Coming soon…Fitna I

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Blogosphere, Public Islam.

Wilders movie Fitna is widely discussed on Dutch blogs. A Fist full of euros has made an interesting overview of it. One of the interesting links they have is to an Iranian Shia webforum where people discuss the freedom of expression in the Netherlands and in Iran. There are also several bloggers discussing the issue. I will leave out the usual suspects here and concentrate on few of the smaller blogs that I have found via Global Voices.

Indonesia Matters has a lot of attention for Dutch politics and Geert Wilders as well.

Where does the freedom of speech crosses the line and turns into discrimination thus violating article 1 of the Dutch Constitution where discrimination of people on their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, political view or any other ground is prohibited? This is the same article Wilders is referring to by branding Al-Quran as fascist.

The questions asked seem to be leading in one way or the other on many of the other blogs. Consider for example Israpundit where an article of Spengle is published:

The erring spiritual leader of the Church of England persuades me that Europe’s Man of Destiny is the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who for two years has lived in hiding under constant police protection for the crime of criticizing Islam. It is a measure of the degradation of Europe’s body politic that is only one means to expose the motives of Williams and his ilk, namely to draw fire from Muslims who overtly threaten violence against any public figure who questions the authority of Islam.
Contrary to his critics, Wilders is not provoking violence. The violence is already there, a matter of workaday fact in Muslim enclaves throughout Europe. In an act of great personal courage, Wilders is enticing violent elements out of the tall grass in order to expose them to public opprobrium.

(Spengle refers to Williams’ comments on the shari’a. For a well informed take on that issue see Indigo Jo and Yahya Birt). Another article on Israpundit from Andrew Bostom shows a speech Wilders earlier held on Islam and violence and refers to a quote of Churchill:

While we await the release of Dutch MP Geert Wilders 15 minute documentary on the Koran and Violence, it is worth recalling (hat tip Daniel Pipes) that Winston Churchill on p. 50 of From War to War, the first part of the first volume of his 6-part Second World War, proclaimed Hitler’s Mein Kampf to be,

“…the new Koran of faith and war: turgid, verbose, shapeless, but pregnant with its message.”

Sanjar writes about the protests in Afghanistan against the re-publication of the Danish cartoons and the Fitna movie.

I think the publication of cartoon shows how reconcilable Islam is with western secular values. In the west its seen as gesture to reemphasize western commitment to freedom of expression. In the muslim world its not about freedom of expression. It’s about the way of life. Afghanistan’s Religious Affairs Ministry has called the reprinting of the cartoon as an attack against Islam. Several other Islamic countries have demanded that the film by the Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders must not be released.

It is clear that the two events (the film and the cartoons) each of their own trigger the hostile situations and debates and together make the issue of freedom of speech even stronger. The sometimes hostile reactions led View from Iran to the following commentIn the end, the best response to Wilders is the cold shoulder or humor.

If there is a violent response, doesn’t that just make his point? It’s like fuel for him and even for people who might not agree with him but who see his vindication in a violent response. Who am I to tell people what to do? But if you are a Muslim who is offended by Wilders, then the most effective protest you can offer is to ignore him completely .

I prefer Eutopia’s response to the mania. It’s generous and humorous.

They refer to Europia’s initiative Holland loves Muslims. Sour reactions by Dutch weblogs such as Geenstijl.nl resulted however in a stream of negative and sometimes hateful comments which led Eutopia to end their project.

Subzero is one of the websites we can find an entirely different reaction but still taking issue with the freedom of speech:

I personally think this has nothing to do with freedom of expression, I think it is staunch bigotry, very insulting and something that should be totally unacceptable from a state official.
I believe it should be illegal for anyone to threaten legal citizens to throw them out of their country for any reason, let alone their religious beliefs.
I think this bigot should be thrown out of office and prosecuted for his attacks and actions.

And regarding the possibility of a violent reaction in the Muslim world to the release of this movie; nobody should expect a ‘civilized’ reaction to such an uncivilized attack! Every action has an equal and opposite reaction!
But still, I really hope violence is avoided and that people show their protest and anger in a more effective way.

Subzero also refers what would happen if someone did the same with the Jews as Wilders is doing with Muslims. A similar take can be found on Islamophobia in Europe pointing to what seems to be a double standard:

Offending Islam and Islamophobia is considered in most of the European countries as free speech, but don’t try to raise any issue regarding the Jewish community because you might risk a ban and end up in jail.

I am not sure if I would agree with this issue of double standards although, as I have explained earlier, the issue of how far freedom of speech goes is something that is heavily debated. And Muslims are not the only groups trying to ban sacrilegeous items from the public domain.

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BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts
Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

By Robert Pigott
Religious affairs correspondent, BBC News

The scholars say they are returning to the original values of Islam

Turkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam – and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion.

The country’s powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.

The Hadith is a collection of thousands of sayings reputed to come from the Prophet Muhammad.

As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the Koran and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia.

This is kind of akin to the Christian Reformation. Not exactly the same, but… it’s changing the theological foundations of [the] religion
Fadi Hakura,
Turkey expert, Chatham House

Islam series: Modern roles

But the Turkish state has come to see the Hadith as having an often negative influence on a society it is in a hurry to modernise, and believes it responsible for obscuring the original values of Islam.

It says that a significant number of the sayings were never uttered by Muhammad, and even some that were need now to be reinterpreted.

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BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts
Turkey in radical revision of Islamic texts

By Robert Pigott
Religious affairs correspondent, BBC News

The scholars say they are returning to the original values of Islam

Turkey is preparing to publish a document that represents a revolutionary reinterpretation of Islam – and a controversial and radical modernisation of the religion.

The country’s powerful Department of Religious Affairs has commissioned a team of theologians at Ankara University to carry out a fundamental revision of the Hadith, the second most sacred text in Islam after the Koran.

The Hadith is a collection of thousands of sayings reputed to come from the Prophet Muhammad.

As such, it is the principal guide for Muslims in interpreting the Koran and the source of the vast majority of Islamic law, or Sharia.

This is kind of akin to the Christian Reformation. Not exactly the same, but… it’s changing the theological foundations of [the] religion
Fadi Hakura,
Turkey expert, Chatham House

Islam series: Modern roles

But the Turkish state has come to see the Hadith as having an often negative influence on a society it is in a hurry to modernise, and believes it responsible for obscuring the original values of Islam.

It says that a significant number of the sayings were never uttered by Muhammad, and even some that were need now to be reinterpreted.

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Cartoon and Koran film part of Crusader war: Taliban | Reuters

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Cartoon and Koran film part of Crusader war: Taliban | International | Reuters

By Sayed SalahuddinKABUL (Reuters) – Afghan Taliban militants have branded the reprinting of a satirical cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers and a film on the Koran by a Dutch politician as part of a “Crusader war” against Muslims.

The Islamic movement, which is leading an insurgency in Afghanistan against Afghan and foreign troops led by NATO and the United States, also called for aid for the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

“We see the publication of cartoons and insult of the Holy Koran as part of the Crusaders’ war,” the Taliban said in a statement posted on the group’s Web site.

The cartoon — one of 12 that prompted riots in many Muslim countries in 2006 — was republished by a number of Danish papers last month to show solidarity with the cartoonist after three men were arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill him.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet offensive.

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders is expected to release his film, thought to be critical of the Koran, later this month. Wilders has given few details, but in the past he has called the Koran a “fascist” book that incites violence.

The reprinting of the cartoon and the planned release of the film coincide with recent incursions by Israel into Gaza, where more than 120 Palestinian civilians have been killed.

The developments have angered many in the Muslim world and prompted a series of protests in Afghanistan, where demonstrators have demanded the expulsion of Danish and Dutch troops serving under NATO’s command.

The largest protest was held on Wednesday, when participants called on the Muslim world to provide arms and funds for the Palestinians. Some even indirectly threatened to join the Taliban insurgents, who were ousted from power in 2001 but remain active in the south and east of the country.

In the statement, the al Qaeda-backed Taliban also asked for help for the Palestinians.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants global institutions who preach democracy and human rights to the people of the world to condemn these atrocities of Israel and bring it to the International Criminal Court,” it said.

Afghanistan’s Western-backed government has called the republication of the cartoon an attack against Islam, and one official has warned it would feed the insurgents.

Several other Islamic countries have demanded that the release of Wilders’ film should be stopped, and Pakistan’s foreign ministry accused the Dutch politician of “propagating the politics of hate and promoting xenophobia”.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told Dutch television on Sunday he was concerned about the repercussions Wilders’ plans may have for troops serving in Afghanistan and for Dutch people and businesses elsewhere in the world.

(Editing by Alex Richardson)

© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

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Cartoon and Koran film part of Crusader war: Taliban | Reuters

Posted on March 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Cartoon and Koran film part of Crusader war: Taliban | International | Reuters

By Sayed SalahuddinKABUL (Reuters) – Afghan Taliban militants have branded the reprinting of a satirical cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers and a film on the Koran by a Dutch politician as part of a “Crusader war” against Muslims.

The Islamic movement, which is leading an insurgency in Afghanistan against Afghan and foreign troops led by NATO and the United States, also called for aid for the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

“We see the publication of cartoons and insult of the Holy Koran as part of the Crusaders’ war,” the Taliban said in a statement posted on the group’s Web site.

The cartoon — one of 12 that prompted riots in many Muslim countries in 2006 — was republished by a number of Danish papers last month to show solidarity with the cartoonist after three men were arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill him.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet offensive.

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders is expected to release his film, thought to be critical of the Koran, later this month. Wilders has given few details, but in the past he has called the Koran a “fascist” book that incites violence.

The reprinting of the cartoon and the planned release of the film coincide with recent incursions by Israel into Gaza, where more than 120 Palestinian civilians have been killed.

The developments have angered many in the Muslim world and prompted a series of protests in Afghanistan, where demonstrators have demanded the expulsion of Danish and Dutch troops serving under NATO’s command.

The largest protest was held on Wednesday, when participants called on the Muslim world to provide arms and funds for the Palestinians. Some even indirectly threatened to join the Taliban insurgents, who were ousted from power in 2001 but remain active in the south and east of the country.

In the statement, the al Qaeda-backed Taliban also asked for help for the Palestinians.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants global institutions who preach democracy and human rights to the people of the world to condemn these atrocities of Israel and bring it to the International Criminal Court,” it said.

Afghanistan’s Western-backed government has called the republication of the cartoon an attack against Islam, and one official has warned it would feed the insurgents.

Several other Islamic countries have demanded that the release of Wilders’ film should be stopped, and Pakistan’s foreign ministry accused the Dutch politician of “propagating the politics of hate and promoting xenophobia”.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told Dutch television on Sunday he was concerned about the repercussions Wilders’ plans may have for troops serving in Afghanistan and for Dutch people and businesses elsewhere in the world.

(Editing by Alex Richardson)

© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

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