-minute film that's never been shown may lead to riots, boycotts and other bad things, says everything about the nature of Islam," said Wilders in an open letter Thursday. "Nothing about me."
Wilders' party holds nine of the Dutch parliament's 150 seats.
In the past, he has said that half the Quran should be torn up and has compared it with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He has claimed the Netherlands is being swamped by a "tsunami" of Islamic immigrants.
Wilders said his film will not closely resemble "Submission," the short film written by right-leaning former Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
"Submission" criticized the treatment of women under Islam, citing Quranic verses that appeared to justify abuse.
The film's director, Theo Van Gogh, was murdered in 2004. A Muslim extremist shot him numerous times, slit his throat and used a knife to pin a letter to his chest threatening the life of Hirsi Ali. She now lives in the United States under 24-hour guard.
Rabbae said his group represents the majority of the more than 850,000 Muslims living in this nation of 16.3 million.
The group also will call on Dutch Muslims who feel victimized or insulted by the film to file criminal complaints against Wilders for racial or religious vilification.
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