Fitna

NOTE: I started writing this post before Fitna was released but had to update and reorganize and add to it after first watching it myself. This delay was prolonged due to some unforeseeable events in my personal life that have now been amicably mitigated. So even though its late, please send your thoughts and comments on the effort.

FITNA : a burning of fire, a melting of (metals) in order to distinguish the bad from the good, a means whereby the condition of Aman is evinced in respect of good or evil, punishment, chastisement, conflict among people, faction and sedition, discord, dissension, difference of opinions, a misleading, causing to err, seduction, temptation.
(Arab-English Lexicon, Lane, E.)

Growing up in the age of digital animations, I was disappointed with the quality on display in this short film that is cobbled together with images out of TV and Internet. Most of these images have been actually published by various Terror groups around the world in their propaganda videos and they would definitely thank Mr. Geert Wilders for furthering their cause. Also, the cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) wearing a turban shaped bomb on the head, this time with a lit fuse, was used without due permissions and the owner has sued Wilders for copyright infringement. This is no doubt another tactic to keep it in focus of the media and the people and the both would 'reach an agreement' rather conveniently.

Secondly, the message in the film or the criticism pointed at the Koran, marking it out as a book that encourages violence for the sake of violence and Has no respect or tolerance for other religions or values as long as they do not fall under the direct control of Muslim are not new at all. In fact, the verses shown in the video are frequently brought up by all opponents of both Islam as a religion and as a way of life. There are also many inconsistencies and errors in the film for example implying that female sexual mutilation is chartered by the Koran. Islam forbids such practices that are carried out not only by a very few Muslim but mostly non-Muslim Africans. This practice finds no place in either Koran or Hadeeth.

I am very pleased that for the great part there hasn't been any major violent incidents in response to the film and wish it could stay this way in future as well. But in the real world I am not that hopeful. I for one never under-estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers nor the determination of a minority that is hell bound to impose its point of view on the majority thereby claiming representation. I hope Muslims would remain peaceful, reply with reason and be available to questions by their fellow non-Muslims, most of whom would be searching for answers or explanations. But that requires one to have a considerable knowledge of the religion in the first place and this is never a given. Not even in the case of very conservative or hard lined ones. Most of them don't even know the Line they are taking blindly following some miserable excuse for an Imam.

So we turn our attention to the creator, the film itself, the message it is trying to convey and the reasons why the West is afraid of Islam and Muslims.

This film however is not the only anti Islamic or anti-Muslim material to circulate the media in recent times. The much famed Danish Cartoons, the Film made by the murdered dutch director Van Gough are only examples. There is now an incarnation of the book "the Satanic Verses" by Sulman Rushdie at a German opera.

Here I would like to mention that Geert Wilders the person and for some it might also be interesting to know about his deep love and unquestioned support for Israel. It would definitely cater for the various conspiracy theories regarding the motives for the film.
But I would disregard this fact and focus on the film itself and the man behind it. It is however, to note that he is not someone who has had little or no interaction with Islam or the Muslims since Wilders has traveled extensively through Middle-East and Iran.

This film therefore a calculated effort in a series to try to westernize Islam. To somehow shame the Muslims into disregarding impart or whole of the Basic Islamic values that give Islam the makeup it has and restrict it to at most a collection of Rites and Prayers to be carried out in private without affecting the public or creating a nuisance. An Islam that is as far removed from public life as Christianity is from today's Europe. An Islam Light if you will.

All the verses shown in the film are indeed taken from various passages of the Koran. But should you only read these verses and makeup your mind or should you read the context in which they are written as well? For any student of the comparative religions, Koran is no more violent than other divine revelations be it the Bible or the Torah. It is however, much more politically active and thus much more influential. Another thing hat sets Koran apart is the fact that there has not been a single change or amendment made to it since it was compiled some 1400 years ago. And I've got news for Wilders, there wont be any passages taken out of it. The Koran embodies a religion. As the Koran states itself, No one may be forced into accepting it but anyone ready to accept it has to take it as a whole and make his choices under its guidelines.

But the main purpose of this article is to highlight the background of this fear and resentment against Islam.

Most European citizens and politician are , not unduly, concerned that the continent is changing. Its not the same country or town they grew up in. Thank globalization, they have seen their industrial might wither away. The skills and know-how that were once kept secret within communities are either irrelevant or are available to others in far flung lands as well. This has led to a feeling of insecurity towards feature that was not there when the generation currently in charge of the affairs and trusted with forming opinions was growing up.

The second but more visible change is demographical. After the post WWII Baby-Boom, the current generation is increasingly opting to have fewer children as compared to their parents. In presence of excellent health services, the older generation is enjoying longer lives, in some cases claiming pensions and other state benefits for a period longer than they spent working and paying into this system. This has led to an unfavorable skew in the ratio of those working to pay taxes and support the cradle to grave Social Welfare system that is still existent in most West-European nations. Enter immigrants, the cheap, often unskilled, poorly educated workforce that is ready to do the jobs the locals don't want. Interestingly, these immigrants leave their own countries because of a combination of political economic or social reasons. A large part of these immigrants originates from the former European colonies across Africa and Asia. These first generation immigrants are mostly thankful for a chance for a better life than the one they left behind and try to get by under any circumstances for even the worse they experience here is better than the best they left behind. Buoyed by this newfound success and hopeful of a better future these immigrant families have more children on average than the indigenous thus further enhancing the impact on the demographic make up of the host country. A large part of these Immigrants has turned out to be Muslim. With little or no interaction with the local communities, they wrongfully chose to build up parallel societies of their own. We see little turkeys, little Moroccos, little Pakistans, little Indias, little Africas and many more of these 'little' variations sprung up all across Europe. These people had small ambitions and for most part they were aware of their outsider status.

The current generation of youths born and being raised here are a different story. having been schooled and taught in the European civil societies, they rightfully consider themselves to be on par with those born to indigenous Europeans. Thanks to the European democratic and social values they learn, they are more inclined to decide for themselves to stand for whatever they consider to be right and just as they are to oppose the injustice and oppression. Rejected by the countries of their birth as outsiders or aliens, they cling to the religion or culture of their parents in search of a sense of identity. These youths could pose a potential threat to the European social order as they impact from within Europe's boundaries. In most cases, they even prove more hardened on their religious and cultural stances as their parents. Europe will do good to turn this motivation to its good, but is it ready to accept that the future landscape will depict more minarets than most of its politicians and the public is today comfortable with?

Europe, with its proclaimed values of tolerance, religious freedom, freedom of expression, equality, democracy and justice cannot ban Islam, or any other religion or foreign ideology for that matter, like so many of the third world countries so easily can and do. And it is this set of beliefs, values and freedoms that is paving the way for Islam and its followers to get a stronger hold in Europe.

So, Fitna, the film, is not only a realization of the fear and hatred of Islam but also an acknowledgment that Islam is having an impact on the way a European goes through his daily business and there is little one can do to stop this change.