Sunday 30 March 2008

Ali Eteriz discussing 'Fitna'.


Fitna as you are aware is a short film produced by the Ditch politician Wilders about Islam. In 'Fitna' Wilders seeks to demonstrate how Jihadists use the Qur'an to justify violent actions. The film includes several such graphic incidents and then quotes from the Qur'an that co relate to these incidents. Included in the Incidents are a beheading, 9/11 and the Madris bombings. Many Muslims are angry about their religion being equated with violence, however some of these moderates seem to miss the point that the Jihadists themselves are threatening real violence over Fitna. Anyway for a sloppy apologist attempt at deconstruction look at what Eteriz writing in The Guardian 'Comment is free ' has to say.


The Fitna farce
Geert Wilders' film, Fitna, fails to interest or provide insight, making one wonder why it aroused so much attention in the first place
Ali Eteraz
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March 28, 2008 10:00 AM Printable version
I just watched Dutch right-winger Geert Wilders' film, Fitna, The Movie. He had promised it would be too shocking, too frightening, too disturbing - and much of the world was holding its breath in a morbid, anxious wait for its release. The media feared rabid violence by those Muslims.
My initial reaction is a yawn. I blame production. The soundtrack is Tchaikovsky's mellow classical piece called "Arab Dance". Quick tip to future demagogues: when trying to incite riots, try not to use musical pieces that are based on Georgian lullabies. Quick tip to future Islamophobes: when trying to demonise Islam, try not to use elements of western culture that are inspired by Arabs and Muslims as that reveals that Muslims have contributed positively to the world.
Anyone who has seen terrorist propaganda films is familiar with most of the scenes and most of the disgusting conflations of the Quran with acts of violence, murder, kidnapping and antisemitism. Such behaviour has been condemned resoundingly among Muslims. Those that use the Quran for illegitimate and criminal ends should be punished by the fullest extent of the law.
What I'm really wondering: is Wilders protesting against Islam or the monopoly extremists already have over grainy, low-budget, YouTube videos? The only difference I see is that Wilders plays the best of western classical music - an insult to the legacy of Grieg and Tchaikovsky - rather than death chants. I guess the thing he can be credited with is upping the sound quality. Also the transubstantiation of "Fitna" into "Fin" at the end was pretty cool.
The rest of the film is a mixture of conflating the most painful and heart-wrenching images from terror-strikes with extremist imams, in an effort to turn the entirety of Islam into a demonic edifice. This is neither new, nor interesting. It is a facile trick for facile minds. Cartoons show more a more subtle grasp of the human condition. Focusing more specifically, the film appears to be nothing more than a screed by a nativist. Anti-immigrant demagogues exist in every society, from Arab to American. Their sole job is to belittle and antagonise the mostly poor immigrants and stultify and romanticise their country's own history.
One of the things the film did was to try and link some verses from the Quran to acts of violence. Most people familiar with the Quran, including Christian polemicists I've debated, accept that you can have the Quran say pretty much whatever you want. For example, there is among Muslims a pretty hefty industry of "scientists" who are constantly "proving" that various Quranic verses predicted the marvels of modern science. I once saw a presentation by one of these guys. It was, in a way, very similar to what Wilders has done. First there would be a slide with a Quranic verse. Then there would be a bunch of images of some modern scientific marvel. Apparently, everything from the space-time continuum, modern meteorology and congenital biology are supported by verses from the Quran. Like I said, 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.
What the film really shows to me is that Wilders doesn't know the difference between Islam and Islamism - and when it comes to the latter he is completely lost. This is his major attack against Islamism? He reminds me of those socially-awkward, marginalised, introverted children in a schoolyard whose solution to persecution at the hands of a bully is to write the bully's name in his notebook and then rip up the page.
If Wilders really wanted to expose Islamism - the entire legacy of 20th century ideological Islam - he would start with how the French Suez Canal Company funded the Muslim Brotherhood's first mosque. That fact is casually mentioned in Hasan al-Banna's autobiography (which I am certain Wilders never bothered to consult). Or Wilders would have tried to begin some criminal proceeding in the international criminal courts against those men who came up with the genius idea of encouraging disaffected Arab youth into going into Afghanistan and then gave them $1 billion in machine guns, bombs and stinger missiles to play with. Or Wilders could have expressed some outrage over the drafters of the new Iraqi constitution - drafted in consultation with western lawyers - which makes sharia the law of the land (a fact bemoaned by Iraqi feminists, among others). Had he bothered to show some serious thinking he would have even found support among the millions of Muslims around the world who oppose Islamists.
But Wilders isn't actually serious about challenging Islamism. He is concerned only about multiplying the number of times his name is pinged on Google. Couldn't he have taken solace in the fact that his name is pinged more than mine?
I can't be sure how the Islamist demagogues will spin this film. Presumably some of them will consider this a kind of frontal assault against their idiocy - idiots recognise one another - and begin agitations which the media will be only too happy to cover. However, the fact is that a majority of Muslims are going to react to this film with the same kind of casual shrug of the shoulders that it deserves. If there are Muslims who wish to protest - and I really don't see why it's even necessary - my advice for them is to emulate Hossein Nouri. He is the paraplegic painter who, during the Danish cartoon fiasco, painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary in front of the Danish embassy. Here is a picture of his marvellous work.
There is also the fact that the Dutch government has completely disavowed itself of the film, something the Danish government didn't do with the Muhammad cartoons. Ayaan Hirsi Ali had already dulled the film's value when she said that all it was meant to do was provoke. Also, Wilders has been accused of thieving by the cartoonish Kurt Westergaard who said he did not authorise the use of his images in the film.
Finally, the image Wilders used to depict Theo Van Gogh's killer is actually Moroccan rapper Salah El Din and not the killer, Mohammed Bouyeri. The only thing the two men have in common is that they are bald and bearded.
In terms of sheer originality, though, the best response to this film came from a friend of mine who watched the film - and calling it a film is to abuse both the English language and the legacy of cinema - on my computer with me:
"I could have masturbated in that time."





Friday 28 March 2008

NUT seek to ban 'military Recruitment'


Barking mad this not least as 'military recruitment' does not happen in schools. Another point is all these delegates speak authoritatively about a military in which none at all have ever served. I guess their beef is with the govt but still attacking the soldiers themselves is easier. From the Daily Mail in this case:





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=533428&in_page_id=1770 Row as teachers call for ban on army 'pro-war propaganda' recruitment leaflets in schools By LAURA CLARK and MATTHEW HICKLEY - More by this author » Last updated at 00:46am on 14th March 2008 Comments (32) Military recruitment in schools should be banned as it exposes pupils to pro-war propaganda, teachers say. Left-wingers in the National Union of Teachers are attempting to galvanise a campaign to stop recruitment visits. Scroll down for more... Glamourized: The MoD have been accused of targeting yongsters by a teachers' unionDespite acute shortages of military manpower, the teachers will present a motion to the union's annual conference this month urging members to "actively oppose" recruitment activities in schools. The move, described as "deeply unpatriotic", will fuel growing concern over hostility displayed by parts of society towards the Armed Forces. The motion, scheduled for debate at the NUT conference in Manchester, condemns "the exploitation of schools for recruitment by the Armed Forces". It says: "Military intervention in schools customarily presents a partisan view of war, largely by ignoring its fatal realities in favour of promises of travel, skill training and further or higher education course sponsorships otherwise often unavailable to young people, especially in areas of high unemployment. "Conference believes that teachers and schools should not be conduits for either the dissemination of MoD propaganda or the recruitment of military personnel. "Conference therefore agrees to actively oppose military recruitment activities in schools." The Ministry of Defence has scaled back active recruitment in schools. But the three services still have teams which respond to invitations to visit schools, giving countless presentations. Tory MP Patrick Mercer, formerly a colonel in charge of Army recruitment, said: "The union's attitude leaves me breathless. It is deeply unpatriotic, and runs directly contrary to the commitment and bravery our servicemen and women are showing in service of their country. "Recruitment and retention have never been as difficult as they are now, and visiting schools to make young people aware of opportunities in the military is a key part of recruitment strategy." The union's leadership has already made clear it intends to get the section of the motion referring to visits removed. It said it opposed the attempt to stop recruitment activities and has put forward an amendment that would see it removed. However, the leadership is backing a second aspect of the motion, attacking the use of teaching materials produced by the MoD, and intended to increase awareness of Armed Forces activity, as "propaganda". NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott wrote to Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, to complain about a lesson plan for English intended to help pupils learn the skill of "writing to argue". The plan focuses on "the ongoing occupation of Iraq by British Armed Forces". Mr Sinnott said: "I think it is propaganda. It does not present a balanced position." But the MoD said use of the resources was voluntary. "We have consulted widely with teachers and students during the development of these products and feedback from schools has been extremely encouraging." Critics of the motion said it was obvious that Armed Forces recruitment material would avoid drawing undue attention to the risk of loss of life attached to a forces role. What about the leftie NUT members with their propaganda? Something with their ten weeks paid holiday a year they have a lot of time for it seems.

According to MPACUK Danish 'Islamaphobia' killed teen


MPACUK is a British branch of the Islamic Muslim Public Affairs Committee. This organisation preaches non violent Jihad. They never really describe what their actual Jihad is but never mind that is another topic. The point here is that they along with other Islamic organisations are seeking to disingenuous exploit a racist murder in Denmark. See it here. I will also link to MPACUK on my blog.






The problem with this is that they are lying pure and simple and serving a very devious end. By seeking to place the blame for this crime on the recent reprinting of the Muhammad cartoons in Denmark; they are saying in effect 'look where the printing of the cartoons has led to'. In fact it was a racist murder, appalling yes but nothing to do with cartoons. In my opinion the cartoons like Wilders recent film should be published. Groups which represent religious communities should not seek to enforce censorship. Here is the article from MPACUK.



Danish Islamophobia Kills Muslim Teen


Thursday, 27 March 2008
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COPENHAGEN — Danish Muslims link the racist murder of a Muslim teen last week to an increasing Islamophobic atmosphere fanned by the reprinting of a cartoon satirical of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). "Deniz Ozgur Uzun was killed because of his dark, Middle Eastern skin," Jihad Abdelalim Alfara, the chairman of the Islamic Council in Denmark, told IslamOnline.net.
Uzun, a 17-year-old Turk attending a technical high school, was distributing newspapers in the Amager district of Copenhagen Wednesday when he was verbally harassed by three Danes, aged 15, 17 and 18.
"They tried to provoke him with racist slur," said Abdel-Hamid Hamdi, head of the Shura Council of the Islamic Council in Denmark.
"He ignored them and went his way before they stopped their car and started assaulting him."
A friend of Uzun, identified by the media as Mohammed, said the three attacked Uzun with a baseball bat and a hammer, leaving him unconscious.
The Muslim teen was put on life support at a hospital in Copenhagen with "severe brain damage" before he was pronounced dead the next day.
The three attackers were captured shortly after the attack and are still in custody.
"These three racist Danes were being sought even before attacking my son," Ali, the father, told local media.
"How could this happen?"
The Copenhagen Police Department confirmed that one the attackers had been captured with a gun six days before the attack and that the three are known to have criminal records.
Cartoon Effect
Alfara, the Muslim community leader, believes the racist attack is directly linked to an Islamophobic atmosphere in the Scandinavian country fanned by the recent reprinting of the prophet cartoon.
"Was it necessary to have someone killed for people to realize that racism is on the rise in Denmark following the cartoon crisis."
Denmark's main dailies reprinted on Wednesday, February 13, a drawing of a man described as the prophet with a ticking bomb in his turban.
The move has reignited a controversy that first surfaced in 2005 after the mass-circulation Jyllands-Posten commissioned and printed 12 cartoons of the prophet, sending thousands of protesting Muslims into the streets across the world.
For some Muslims the incident unmasked double-standards in dealing with the country's nearly 200,000-strong minority.
"Where are those politicians who always jump on the bandwagon whenever Arabs or Muslims are involved in any similar incident," asked Hamdi.
"Why have not we heard from Justice Minister Lene Espersen who champions more restrictions on Muslims, imams and minority leaders?
"Where is the leader of the right-wing Danish People's Party Pia Kjaersgaard to explain why three blonde-haired Danish teens committed this racist crime?"

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Hello!

This is my first ever post and the first time I have ever blogged. A big hello to everyone. I will follow this up with news and comment. Like in the image I will occasionally make waves I hope. All the best. Paul.