The anti-Islam Dutch film – comment, criticism and advice
Question

                A Dutch film has recently been released that maligns Islam and Muslims, and describes them as terrorists. What is your advice to the Muslims concerning this matter?.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly:

    The conflict between truth and falsehood is 
    an ancient one. The troops of falsehood continue to confront the truth at 
    all times and in all places. But Allaah caused them to be defeated by the 
    strength of the truth and He hurls the truth against falsehood and destroys 
    it, so it is bound to vanish.  

    Ever since Iblees was humiliated and refused 
    to respond to the command of Allaah to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon 
    him), he began to plot against the truth and its followers. Iblees asked his 
    Lord for a respite, not so that he could repent, but so that he could plot, 
    and increase the number of his followers and bring them into the Fire of 
    Allaah, where he will stand and address them, saying: 

    “ ‘Verily, Allaah promised you a promise 
    of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority 
    over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, 
    but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your 
    former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allaah (by obeying me 
    in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the 
    Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)’”

    [Ibraaheem 14:22]. 

    Secondly:

    Islam has faced many great plots, but Allaah 
    has guaranteed to protect His religion, because He has made it the best of 
    religions and the final religion. 

    Thirdly:

    Here we are dealing with a new incident, but 
    it will not be the last, because of the devils among mankind and the jinn 
    and their ultimately hopeless attempts to impugn this religion, this Prophet 
     (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and this Holy Book. 

    This incident is what has been wrought by 
    the sinful hands of a man called Geert Wilders, the leader of the “Freedom” 
    Party, which is a right-wing, racist Dutch party. He wanted to slander this 
    great religion in order to become well known and to make political gains, 
    but Allaah foiled him and he will be foiled time and again, in sha Allaah. 
    This hater made a short film of seventeen minutes about Islam and the 
    Qur’aan, filled with lies and fabrications, and he called it “Fitnah”! If 
    what he said was presented to an academic institution or university, he 
    would deserve to be rebuked and scorned, because of his lack of objectivity, 
    and because of his distortion of facts. 

    His film starts and ends with an offensive 
    image of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that 
    was drawn by the sinful, criminal hands of the Danish artist. At the 
    beginning it shows a bomb in the turban of the so-called picture of the 
    Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), where the fuse has 
    just been lit. At the end of the film, the fuse has burnt down, then it 
    explodes. Thus he wants to send the despicable message that Islam came to 
    wreak havoc and destruction, and that remaining silent about it will lead to 
    the demise of non-Muslim civilizations and nations. 

    Fourthly: 

    We can divide our opinions about this evil 
    film into a number of categories: 

    1.Verses which are 
    quoted out of context and their meanings distorted. 
    

    For example: 

    (a)

    The first verse to be quoted in his film is 
    (interpretation of the meaning):  

    “And make ready against them all you can 
    of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery) to 
    threaten the enemy of Allaah and your enemy, and others besides…”

    [al-Anfaal 8:60]. 

    The quotation reaches this point but does 
    not complete it. He wants to highlight the word “threaten” to indicate that 
    Islam equals terrorism, which is how many haters and ignorant people want to 
    label Islam.  

    We are not ashamed of what is in the Book of 
    Allaah and we do not deny this verse, rather we worship Allaah by reciting 
    it, and we ask Him to help us to act in accordance with it. But we reject 
    his quoting this part of it on the basis of two things, to keep the 
    discussion short: 

    Firstly, what he is denouncing Islam for is 
    something that is done by all great and mighty nations. They produce lethal 
    weapons, atomic bombs, planes, submarines and so on, to defend themselves 
    and to threaten their enemies lest anyone attack them. This is what is meant 
    in this verse. The kaafirs who occupy Muslim lands could not have dared to 
    do so except when the Muslims ceased to implement this verse. The most 
    recent example of that is Iraq, where 
    they put pressure on the government to destroy their weapons and missiles, 
    then when that had been done and confirmed, they invaded and occupied the 
    land, and mistreated its people. 

    Secondly, understanding the context of the 
    verse properly will prove wrong the label of terrorism that he wants to 
    apply to Islam, as he and his gang understand it. The verse which comes 
    directly after this one says (interpretation of the meaning):  

    “But 
    if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and (put your) trust in 
    Allaah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower”

    [al-Anfaal 8:61]. 

    (b)

    The second verse that is heard in the film 
    is (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “Surely, those who disbelieved in Our 
    Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), We 
    shall burn them in Fire. As often as their skins are roasted through, We 
    shall change them for other skins that they may taste the punishment. Truly, 
    Allaah is Ever Most Powerful, All‑Wise”

    [al-Nisa’ 
    4:56]. 

    The deception here is that this movie 
    director quotes this verse to show viewers that Islam enjoins burning those 
    who go against it until their skin is cooked, and this is something that 
    Allaah has prescribed for them. 

    This may be refuted on two counts: 

    Firstly, what he does is a foolish 
    deception, because in this verse Allaah is speaking of the punishment of the 
    kaafirs on the Day of Resurrection, not in this world. It is followed by 
    mention of the reward of the believers who affirm His Oneness (Tawheed): 

    “But those who believe (in the Oneness of 
    Allaah — Islamic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit 
    them to Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), 
    abiding therein forever. Therein they shall have Azwaajun Mutahharatun(purified mates or wives), and We shall admit them to shades wide 
    and ever deepening (Paradise)”

    [al-Nisa’ 
    4:57]. 

    Secondly, even the briefest pondering of 
    this verse will show the lies, fabrications and misquotations of this 
    director. In this verse, Allaah says “We shall change them for other 
    skins”. Are the Muslims able to change the skins of those whose skins 
    are burned in this world?! 

    2.Fabricated pictures, 
    or pictures that do not show what he is trying to prove, or that show things 
    which are denounced in Islam altogether

    For example: 

    (a)

    Pictures of a group of Raafidis – Shi’ah – 
    wounding themselves and their children with sharp tools, causing their heads 
    to bleed, in a disgusting scene. This is not part of our religion, rather it 
    is done by some of those who call themselves Muslims out of ignorance and 
    misguidance on their part. 

    The picture which shows swords being held 
    aloft covered with blood is also an image of the Shi’ah on their special 
    occasions, but the lying filmmaker wants to make people think that these are 
    Muslims and that they have just finished a party where kaafirs’ heads were 
    cut off. 

    (b)

    Another ridiculous and clearly false image 
    is the picture of Muslim women in niqaab waving placards on which it is 
    written “God bless Hitler”! 

    We say: This is clearly a lie and a 
    fabrication. In our religion we are forbidden to pray for the one who dies a 
    kaafir. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “It 
    is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allaah’s 
    forgiveness for the Mushrikoon, even though they be of kin, after it has 
    become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they 
    died in a state of disbelief)”

    [al-Tawbah 9:113]. 

    How can women who wear niqaab and adhere to 
    the rulings of Islam pray for blessing for Hitler? 

    3.Video clips, some of 
    which contain facts which cannot be doubted and others contain distortion of 
    facts and deceive viewers.

    For example: 

    (a) 

    A fabricated meeting with a little girl. It 
    is obvious that they have not presented her or fabricated her story very 
    well, for two reasons: 

    Firstly, she is wearing hijab, and they are 
    asking her about her religion. It is obvious that she is acting. 
                                          

    Secondly, the child who was acting was asked 
    about her opinion of Jews and Christians and she said that they are monkeys 
    and pigs. 

    This is not part of our religion; Islam does 
    not say that the Jews and Christians are monkeys and pigs, rather it says 
    that a group of Jews in the past tried to use tricks to circumvent the laws 
    of their Lord, so Allaah punished them by turning them into monkeys. Allaah 
    says (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “And indeed you knew those amongst you 
    who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to 
    them: ‘Be you monkeys, despised and rejected’”

    [al-Baqarah 2:65] 

    “So when they exceeded the limits of what 
    they were prohibited, We said to them: ‘Be you monkeys, despised and 
    rejected’”

    [al-A’raaf 7:166]. 

    (b)

    Showing video clips out of context, such as 
    the clip of a khateeb (preacher) who brandishes a sword and threatens the 
    kuffaar. 

    This Shaykh is well known. He was Iraqi and 
    he waved the sword during his khutbah (sermon) to encourage the people to 
    fight against the kuffaar who are occupying his country, and he was killed 
    by the Raafidis – may they get from Allaah what they deserve. What does he 
    expect the Muslims to do if their land is occupied? Give up their wealth and 
    their honour, and wait to be killed, or approve and forgive the criminal 
    occupier?! No, Islam is a religion of pride and dignity, and the Muslims 
    refuse to be humiliated; they have no alternative but to fight the occupier. 
    This is confirmed by every religion and law on earth. In fact the leader of 
    the occupation himself said, “If my country were occupied I would fight the 
    occupier.” If we assume that he would indeed fight and not run away, he is 
    only speaking the truth, i.e., that the occupier is to be fought. 

    What is wrong with the Muslims fighting a 
    jihad against those who occupy their land? 

    Fifthly:

    The main ideas of the film are all aimed at 
    insulting Islam by mocking and making fun of the Prophet  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him); by reviling the Qur’aan and calling it a 
    “fascist” book, as it says in the film; and by warning of the danger of 
    mosques. All of that the filmmaker tries to do in his short film by use of 
    video clips, moving images and the accompanying music, but he fails 
    miserably, because he uses lies, falsification and deceit, which will never 
    be accepted by the viewer, even if he is a kaafir. 

    But Allaah has caused his plot to backfire, 
    because the people in Holland are 
    rushing to buy Islamic books and copies of the Qur’aan, to see what is in 
    them, and they will see in them that which will show the falseness and 
    fabrication of what this failed filmmaker has produced. This has indeed 
    happened; three people from that country became Muslim after watching the 
    film, and Dutch companies have threatened to take this filmmaker, who is 
    also an MP, to court if Muslim countries boycott their products. Thus this 
    MP will be humiliated and shamed, and the evil plot will not affect anyone 
    but its authors. 

    Sixthly:

    Allaah has clearly supported His religion. 
    Since the launch of the movie was announced, non-Muslim organizations, 
    governments and individuals have denounced this filmmaking MP, and stated 
    that Islam has nothing to do with violence and terrorism, and that Muslims 
    themselves are victims of terrorism as well as others. Among those who have 
    denounced and objected to the actions of this filmmaking MP is the Prime 
    Minister of the Netherlands, who said strong words against it; the Secretary 
    of the United Nations; the European Union; and a number of politicians, 
    leaders and countries. Satellite channels, both public and private, have 
    refused to show this film, and he could only find one web site that would 
    publish it. 

    In Mufakkirat al-Islam (Saturday 22 Rabee’ 
    al-Awwa; 1429 AH/29 March 2008), it 
    says: 

    In Brussels, the European Parliament 
    condemned this offensive film, and the President of the Parliament, 
    Hans-Gert Pöttering, attacked the Dutch MP Wilders, saying: The contents of 
    the film seem designed to stir up the religious sensitivities of Muslims in 
    the Netherlands, Europe and worldwide. 

    He added: On behalf of the European 
    Parliament, I emphatically refuse to accept the film’s message that Islam is 
    a violent religion – indicating that he fully endorsed the statement of the 
    Dutch government which rejected the film “Fitnah”. 

    Similarly, the European Union issued a 
    statement that it regarded the fifteen-minute-long film as hostile and 
    offensive to Islam, and likely to spread hate. End quote. 

    As for the Muslims, they took action to 
    denounce and condemn the film, and they issued statements and warnings 
    against continuing to malign the symbols of our religion. Some countries 
    threatened to cut ties with the 
    Netherlands, and MPs in some countries demanded the expulsion of the Dutch 
    ambassador and boycotts of Dutch products. Despite the weakness and disunity 
    in which the Muslims are living, this was regarded as great support for 
    Islam, as there are people among both the kuffaar and the Muslims who are 
    defending our religion. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands himself sent a 
    letter to the Shaykh of al-Azhar, stating that his government objected to 
    the production and showing of this film, and that a case had been brought 
    before the Dutch courts. 

    How would the situation be if the Muslims 
    were truly united and they had the strength to instil respect and awe in the 
    hearts of those haters and fabricators?  

    Seventhly:

    It seems to us that this lying MP wanted to 
    achieve certain aims by making this film, including the following: 

    1.Personal gain, fame 
    and victory at the polls.

    2.Pleasing the Jews. 
    That is obvious in his film, as in a number of clips he expresses sympathy 
    for them. But they are occupiers and criminals. At the same time as he 
    speaks of killing by Muslims, he forgets or pretends to forget two things:

    (i)That the one who 
    burned millions of Jews was a Christian, namely Hitler, who said in his book
    Mein Kampf that this was on the orders of God!

    (ii)That the Jews killed 
    and expelled a great number of Muslims, and they were not ashamed to call 
    their latest battle against Gaza a 
    “holocaust”. 

    3.Alerting the West to 
    the high percentages of Muslims in their countries, and saying that large 
    numbers of Muslims poses a danger to 
    Europe. 

    4.Alerting 
    Europe in general, and the Netherlands in 
    particular, to the spread of mosques in their lands. This is clear from his 
    showing pictures of mosques in the Netherlands, to warn of their presence. 

    5.Attempting to ban 
    circulation of Qur’aans in Europe, 
    and computing the Holy Qur’aan to Hitler’s book Mein Kampf! Hence he 
    describes the Qur’aan as “fascist”, which is a word that is indicative of 
    violence and harshness 

    Allaah has humiliated this filmmaking MP by 
    means of this pathetic work that is filled with lies and fabrications. 
    People will see the difference between lies and the truth when they read the 
    Holy Qur’aan and what has been written about Islam and about him by the wise 
    among their own people. This film will motivate them to read and find out, 
    in sha Allaah, and perhaps it will be the cause of many being saved from 
    misguidance. 

    Eighthly:

    The basic message of this film is to 
    describe Islam as a terrorist and violent religion. But this is no more than 
    a fabrication. Islam is the religion of mercy, justice and humanity. It is 
    what saved the people of other religions from the injustice and wrongdoing 
    of their rulers, as happened in 
    Andalusia, 
    Egypt and other countries in which people of 
    other groups were badly mistreated, including the Jews. 

    Israel Wolfenson says: 

    The minor losses incurred by the Jews in the 
    Hijaz are insignificant in comparison with the benefits that the Jews gained 
    with the emergence of Islam. The Muslim conquerors saved thousands of Jews 
    who were spread throughout the lands of the 
    Roman Empire, and who were faced with all 
    kinds of persecution. 

    Al-Yahood wa’l-Tahaaluf ma’a al-Aqwiya’ 
    by Dr. Nu’maan ‘Abd al-Razzaaq al-Saamara’i, quoted in an article by 
    Professor Khaalid Joodah, al-Faariq al-Insaani bayna Hadaarat al-Islam wa 
    Thaqaafat al-Gharb. 

    Islam is not a religion which accepts 
    humiliation, and jihad for the sake of Allaah is one of its main principles 
    and one of the greatest of deeds in Islam. It is prescribed in order to 
    protect the Muslims from their enemies, to convey the religion of Allaah, 
    and to spread the word of Tawheed (divine Oneness) throughout the world. 
    Islam does not say that people must be forced to enter it, because one of 
    the conditions of Islam (being Muslim) is sincerity, and if there is no 
    sincerity then one is a hypocrite among the ranks of Muslims, and Islam does 
    not want this base characteristic among its followers. On the other hand, we 
    find that priests and monks have played a part in forcing people to accept 
    Christianity in Europe and elsewhere, 
    and the numbers of people who were slain in pursuit of this aim is very 
    great indeed; historians say that they are between 7 and 15 million! 

    Another obvious wrong is focusing on the 
    mistakes of some Muslims who were denounced by Muslim scholars and leaders 
    for killing innocent people and attributing that to Islam – as happens in 
    some clips in the film about the bombs on the trains in 
    London and Madrid and the like. All of that 
    was denounced by Muslim scholars, even though these deeds were a reaction 
    against wrongdoing and oppression. At the same time they ignore those who 
    were slain in the First and Second World Wars in which tens of millions died 
    – 14 million in WW1 and 55 million in WW2. Those wars were not between the 
    Muslims and Christians, rather they were amongst themselves. They did not 
    make any mention either of the people killed in Japan by the American Atomic 
    bombs, or the “Red Indians” (Native Americans) killed by the Americans, or 
    the Asian people also killed by the Americans, or those who were killed by 
    colonialists and occupiers. 

    They ignore the destruction and terrorism 
    wrought by the crusader attacks against Muslim lands; they ignore what
    America and its allies are doing 
    today in Afghanistan and Iraq; what the Serbs did with the blessing of the 
    priests in Bosnia; and much, much more. If there are things that history may 
    forget about, it can never forget what the Inquisition did, especially in
    Spain. 

    Gustave le Bon says in his book Arab 
    Civilization: 

    Ferdinand promised to give the Arabs freedom 
    of religion and language, but in 1499 the persecution of the Arabs began, 
    which lasted for centuries, and which did not end until the Arabs had been 
    expelled from Spain. It started with 
    forcing Arabs to be baptized, then the Inquisition ordered that many of 
    those who had been baptised be burned on the grounds that they were not 
    really Christians. This “purging by fire” continued slowly because it was 
    not possible to burn millions of Arabs in one go. 

    The “pious” Cardinal of Toledo, who was the 
    head of the Inquisition, advised cutting off the heads of all the Arabs who 
    did not become Christian, men, women, old people and children. The Dominican 
    monk Baleda did not think that this was sufficient, and advised that the 
    Arabs who had become Christian should also be beheaded, as well as those who 
    had remained Muslim. His reason for doing so was that it was impossible to 
    know whether the faith of those Arabs who had become Christian was sincere, 
    so it was preferable to kill all of the Arabs with the sword, so that God 
    could judge between them in the afterlife, and send to Hell those whose 
    Christianity was not sincere!
    We can only admit that we cannot find such vicious conquerors who should be 
    condemned for unlawful slaughter like that committed against the Muslims! 

    Hadaarat al-‘Arab 
    (p. 270-272) 

    Anyone who thinks about it now will find 
    that the terrorists are people of other religions, Christians, Jews, Hindus 
    and Sikhs; he will find that the Muslims are the victims of this terror. 
    When will the sleepers wake up?! When with the heedless become aware? 

    We said to this lying MP who is calling us 
    to rip the terrorist pages out of the Holy Qur’aan – as he claims: Come and 
    let us see what your Holy Bible says about terrorism: 

    If you are a Jew who believes in the Old 
    Testament, then see what is attributed to the Lord, when He said to Moses in 
    Deuteronomy 20:10, 16-17: 

    “When you march up to attack a city, make 
    its people an offer of peace … 

    However, in the cities of the nations the 
    LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything 
    that breathes. 17 Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, 
    Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has 
    commanded you.”

    If you are a Christian and want something 
    from the New Testament, then here are some texts from it. 

    In Matthew 10:34-36, it is narrated that 
    Jesus (peace be upon him) said: 

    “Do not suppose that I have come to bring 
    peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 

    35 For I have come to turn 'a man against 
    his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her 
    mother-in-law

    36 a man's enemies will be the members of 
    his own household.”

    For more information see al-Sayf bayna 
    al-Qur’aan wa’l-Kitaab al-Muqaddas by Dr. Habeeb ‘Abd al-Malik. 


    http://www.elforkan.com/7ewar/showthread.php?t=7597

    Ninthly:

    What the Muslims should do now is: 

    1.Not cause problems 
    in their own countries, such as demonstrations in which property is 
    destroyed or blood is shed.

    2.Refer the matter to 
    scholars and wise men to deal with it, or something similar.

    3.Strive to adhere to 
    Islam in word and deed, which means taking part in spreading Islam and 
    annoying the kaafirs who hate Islam and the Muslims.

    4.Call people to 
    Allaah with wisdom and knowledge, distribute translations of the meanings of 
    the Qur’aan and easy-to-read Islamic books, and seek the help of trustworthy 
    Islamic organizations and trustworthy scholars in doing so.

    And Allaah is the Guide.