Fitna (2008) User Reviews

You have to be careful what you say about the film, bold and interested enough to watch it and ignorant enough to dismiss it.

[johnnyboyz · 6/10 · 3 April 2008]

You can call it controversial, you can call it anything you like. Truth is, short Dutch effort 'Fitna' is a film that isn't sure weather it wants to shock, educate or insult; maybe it wants to do all three, maybe it really wants to just inform and none of the above. The truth also is, that the film is a mere series of pieces of footage that we have all seen before pasted together in-between some more found footage of certain somebody's talking in whatever language they're talking in about how much they hate the world.

I was not impressed by Fitna to the level I felt I was supposed to be; nor to the level the film perhaps wanted me to be. 2002 Iranian effort 'The Afghan Alphabet' is a much longer and much more disturbing insight into the mentality behind Afghans and their way of life; the interview the Iranian crew engage in with a young Koran believing boy has the boy thinking along the lines of 'The West are our enemies' and that 'Allah is great, God is great' and all the necessary religion led political mumbo-jumbo that is very sacred to them but seems obligatory to us. In Fitna, that scene is emulated but only for a brief ten seconds when this time Judaism is targeted by Muslims.

The Afghan Alphabet was a feature length documentary shot in Afghanistan very shortly after 9/11, Fitna is a documentary that is just about ten minutes and is really just a string of people either bashing the West or footage of recent terrorist events. The scenes in which Muslim extremists are talking about how much they hate their enemies are given no introduction, and we must believe what is being said through subtitles; things like "even a stone will say 'Oh Allah!'" which sounds like a pretty stupid thing to say. Likewise, the terrorist attack aftermaths merely consist of the most viewed videos on Youtube pasted together: the 7/7 bombings in London; the Spanish tube attacks and various 9/11 clips. We've all seen these videos and thus, if we let them affect us when watching this short film then we are tricking ourselves into hating Muslims even more since they are inter-cut into an actual documentary, rather than being viewed casually.

This tells us two things, firstly that Geert Wilders is pointing out that the Muslims think the 'enemy' is the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom. Wilders does include some found footage of Dutchman Theo van Gough who was killed by a Muslim, but it is only natural to make Holland look victimised since the filmmaker is Dutch. However, Wilders does point out a flaw in the Muslim belief: earlier on in the piece, he includes footage of an unnamed Muslim stating that all of the 'West' are the enemy; indeed the Koran verse itself says that you must 'terrorise Allah's enemy' but Wilders points out that Muslims have held up banners stating 'God Bless Hitler' which completely contradicts the Koran's belief. Hitler was German, he was from the West and German troops have probably fought in Afghanistan and Iraq under the banner of the U.N. – but shouldn't that double them up as the enemy? Muslims seem to think not. If Allah should bless Hitler, should he bless other such dictators like Stalin and Milošević? It doesn't make sense which is a point to the West.

Fitna may not have been all that necessary and really just adds more fuel to the fire but I did not learn anything new watching it, nor did I feel any different in my already set opinions of Islam. I am from Britain, I am from the West and thus; I am an enemy of the Muslims – if they had the choice, I'd be gone in an instant; like it or not. But that's the way it is and a die for a die, they are my 'enemy' even if I have not been brought up to actively hate them, but what they did in London in 2005 and in America in 2001 is barbaric and repulsive. But we already knew this, like we knew it before watching Fitna – I got the feeling that Wilders was trying to say Islam is really just an age old belief, thought up by people with nothing better to do and followed by people who are just as guilty.

Unfortunately, Islam is not something like an 'itch' or the cold weather; you cannot just ignore it and wait for it to go away – it's like a dripping tap and unless you get up and do something, it won't go away. The film tells us that Muslims are extremely antagonistic while adopting Nazi-like characteristics in their world domination and anti-Semitic ideas. Maybe Wilders is an attention seeker, maybe he's just very brave but one thing's for sure; he knows how to spark controversy and how to get people excited by simply pasting together a series of newsreel footage.

Showing the evil side of Islam, but leaving the question "why" open (again)

[jesse_arents · 5/10 · 28 March 2008]

Only a five because this movie is just a copy & paste of various internet & television flicks with very little self made input. The content of the film is quite shocking and not suited for minors because the movie shows some explicit material from the last three huge terror attacks that shocked the western hemisphere and a lot of bloody scenes. Although most or even all of the shown pictures and flicks are real, it never explains 'why' the ordinary people from Islamic AND our countries are so easy influencable and easy angered. Pro or contra Islamic propaganda movies like this one are an important reason that a lot of people are being brainwashed worldwide and no God is going to change that. This Geert Wilders creation brings nothing new to the world, and it thinks for you, which in my opinion is a very bad way to make a documentary. The day on which people can not think for themselves anymore, it is time to close the book of humankind!

No Religion in the world teach People to hate & kill others

[ladymilano · 5/10 · 8 April 2008]

I believe it does... If there's any, so it's not a religion at all! I'm not a Muslim, but I really don't like to see anyone discuss or talk about another religion badly. It will just make other contemn you.

If Geert or anyone is really good (behaviour, life style), you wouldn't do such a thing. It will be greater if you make a film which shows your theory about your own religion! Not seeking the bad point of other religion...

Suggestion for Muslim, as human of course we must through many temptations from God, challenge us how to be more veracious and sincere with that. Believe me, all religions teach that! ;) So, just keep in peace OK?

Getting the Goat ...

[kaaber-2 · 29 March 2008]

This film may not have deserved the hullabaloo that preceded it, but I fail to see why it evokes such irate response from a lot of people. The film documents actual atrocities committed by certified religious fanatics – from the videotaped butchering of innocent captives through executions of homosexuals and women to 9/11, all actual events – and it crosscuts this documentary footage with verses from the Quran, inferring that such actions may be sanctioned by the Quran, but I can't see Wilders claiming that reading the Quran necessarily leads to terrorism. I can't see him lashing out at ordinary, decent Muslims. Where Wilders may be wrong – or perhaps misconstrued – is at the end of the film where he tricks us into thinking that he rips out a page of the Quran, only to inform us that he in fact tore out a page of the telephone directory, and that it is up to the individual Muslim to edit his own scriptures. This may not have to be taken literally, of course, as I'm certain the Quran contains a clause prohibiting editing, as the Bible does (in Revelations, although it's uncertain whether that biblical passage refers to the Bible as such, to the New Testament or only Revelations). The Bible contains reprehensible passages too – I have always found it hard to stomach the story of Sikem and Dina in Genesis 34 and several of the rules of the Leviticus are certainly out of date – but Wilders' point may of course be that Muslims need to distance themselves from the atrocities that take Islam hostage, and that the Islamic faith is being hi-jacked by murderous fanatics. And this may be what Wilders is trying to provoke (as indeed have many others before him, with only minor results): a substantial protest from Muslims to that they take acception to the horrors committed in the name of their religion. After the secularization of the western world, Christians are hard to scandalize. There may be some protests when an artist submerges a crucifix into urine, but Andres Serrano never became the subject of persecution, his life was never endangered, he has no Fatwa on him – western civilization abandoned such with the era of enlightenment, to the regret of only a few pockets of staunch fundamentalists. In between the film's 15 minute montage of holy verse and bloodshed may lie a certain amount of fear, but it can hardly be called phobia – irrational fear – since several of Wilders' acquaintances have in fact been assassinated, and since the Archbishop of Canterbury recently muttered something along the lines of admonishing the introduction of Sharia law in England (an event which will go down in history as the oddest controversy since Thomas a Becket). Wilders is worried, I'm sure, that western civilization will cave in to relativist thinking and militant Islamism, since the majority of resident Muslims apparently (note!) are more worried about Islam getting a bad press in harmless cartoons and short documentaries than about murderous martyrs, female circumcision, honour killings, terrorism and the like. Therefore he advocates a clear manifestation from European Muslims concerning where they stand.

The film itself is far more conciliatory than the statements Wilders made before releasing it – some of his comments seemed truly Islamophobic, granted – but as it turns out, the film is in fact a rallying cry for moderate Muslims.

Distorted and offensive.

[giel_stekelenburg · 2/10 · 29 March 2008]

A short movie that accuses Islam of inhumanity in many different forms. It also suggests that the Netherlands is subject to 'Islamization'.

The movie shows terroristic events, some rare Islamic rituals, satellite dishes and speeches of political leaders. Most of the people in the movie that propagate hate and war are dead or in jail right at the moment of publication of the movie. Fitna fails to show any new facts, provides incomplete information and at several times simply is incorrect. Therefore one can question whether there was any reason to produce it, other than to be a piece of propaganda and to fit it in Geert Wilders personal hate campaign against Islam.

One might wonder why it took 5 months to produce a 16 minute slide-show which lacks any fundamental scientific or theological base and violates copyrights. In my opinion it does not even come close to an average high-school project.

Is the movie worth watching? If you would like to learn about Islam, no. If you want to form an opinion about Geert Wilders, definitely.

Fitna is a strong example of ethnocentric propaganda.

[saladin4 · 3/10 · 12 April 2008]

In Fitna, Geert Wilders succeeds in taking enormous amounts of old footage out of their original context and fitting them together in a pattern that is really only logical to Geert Wilders.

While not being a very tasteful or entertaining film, to the mature viewer it does provide an interesting perspective on one thing - The grotesque nature of ethnocentric and political propaganda. For this reason, and because of scenes of extreme violence, it should be highly dis-recommended to the immature viewer.

Personally, I have never seen the likes of Fitna since America's paranoid propaganda videos from the Red Scare. I was amazed by the paranoia exhibited in the Cold War, but I am equally amazed by the seriousness with which Wilders draws parallels between extreme Islamic fundamentalism and the billion (probably more) innocent and innocuous Muslims living in and outside Europe.

A highly relevant short film.

[petcrows · 10/10 · 27 March 2008]

This film, whose main site was preemptively censored by an American web hosting company, has been released by it's producer on liveleak. And there is a current wikipedia page about the film that is still up. So I have now seen the film. Here's my review: There are some inflammatory parts. But they are not unreasonably inflammatory when one considers what is actually advocated by some Islamic Imams today.

I have previously exposed myself to speeches given by people such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch Somali woman who has to have round the clock security. The producer of this film, Geert Wilders, has to have similar security for him also. And why does this occur? Because of the current primitive state of the Islamic culture as compared to that of Christianity, Judaism, and of the Asian religions & cultures.

In the film Fitna Mr. Wilders shows some Koran versus & then visual examples of how those verses are played out in his view. He also shows Islamic teachers advocating violence & murder.

Since Mr. Wilders has to go around with round the clock security, I can see why he would be anxious to put out a film on these issues. He apparently feels the freedom-loving culture of his own country (Holland) is at risk, and he sees freedom in Europe at risk as well.

Anyway, when a film is preemptively censored by an American company, you know there's a problem & that the censored film is even more important to see. Consider all the past films that have been censored. They basically were telling some key social truth which was inconvenient to the powers that be. And that's what this film does also.

The film shows how Islam is essentially operating along a medieval Bronze-age type track. The Christian Bible & the Jewish Torah (Old Testament) do advocate murder & other horrific things. Yes they do. So subjectively one could consider both Jehovah and Allah to be cruel & sadistic.

But the Jews & the Christians have for the most part moved beyond the medieval thinking their ancestors embraced. The Crusades are over, for example. And when Jehovah supposedly advocated to the Jews that they kill whole groups of people who weren't Jewish (ref. the Old Testament), that was "back then." Today there are not active Jewish & Christian schools that advocate killing "the other" - at least not nearly as many as currently exist in Islam.

I am aware of the "Jesus Camp" people, but there's no Jesus-camps being financed by a national state.

Saudi Arabia does fund schools where children are taught to hate the non-Muslim. Fitna does address this issue. And similar documentaries put out by Channel 4 in the UK ("Root of all evil?" - with Richard Dawkins), also talk about how Saudi Arabia is funding schools which teach Islamic children to hate "the other" - the non-Muslim. And Sam Harris & Christopher Hitchens have spoken about these issues as well.

Anyway the fact that a.) the film's first web site was censored by an American company, and b.) that the film's producer has to have round the clock security due to death threats against him as a result of his film & similar works, it is all a commentary on the state of Islam today.

After seeing the film I am left wondering how we all can cause Islam to move beyond Bronze-age murderous medieval thinking. I know there are some in that culture/religion trying to do this. But Europe is unfortunately doing too much appeasing, and Mr. Wilders agrees as per what he states in his film.

Toward the end of the film Mr. Wilders asks for help with defending freedom: That Europe previously defended freedom in the case of Naziism and Communism. He sees Islam as a similar threat.

European countries do readily ban Nazi groups & paraphernalia. Maybe they should do more banning of these Saudi funded schools where children are taught to hate & to harbor murder in their hearts. I hope they do implement such a ban.

Multiculturalism & diversity has it's limits. Mr. Wilders film, the fact that Islamists sought to censor it, and the fact that Mr. Wilders has to go around with round the clock security are direct proofs of the limits.

I hope more films of this nature come out.

Fitna is 16 minutes long. A similar film, called "Submission" by Theo van Gogh, was 10 minutes long. Mr. Van Gogh, a descendant of the brother of the painter Vincent van Gogh, was murdered because he put his film out. That's outrageous, and my reaction to such things is visceral. I am going to temper my reaction with some reason though. For example, I'm not going to allow myself to be taken advantage of by people who advocate continual war. But the whole point I think of the work of people like Theo Van Gogh & Geert Wilders is to show in stark terms just exactly what the problems are with having too much politically correct multiculturalism - where you allow people who don't value freedom to be in your midst. To allow people who really don't value freedom to take advantage of the free societies they're allowed to live in.

Certainly a large proportion of humans who call themselves Muslim have moved beyond Bronze-age murderous thinking. But one point brought home by Mr. Wilders' film is this: There are apparently more murderous freedom-hating radicals in Islam than there are in other current religions. And there's big problems with allowing nation-state funded (that is, by Saudi Arabia) schools in your freedom loving countries which teach children to hate & to kill those who are not members of their religion. And to teach children that it's OK to have a culture that oppresses women, that does not value freedom of speech, and so on...

Hate mongering

[bristolsite · 1/10 · 21 April 2008]

I do not believe that such a blatant piece of hate-mongering can be accepted by anyone. I myself do not hold any religious beliefs but find it astounding that Geert Wilder tried to say that Islam was evil, whilst in the same sentence saying that we should all adopt "christian, Jewish and humanistic values". Humanistic values would be great if we all took them on board but they have nothing to do with Christianity, Islam, or any other religion as they all promote segregation and stop us all from uniting as people. I don't hate particular race, religion, colour or person. I just despise the way we have forgotten who we all are at heart: People. One and the same. Religion only serves to separate what was once a collective consciousness.

Microcosm

[jldmp1 · 10/10 · 1 April 2008]

I'm giving this a 10 for two reasons: because it's an important warning to us in the larger tolerant Western world of what happens to smaller, tolerant countries when they make the suicidal mistake of admitting too many outsiders who are culturally and politically unable to assimilate to the tolerant mores of the host country. Wilders reminds Holland of this with the segment on the hangings and drownings of gays.

Second, since this film has gotten noticed, there's been the inevitable infantile tantrum/backlash from the very people it exposes -- proving the larger point. I urge you to take the time, seek out the web video before our own speech police shut it down entirely.

What shocks is not the actual news clippings or footage - we've read it all if we've paid attention the last few years. Our own media have gone out of the way to spare the public from the actual barbarism of our enemies, that is, civilization's enemies. So to see it without varnish is unsettling.

I find it blackly comic that people will brand this as 'racist' (Islam is not a race) or 'offensive'. Wilders has simply assembled footage of their own acts, their own 'videos', their own man in the street candid statements, etc...there's no dramatization or distortion. So how is it offensive? Western civilization long ago hounded out of existence the worst acts committed (falsely) in the name of the dominant religion. It's time Islam did the same. Christianity routinely suffers criticism for the violent passages in the Bible. Where are the riots, bombs and beheadings? If Islamic moral progress is possible, we'll know we're there when we exchange heated words in place of bullets.

Tells a point of view unflinchingly

[Songman06 · 7/10 · 2 September 2014]

Reading a lot of comments that this movie is racist. Labelling it as such is to completely remove oneself any critical thought which objectively looks at the material and point made and to ask yourself if it's message is legitimate. Non Muslims might find it scary and indeed the premise posed by this documentary will invoke such feelings. Muslims may feel marginalised by it's targeting of selective passages in religious text that they believe in while not being fanatical as those presented in the film.

Both have legitimate arguments but to dismiss the documentary as racist is arrogance without forethought. Indeed this short documentary poses very provocative sharp messages and In this it can be considered that it addresses a highly complex issue very simply, it doesn't seek to delve deeper.

However,current events with Islamic state and it's atrocities, a viewer cannot be blamed if a lot of what is posed in the video is coming to fruition. Take a walk through Mosul park in Northern Iraq and the full display of what living in a caliphate is like- that's if you can bear the sight of decapitated women and children. Documentaries like this are confronting and as such it helps address an issue. It is provocative, it can inspire hatred and anger but it demands us as non Muslims and Muslims to open a dialogue on how we live together. This movie is blatantly partisan but regardless any view needs to understand that this movie is not targeting peaceful Muslims but the fanatics it depicts.

What a disappointment!!!

[Fuirena · 1/10 · 29 March 2008]

When I started to watch the movie I was acutely aware that the pooha preceding its release was mainly to enhance expectations, but what a letdown!!!

A warning for fragile souls only to be followed by news-footage we have seen before and in greater detail: nothing new there.

The verses from the Quran that prove the Muslims are bloodthirsty monsters. I am sure the bible and the Thora contain equal amounts of arousing words. No mention of the softer side of Islam: the sharing, caring,... Very convenient and unbalanced.

And then the very cute postcard: greetings from the Netherlands. Yes, didn't you know: all the windmills, the Dutch cheese-girls and red-light-districts have been replaced by mosques!!!

Very disappointing, totally meaningless and totally missing every point. One could make a nice blond-joke about Geert Wilders, but that would be too easy though wouldn't it?

Pity they had to remove his 15 minutes of fame from LiveLeak because of threats. This creates the appearance of there being some truth to Fitna. A great pity indeed!

Brace yourselves! The Omen Has Arrived!

[martinjakobsen · 8/10 · 27 March 2008]

For its purpose, Gert Wildeers pulled off a horrifically tragic and impressive piece of short-film. It shows how Islam and the Quran is misinterpreted by radical Muslims and a couple of the consequences of just that. The short-film is designed to bring out fear in the audience by telling the old sad story of terrorism and the bad experiences that has risen throughout Europe and the USA.

No doubt - What is shown is true. What this movie doesn't show us is the good Muslim doing his job, the Muslim making friends with Europeans and Americans and the Muslim adapting to his new environments. To generalize and expect people to be dumb as cattle are not the way to go about these matters. Digging even deeper trenches between the Islamic culture and western culture is a bad idea. Unless You just wanna say "fcuk it" and arm up as we speak. I don't have the solution to these problems that we experience these days. I just don't feel that this short-film is going to help solve anything at all... Especially in this turbulent time of satiric drawings and no-good trade embargoes.

Somebody needs to give that man a hug. There are lots of Muslims acting retarded in this world. But luckily there are significantly more acting like the rest of us.

God bless us all!

//Martin Jakobsen

Catchy but sometimes out of its context

[scavvy · 7/10 · 28 March 2008]

The movie is catchy and straight to the point. Although some of the parts are a little "generalized". The movies has some strong points but it only supports a single view. U need to create your own opinion about the whole situation and the movie helps a little by giving some examples. U don't need to agree with the story being told, it's not the purpose of this movie. Its purpose is to let people think about the situation in general. If u have about 15 minutes to spare, I suggest you watch it and see some information u can discuss with others or think over yourself. If u didn't like it after all..well 15 minutes can be missed right.

Are satisfy now ! i'll still Muslima

[S0-Far · 1/10 · 2 April 2008]

How strange to put all of your effort With full confidence in something you don't know about it anything at all or maybe you understand it completely wrong and above of all that you insist on it !

Really how strange because i'm a Muslim girl and i don't see among us neither in our countries any kind of what the haters spread around.

What can you call what's happening in Palestine and Iraq, killing their citizens and make them suffer and starve to death in their own country?!

Of course there are Some few people who did and do terrible things in killing people and other stuff and called themselves Muslims! and stuck their backs to Islam To distort it,but let me tell you -raising my voice- that they aren't, and we all Muslims never and never agree in doing such unfair things, also our Islam never agrees with these bad actions in the first place. What ever our religions are, we still human being have hearts which beats with kind and mercy and we'll never do that.

So why cruelty,what is the point of attacking Islam ? Do you want the world to hate us ? -although the world already do- be my guest! but in one condition (Don't Lie)or( misunderstand )

Do you really want the truth, then come and live in the middle of the event to see closely with your eyes only, and then you can tell what you want. not to tell what you hear or what you see in the media which most of it is fake and we know it. I'm ready to show you what you want with no effect from me. .. you didn't deeply live our circumstances so don't judge us ..

Fitna movie - which is a pathetic trying- didn't move any confidence in me as a Muslima or change it, because i trust my self and i know who i am and what my religion is,and i say to his maker and to his followers :(He laughs best who laughs last).

It's just bother me when people talk and do so much work, with NO real aim in this life.also i do have a right -as you people- to explain my Islam point of view to the world ,Objectively and Honestly.

Not the Muslims who are bads, but the bads are the ones who want to destroy Islam only because they hate it or build their opinions on some actions wrongly related to Islam. And if there are some people harmed you by the name of Islam, let me tell you they are not us your problem with them not with us.

I write these words to every soul and every heart with respect and politely.

We don't force you to like Islam or to have it ,If you can't accept us or understand us ,then please just leave us alone,so you can at least comfort your selves. IS That Hard To Ask ?!

Rehashes old territory----bores

[grenavitar · 1/10 · 27 March 2008]

I am not particularly squeamish. I don't get insulted when people feel the need to define someone else's religion and then insult it. But, for the love of God if that's the business you're in be creative. Take Theo Van Gogh's submission. I don't agree with the message but it was aesthetically well done and it had a gimmick. It told a story, had good art and music direction, and conveyed its point. I would rate it a 7 or 8. This film is rehashing the same political point but with no creativity. It takes random images which you could find in Obsession and random Qur'an quotes. The only slightly new detail is the clippings from Dutch newspaper. I feel that Geert Wilders is grasping for something--for the notoriety of Theo Van Gogh if not the bullet. But all he comes up with is a hack of a hack film. Whether you agree with the political message or not it seems hard to find any redeeming quality in the direction or writing of this film and it makes me ashamed that the media paid it such heed before its release just because it was "shocking".

Not even worth calling a documentary

[simon-648 · 1/10 · 27 March 2008]

My first thoughts of the movie was: Worth showing for free on Youtube, but not worth showing on TV nor make an IMDb profile for this title. If film students made this, they would fail the class.

This short film doesn't show us anything new, that we didn't already see. It didn't teach us anything that we didn't already know; terrorists are scary! Calling it a documentary, is a bit of an overstatement. Originally it was supposed to compare Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" with the Qu'ran, but nazism was only mentioned once at the end, in one line. The film didn't feature any fact, no comments or testimonials by any people nor experts.

This wasn't a documentary. This was porn for right-wing radicals, showing violence and torture, committed by fanatic muslims.

Thanks to Geert Wilders and people like him in Europe, the hate against all muslims is rising, when we should in fact help the normal muslims population, against the fanatics. But this film only encourage the right-wing radicals, to continue their fight against all muslims.

Next to Geert Wilders, Michael Moore looks like Jesus himself.

My score for Fitna (2008): 1 out of 10 stars

Truth hurts

[andre-402 · 10/10 · 16 April 2008]

It's sad that in this day and age that people have to worry about being censored or killed to point out the truth. Enlightened people are not offended by the truth. Millions of lives can be saved by pointing out dangerous things. If people knew how to prevent the spread of the Black Plague the world would be a different place. If Hitler had died as a child, the world have been spared his crimes against humanity. There is nothing more "sacred" than life itself. The difference is that some peoples lives are so terrible that all they have to hang on is some religious babble. The curse of being "right" but having no resources or "rewards" must really suck. Too bad Allah demands so much of his cattle and gives back so little in return. Any appeal to the Islamic world here would go unnoticed. The stone age has no ears for the modern man. The health and welfare of the world's society require stomping out disease in all of it's forms. Hear the truth, save humanity. Thank you for Fitna.

This was terrible

[NoVarelluM · 1/10 · 29 March 2008]

At first i thought that Uwe Boll directed this, this is terrible, it took him months to make this while a six year old is capable of the copy/paste he did, but in only one or two hours. No new images, and he changed words from the Koran to his advantage. He should be ashamed. Last but not least: He wanted to show a photo of Mohammed B. (Theo van Gogh's murderer) but instead he used a photo from a dutch rapper.

The message in my opinion is clearly to create hate, but, thank god, because the movie is so home made, he won't succeed.

So c'mon, there was absolutely nothing good about this film, it shouldn't even be on IMDb.... just like uwe boll his movies in that case.

Stop Quran-inspired violence

[cosmichd-1 · 10/10 · 7 April 2008]

When put into the hands of fanatics and fools, the Quran - like any book of religious scripture - can say anything. If suicide bombers wanted, they could even go into the Old Testament, cite to Sampson, and justify their heinous acts.

The original Arabic may be pretty, but in terms of providing a clear message to its followers the Koran is extremely badly written. For every message of peace and tolerance there is one of wrath and violence. The fact that people can read into it what they want is a reflection of its bipolar author.

Personally whenever I hear a Muslim argue 'We've already condemned the violence, why should we have to go on condemning it?" I want to reply, "Because it hasn't stopped yet, that's why! Quakers condemned violence over three hundred years ago, but because it continues we go on condemning it, sometimes at great personal cost, and we'll continue to do so until it stops. Why should you get off any more lightly?" If you really believe in something, why do you tire so quickly?

Aimed Poorly

[tedg · 29 March 2008]

I suppose there are all sorts of reasons to make a film.

Usually when it is a documentary, as this purports to be, there is an expected nominal bit of exploration of the unknown, sometimes educational. I expected this value because I know the Koran to be so vulnerable. Its questionable origin has been taken to pieces in "Religion Ruins Everything," a recent book.

But this film makes another choice. Its made not for the western viewer who really is curious, but the very Islamist it condemns. Its intended to offend, and the viewer is merely tricked into collaborating. I think I would willingly participate in a much rougher film should someone choose to make one.

But this approach — to offend for the sake of making offense in front of us — is something I refuse to participate in.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

The new Dumb and Dumber!

[info-269 · 1/10 · 28 March 2008]

Garbage, nothing more nothing less. If you want to discuss the Muslim's western problems, there are so more and better ways to do so. Wilders took months to make this peace of garbage and still wasn't able to took out all the error's in it. For instant, he used the wrong picture of the murderer of Theo van Gogh, instead he used the picture of a Dutch rapper who only looks like the murderer. He also used the famous Danish cartoon of Mohammed with his bomb head whit out permission of the painter. This film is trying to make western people hate the Muslim world, only showing bad examples of extreme Muslim aggression. Wilders forgets the tell the viewer 99,9% of the western Muslim world has no sympathy for those who attacks the Western world. If you are planning to watch this, don't waste your time. Instead watch a funny YouTube flick, its a better waste of time!

An excellent film short condemning the excesses of radical Islam

[dmurrell · 10/10 · 28 March 2008]

I like this film short. The writers and editors, through much of the film, simply take video out-takes and print statements, from various radical Islamists preaching hate against Jews and other non-Muslims. The film depicts the excesses of radical Muslim behaviour: terrorism, beheadings, torture, female genital mutilation, the murder of gays, the subordination of women, the intolerance of other non-Mulsim points of view. All of this is done with no voice-over commentary. Backbround audio is that of a classical/funeral composition by Grieg -- and it is effective.

The film argues against Sharia law coming into dominance in the Netheralands (and ultimately Europe). The film argues vehemently against radical Islam and for western democratic ideals. Many posters commenting on this film will attack the film. But I do not. If the mainstream media -- in Hollywood or Europe -- treat radical Islamists with sympathy, it is up to non-orthodox, non-mainstream media to step to the fore.

Interestinly, I write this on the first day of the movie's release onto one web site, and the film on this first day has been already seen by 3 1/2 million people.

We've waited months and months.... for this?!

[DarkSkywise · 1/10 · 29 March 2008]

Geert Wilders is the leader of the Dutch neocon Freedom Party, a fairly new political party-in-opposition, which basically aspires to strip Dutch Muslims of many of their civil rights, like the right to vote, hold public office (local or national), serve in the army, or have a Quran at home. Unfortunately, Wilders' drivenness doesn't automatically make him a gifted (or even passable) film maker - unless you count blunt propaganda as film and don't care for quality, relevance, or accuracy.

The basic outline of this "film" is pretty simplistic, as propaganda usually is. First, Wilders shows us that terrorism and extremism are bad - which we already know. Then he moves to warning us that if we don't act soon, the Netherlands will probably become a country of burqa-clad women, bloodied-beaten children, random beheadings and public executions of gays. With a Muslim population of 5% (a vast majority being liberal Muslims), this scenario is far-fetched, to say the least. But Wilders doesn't care: he is convinced the country is already halfway "islamized", top government positions included.

An attitude like that definitely doesn't help making a good or balanced "critical film"... and it shows. Painfully.

The quality is VERY amateurish, much of the cut-and-paste material is outdated, irrelevant or used without permission (several copyright lawsuits are already pending), the quoted Quran verses are mistranslated or incomplete, and suggesting that Dutch Muslims in general supported the 9/11 attacks, apparently strive to dominate the Netherlands and plan to impose sharia law on us Dutchies is just too ridiculous for words.

Wilders clearly aims to install fear. But the only fear he has installed in me so far, is the fear of having to watch 16 minutes of bad, bad film making.

very big disappointment!

[saido · 1/10 · 27 March 2008]

It is my first time to wonder why IMDb rating does not have zero. The lowest rating of "1" is too generous for this video clip (It is not a film). Regardless from its political message or content but from a technical point of view the clip is too poor to get any recognition as a work of art or creativity. I doubt that the makers of this film have any film-making background or experience.After all the political fuss the film gained before it was released, I was expecting at least a minimum artistic value but could not find any at all.

With all the uproar about it before its release one would expect it offer some material for new debates, new theory, or reveal new facts or show anything new but it fails to do any of these. Its message is summed in one sentence "Muslims want to rule, submit, and seek to destroy our western civilization" such an awful generalization that has been used throughout history against people from different religion or race to discriminate them. Fitna is a collection of old overused terrorism video clips (some of them are very graphic and banned in US Media) mixed with some verses from Quran and footage from radical and extremist Muslims found in MEMRI website. It was funny at the end of the clip when it shows a hand (the narrator) about to tear a page from Quran then you only hear the sound of a page being ripped and a written text reads "The sound you heard was a page being removed from the phone-book" Why tearing a phone-book? I find it not only extremely lame but very contradicting. Why did not he dare to tear a page from Quran if it is such a bad book? Does he respect the holy book of Muslims? Of course not, the whole clip is about disrespect for Quran and Muslims. I think he has just been a "half-yellow"! The clip had a big media overage and had enough time and chance to come up with something genuine for such a hot topic but it was all wasted to come up with such a trash. Alas!

Wake-up call!

[sohrabi70 · 28 March 2008]

I am not even going to give this a vote, as it does not even qualify to be judged by any scale. The film is pure propaganda, and is like the Nazis's are replaced with ignorant caucasions and the Jew's with innocent muslims.

I ask you: -Why do I- as a Muslim, raised and born in the west, fully integrated with the culture of my new homecountry- now have to be afraid going out of my home? Is this not the TRUE meaning of Terror?

-Why every time someone speaks of Islam, automatically the terrorism subject is approached? Are terrorists really muslims, or just fundamentally disturbed people, with an understanding that is all to mixed up- just happen to have grown up in a Muslim state?

This move, documentary or what you want to call it, reaches out to those of us who are weak. Those people who have not yet reached the understanding that is needed to take a stand. I am afraid that that is the majority of the people in the world. I pledge you to do not choose your stand from a propaganda film like this, rather go out to a "normal" Muslim, equal to the "normal" Christian, jew, buddhist, and ask him/her about his/her's belief and religion. You will see that our religion is not much different from yours.

The writings in the Qouran are over 1000 years old!! No one believes them 100%! It's like believing that the world was created in 6 days, and hell was created because of Adam eating an apple.

Wake up people, before it's all to late...