Truth Is Provocative

There's nothing quite like violent threats to encourage an otherwise-determined activist to back off from further provoking an adversary who has proved in the past that he is not averse to murder to assuage his hurt feelings. In this instance the hurt feelings belong to the collectively aggrieved of Islam, and the activist an Internet site that undertook to air a very controversial short film critical of Islam.

Liveleak.com chose practical self-defence against unstable valour in the interests of prolonging the lives of their employees. "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."

And that, one might say, is the first victim, standing down from its position in the face of bleak infinity. "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." Well, yes. But there are other venues. Anyone wishing to access the film won't have any troubles doing so. Even the online news site, Arutz Sheva has posted it.

In fact, although initially there were many sites that refused to post the film, millions of people have already accessed it for full viewing. Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, whose production it is, has deliberately filmed this indictment of Islam, to inform the public and to provoke debate. He is obviously no friend of Islam, nor prepared to excuse any of the vile excesses of its fanatical worshippers.

He will, he avers, take no responsibility for any potential violence that might conceivably arise out of its viewing. Making allusion to the convulsive violence that shocked the world after the publication of cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad. "We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high", said a spokesperson for Liveleak.com.

Predictably, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning the movie. The proposal by the Islamic countries representative of the council was opposed by Europe and by Canada, also members of the council. The resolution was successfully passed by a vote of 21 to 10. In Pakistan crowds of protesters have flocked to the streets for weeks. The movie was condemned by Iran and Indonesia, unsurprisingly.

Grisly and graphic footage of Muslim terrorism world-wide, which included shots of disfigured corpses, beheading, destroyed buildings are featured in Fitna. As the scenes proceed, they are fittingly complemented with Koranic verses that appear relevant to the unfolding dramas: "Prepare for them whatever force and cavalry ye are able of gathering to strike terror, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies".

And strike terror into the enemies' hearts they do, since this particular passage accompanies very familiar footage of an airplane hitting the World Trade Center. Then, imams calling for the annihilation of all infidels. With one cleric hysterically railing against Jews, unsheathing a word and frenziedly calling for murder "By Allah, we shall cut off the Jew's head! Allah is great! Allah is great! Jihad for the sake of Allah!", while the audience cheers.

As a studied public relations event this does not reflect kindly on Islam. Little wonder it would constitute a horrible affront to ordinary, moderate Muslims. Yet they do bear a certain responsibility, since it is their sacred religion, their Prophet, their Koran which have been suborned, placed front and centre for the purpose of instilling vitriolic hatred against others. This does not reflect the tenets of a religion of peace.

None of the footage is invented. All of it reflects reality. That in and of itself should be enough to waken the slumbering sense of outrage, fitness and justice in any reasonable individual. Unspeakable carnage done in the name of Islam. Identification of a purported enemy, and then hurtling deliberately toward a trajectory of violent annihilation of all vestiges of 'corrupt' Western government institutions, and populations.

And just incidentally, in the process, creating doleful victims of other sincerely worshipful Muslims whose belief in Islam has not led them to the conclusion that other religions are worthless, that other people who live not as they do, but as a reflection of their own culture and social values have no right to live. Worse; victimizing alongside the infidels those very same Muslims whose embrace of Islam is viewed as insufficiently Islamist.

As would be expected Muslim nations have condemned the film, and that's understandable. They don't necessarily feel they should be linked to the fanatical and bloodthirsty violence of jihadists. In which case they should be rather more involved in condemning those jihadists themselves, and doing their utmost to defeat their predatory atrocities.

Fatwahs have been ordered, an al-Qaeda affiliated website calls for Mr. Wilders' death, exhorting also increased attacks on Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan. "The correct sharia response is to cut off his head and let him follow his predecessor, van Gogh, to hell" according to the site.

Bangladesh warns of grave consequences, and Iran characterizes the film's content as heinous, blasphemous and anti-Islamic, which it most certainly is. As for the world's most populous Islamic country, Indonesia, the verdict is damning, an: "insult to Islam, hidden under the cover of freedom of expression".

Saudi Arabia's embassy in The Hague spoke of the film as being provocative, error-prone, with incorrect allegations that could lead to hate toward Muslims. Yes, doubtful, no, yes. But none of this need be surprising.

The truth also is that Muslims themselves by their lack of concerted and collective denial of the Islamists to speak on their behalf have earned no plaudits for themselves.