.: posted 3/30/2008 ::: by webmdave :::   

The anti-Islam film ‘Fitna' by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been pulled from the internet after the website company which posted it received threats.

British-based Liveleak.com said it pulled down the video, which can still be seen on other websites, including youtube.com. The film was posted to the internet on Friday.

“Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove ‘Fitna’ from our servers,” the site said in a statement.

“This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else,” the online statement said.

Wilders said it was “terrible that these threats deal a serious blow to freedom of expression,” but he told Dutch news agency ANP that he understood the decision to withdraw the short film.

“Fitna” features violent imagery of terror attacks in New York and Madrid intertwined with Koranic texts.

In an interview with AFP on Friday, Wilders rejected responsibility for any retaliation against Dutch nationals or interests abroad.

“I hope it doesn’t happen but even if it does the people who commit such acts are responsible, not me,” he said, pointing to a quiet first night in the Netherlands.

Fearing a repeat of violent clashes that followed the publication in 2005 of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed in Danish newspapers, the Dutch government has distanced itself from Wilders’ film and Islamic leaders there have called for calm.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday joined Muslim nations in expressing outrage over the film.

Ban called Wilders’ film offensive while Iran and Bangladesh warned it could have grave consequences and Pakistan protested to the Dutch ambassador.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the airing of Geert Wilders’ offensively anti-Islamic film,” Ban said in a statement.

“There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence. The right of free speech is not at stake here.”

The screening was a calculated “insult to the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world,” according to the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

“The film is a deliberate act of discrimination against Muslims, incitement for hatred and an act of defamation of religions which is solely intended to incite and provoke unrest and intolerance among people of different religious beliefs,” said OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

Morocco’s Communications Minister Khalid Naciri called Wilders “mentally retarded.”

However, an extremist Czech nationalist party said Friday it had posted “Fitna” with Czech subtitles on its website.

“We think it is important to show this film. For Christian Europe, Islam is a greater danger than Nazism. We are trying to show people what this danger is,” National Party spokesman Pavel Sedlacek told AFP.

Abdou Diouf, secretary general of the International Francophone Organisation (OIF), told reporters after meeting Ban at UN headquarters: “I have not seen this film but I am absolutely horrified by such associations” between Islam and terrorism.

“First of all, Islam is not Islamism,” said the former Senegalese president, a practicing Muslim married to a Catholic woman.

“This (film) is confusing Islam and Islamism or confusing Islam and terrorism, and it is completely inadmissible,” he said.

European Muslims were angered by a separate plan by a theatre in Potsdam, Germany to stage the world premiere of a play based on Salman Rushdie’s novel “The Satanic Verses”.

The president of the German Islamic Council, Ali Kizilkaya, told AFP that “the religious sentiments of Muslims are being treated in a provocative manner.”

Iran’s late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa — or religious decree — in 1989 calling on Muslims to kill Rushdie for perceived insults against Islam.

On Wilders, Iran said the 17-minute film showed Westerners were waging a “vendetta” against Islam, and warned of repercussions.

A Jordanian media coalition said it would take Wilders to court and launch a campaign to boycott Dutch products.

In Karachi, Pakistan, about 40 supporters of the hardline Islamist party Jamaat-i-Islami staged a protest, chanting “Death to the filmmaker.”

A poll published Friday showed that almost a third of all Dutch people had seen the film or parts of the film — although the TNS Nipo polling institute said fears over reprisals lessened after viewing.

But Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende cautioned against drawing easy conclusions.

“We are not past it yet… Sometimes it can take months before the true repercussions are felt,” he told journalists.

 David90212 wrote:

What's wrong with the goddamn towel heads? Can't they accept the truth? They threaten violence to suppress the expose' of their violence.

All these religions are crap!

I would air this movie myself!

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 Truth Matters wrote:

European secularists and atheists took Christianity for granted. In their regard, all religions are the same. But the truth is they are not. Christianity is a lot more tolerant than Islam. Beside, secularism made Europe very weak. Marriage has become obsolete and gay unions are on rise. Their population is falling and Islam is rising. The point is when Europe becomes post-Christian, it will soon become Islamic. Secularism has no staying power. I hope atheists will realize this point. Praise Jesus!

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 chuckyjesus wrote:

"Truth" -- the reality is Christianity is not much more tolerant than Islam. Christianity has demonstrated incredible amounts of intolerance of other viewpoints, and given the right conditions, such as an economic repeat of the 1930s -- Christianity will become the new fascism. "Praise Jesus" sounds like "Heil Hitler" to my ears.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 Andrew wrote:

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 stronger now wrote:

Sideshow Bob: "You want the truth! You can't handle the truth! No truth handler you! Bah! I deride your truth handling abilities!"

Christianity has been forced to conform to the will of a more peacefull secular society. If you'd crack open a history book you'd see that it had some major similarities to the islamic fundamentalism of late, especially the lack of tolerance.

"The point is when Europe becomes post-Christian, it will soon become Islamic."

Prophecy...great. I'll not hold my breath.

"Secularism has no staying power."

Really? Wow. I guess that means that the totalitarian christianity is the way to go then....Not!

"I hope atheists will realize this point."

I think you need to realize that christianity's hands are not as lilly white as you make them out to be. There's blood there. A lot of it. If you expect the world to forget the genocidal, hate filled butchery of christianity's history, you'll need to try a little harder in your "tolerance" of secular morality. Start with the fact that most divorced couples come from a christian backgroung before you start to demonize the obselescence of marriage in secular society. Take that plank out of your own eye.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 THE ACE wrote:

Truth matters has brought up the age-old issue regarding any
religion; My God is Better than
Your God. While he or she is busy
praising Jesus, somewhere in the
world a person of the Islamic faith
is praising Allah and knowing they
have the truth instead of Christians.

I'm no fan of the Islamic faith (or
any faith for that matter) but the
hands of the Christians are hardly
blood free. What about those that
try to blow up abortion clinics, or
mock the funerals of those who have
given their lives in the service
of their country? Or those who brought us those wonderful events
such as the Crusades or the Spanish
Inquisition?

Maybe what we should do is build the world's largest boxing ring
(about a thousand miles to a side)
put all the Christians and all the
Moslems in it and tell them to fight it out. They could end up
destroying each other!

The world minus it's two most
fanatical faiths? Oh, if only!

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 boomSLANG wrote:

Trolling Matters bleated...European secularists and atheists took Christianity for granted. In their regard, all religions are the same. But the truth is they are not. Christianity is a lot more tolerant than Islam. Beside, secularism made Europe very weak. Marriage has become obsolete and gay unions are on rise. Their population is falling and Islam is rising. The point is when Europe becomes post-Christian, it will soon become Islamic. Secularism has no staying power. I hope atheists will realize this point. Praise Jesus!

Yes, yes!... "Islam is on the rise", which would stand to reason, simply due to the Muslim population "on the rise".

Aside from that, I wonder if T.M. can actually provide some references for the rest of his/her opinions(?)

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 THE ACE wrote:

Truth Matters has brought up the age old of problem of organized religion;My God is Better than Your
God. While he or she is busy praising Jesus, somewhere in the
world someone of the Islamic faith is saying "Praise Allah!" Both sides know they are right and the
other is wrong.

Christianity is more tolerant that
Islam? Really? How about the Christians that try to blow up or
set fire to abortion clinics? Those who mock the funerals of those who gave their lives in the
service of their country? Or those
who brought us those fun-filled events such as the Crusades or
the Spanish Inquisistion? Or those who are determined to eliminate civil liberty in this country?

Maybe what we should do is build the world's largest boxing ring
(say about a thousand miles on each side) put all the Christians
and Moslems in and tell them to
fight it out. The members of two
violence-prone faiths will go at it
tooth and nail until no one is left
standing.

A world minus it's to most fanatical faiths? If only!

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 THE ACE wrote:

Truth Matters has stated the problem of all organized religions;
My God is Better than Your God.
While he or she is busy saying"Praise Jesus!", a member of the Islamic faith is saying "Praise
Allah!', and each faith knows it is right and the other is wrong.
What a mess this situation has caused through the ages!

Christianity is more tolerant than
the Moslem religion? For many years, churches in this country fought to keep African-Americans
in their place and out of their
churches. The church has fought
(and continues to fight) women's
rights. People like James Dobson
and Pat Robertson work to establish
an American theocracy that would
be the envy of the Taliban.

Truth Matters is right in one regard..truth matters. But the
world's religions have so little
of it.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 riley_jensen wrote:

Truth (not),

obviously, your xtianity had no staying power either. All religions die out.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 THE ACE wrote:

Whoops, please forgive the double
posting. I wrote two different versions, and accidentally sent
both of them. My bad.

Webmaster, feel free to eliminate
one of them if you wish.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 ExFundie wrote:

I agree with the point Sam Harris made in his book, End of Faith. There are no moderate Muslims. The Koran promotes Islam as a religion of conquest pure and simple. Convert or die. There are Muslims that act moderate, but only in countries where they are the minority. When they are no longer the minority, they turn.

In today's society, I can be close friends with a Christian. Yes, they have a history filled with violence and intolerance, but some modern-day christians "can be" peaceful, loving, and tolerant people. This is because Jesus (whether historically or mythologically) mostly promoted peace, love, and acceptance (not to contradict most of the good points made here thus far, but just to add to them). Islam however, must either be completely re-written as a religion or it must be terminated. I say, "fuck em' all (Muslims)", but that is just because I am a rabid, hate-filled atheist... lol!

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 John of Indiana wrote:

"We are a religion of PEACE, and we will KILL anyone who disagrees..."
How this "allah" character managed to do anything is beyond me. It's got such a thin skin it probably threw it's "Little Scientist Chemistry Set against the wall of Heaven the first time something didn't work.
Think about, a "supreme being" who's so sensitive he needs his flawed followers to deal with the Infidels who "insult" him and his Profit, The Smelly One....

That's probably the key right there. These Wahabi-crazed muslims feel insulted and offended by anything "of the Infidels"... I think to their way of thinking the only thing more insulting than the OTHER "children of Abraham" who follo9w the "wrong" god is those of us who have outgrown the Faerie Tales.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 Tim wrote:

If each person would host the vid on their website (say thousands of them) then who would "they" threaten then? HAHAHHAHA like trying to target one mosquito in a swamp.

Same as any other concept but mostly US people are lazy and content and cannot be bothered to actually group together and do something.


Terrorists - 1
Everyone else - 0


Tim

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 Tim wrote:

"Secularism has no staying power."

LMAO. You, my humanoid friend, have never cracked a history book, then. Secularism predates Christianity and therefore has MORE staying power than even Christianity.

Tim

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 John of Indiana wrote:

Islam insults me.
When I read or listen to how this cult founded by some illiterate in the 6th century is peaceful, all I can think of is "We are a religion of PEACE! And we will KILL anyone who disagrees..."
I listen to Radio Canada a bit on the weekends. They have a program called "Blink", which as near as I can make out, is a program on how Canadiens can kiss the new muslim immigrant's asses so they'll "feel welcome".
Bullshit. You come to my country, you play by MY rules.

posted: March 30, 2008 EST  

 Solaris Roscita wrote:

Except, john of indiana, that they aren't YOUR rules, they are the rules that are made by your government.

Look, I feel the same way about the fundie xians that come here (to Australia, from the united states), the jews from all over the world who come here , and all the moslems seeking refuge or opportunity here. They all need to integrate. Unfortunately, it is the moslems who actually succeed in this the most: going (mostly) to public schools, and a considerable proportion of the australian generations of moslems becoming atheists. The jews, on the other hand, tend to put their children into jewish-exclusive schools, and much the same can be said of the xian fundies. True, we do have moslem schools here, and like the other religious-exclusive schools, I campaign against them.

My only other question is how many moslems do you personally know? As you can see, I hate moslems, christians and jews. This may be simply because I don't know any*, and I'm more than willing to admit that.

*I ONLY associate with atheists. If somebody tells me they believe in a religion, I exclude them from social contact with my friends and I.

posted: March 31, 2008 EST  

 twincats wrote:

If you'll notice, the claims of discrimination and persecution are constantly repeated by the Muslims and fundy xtians.

They insist that EVERYONE has to respect their beliefs, but it's simply not true; we need to respect one another as individuals and that is very doable, IMHO.

posted: April 01, 2008 EST  

 SamiB wrote:

Wow, there's an awful lot of 'muslim hate' on this particular thread, it's like stumbling into a christian fundie site.

Exfundie says "I can be close friends with a Christian...[but]I say, "fuck em' all (Muslims)"

So being a moderate and tolerant muslim is somehow worse than being a fundie christian who has no tolerance what-so-ever? Your logic stinks bro.

I see that you are from Texas. I live in New Zealand and the common misconception here is that Americans from the south are a bunch of racist, dubya loving red-necks who don't even know what their capital city is.

Generalisations, don't you love them!

posted: April 06, 2008 EST  

 SamiB wrote:

Ps: to Truth Matters - mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha I love that magic trick where you talk out of your arse, it's so very amusing!

posted: April 06, 2008 EST  

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