There's a lot of news about Fitna. I think it's amazing that so many people bother to write about this movie that it's 'nothing new' or 'nothing much'. It might be, btw, but I can't think of so many other 'so-so' movies which got so much attention.
I'll give here a quick summary. I'm sure there will be more and more news throughout the day, as every politician, statesman and men on the street feels he must voice his opinion.
General
* Netherlands was mostly calm Thursday night. Wilders is still in the Netherlands. Police did close off Parliament and the Binnenhof. In the Hague a handful of demonstrators held up a sign "Wilders is a Zionist" for about 15 minutes.
* There are quite a few discussions about whether the movie is insulting to Muslims or not. My answer: Don't expect logic on this.
The Movie
* In the Netherlands, at least one news site is showing the film (Dutch version of course). quite a few sites worldwide are showing pictures of the film. DR, the Danish public broadcaster, says they don't intend to show any pictures at all at the moment.
* Fitna can also be seen here: (thanks to Klein Verzet and fdesouche): Alain Jean-Mairet's blog (dedicated server), Jihad Watch, themoviefitna.com, Google Video, Daily Motion, uTorrent(Both NL and EN version), Download of FLV format, Rapidshare (download). It's also available on YouTube, though they seem to be having broadcasting problems.
Complaints
* The Dutch public prosecution will check whether the movie is against the law.
* Lawyer Els Lucas already lodged a complaint by the police against Wilders. For those who want to complain about the film, several Dutch police districts together with the public prosecution prepared a pre-filled form. You just need to fill in Wilders' name and the name of the film. (Probably would be useful in the future as well)
* The movie uses a photo of Dutch rapper Salah Edin instead of Mohammed Bouyeri. The rapper is considering complaining. The photo, where he poses as a radical Muslim, had appeared on the news before in place of Bouyeri's.
* Kurt Westergaard is upset at the use of his Mohammed cartoon in the film. He says it was taken out of context and he wants it removed from the movie. As a side note: he was also upset when SIAD (Stop the Islamization of Denmark) used his cartoon in a protest. He did not yet lodge a complaint against the Muslims who used his cartoon in their protests.
Dutch non-Muslim reactions
* The prime minister said the government distances itself from the film and that he regrets it was released. (video here in English, together with a small anti-Wilders protest and the head of the Intercultural Center in the Netherlands.)
* Political reactions range from 'it's nothing new' to 'Wilders' is showing all Muslims as terrorists' to 'Wilders doesn't offer a solution'.
* The ministers of Integration and Justice will speak with Muslim and minority delegations today.
* The Dutch minister of the economy finished her trip to Turkey today. Not a word about Wilders from her hosts. Turkish lack of freedom of speech was not discussed either.
* The Protestant Church: The movie is not a true picture of Muslims. The Secretary General is currently in Cairo with a delegation of Dutch Muslims and Christian clergy to discuss the movie.
* The Council of Churches rejects the caricature of Islam as portrayed in the movie.
* Amsterdam Mayor: The film shows images from the news. As long as the film shows facts we won't fight it, but it doesn't depict Muslims, only the extremes.
Dutch Muslim reactions
* The National Council of Moroccans say they're very relieved by the movie and that it's due to the efforts of the Dutch government.
* Most Dutch imams interviewed said they did not see the film and did not want to talk about it. Several people interviewed complained that Wilders can insult Islam and other religions are protected. One said the Koran has been attacked since it was published and that the Koran and Islam are strong enough to withstand this.
* Some Dutch mosques opened their doors Friday for people who want to see and discuss things.
* Even before the movie was out, the importer of a special Koran MP3-player said that he was doing extremely good business, selling ten times as many as before talk started of the movie.
Other reactions
* Several Belgian Muslim organizations condemned the movie, saying it will cause a wave of Islamophobia. They say it has nothing to do with freedom of speech and call on Belgian politicians to condemn it.
* Danish Mostafa Chendid, head of the Islamic Society wasn't impressed with the film, saying you can find gorier video on YouTube. He says he can make a similar film with what Sharon said and dead children from Gaza.
* Danish Naser Khader, head of the Ny Alliance party says there's nothing new in the film. What Wilders shows is true, but it's the opinion of the extremists he's been fighting for 15 years.
* Norwegian Basim Ghozlan of the Islamic Association thinks the movie is extreme and so is displaying it. He says Wilders wants to cause confrontation in society, but that the best reaction is to ignore him.
* Danish political reactions: The Social Democrats say the movie is like Nazi propaganda. Danish People's Party says there's hysteria about the movie and that they think the discussion is necessary.
* A Lebanese site showed the film yesterday, and by 9pm (about an hour later) was seen 410,000 times.
Sources:
Dutch: Trouw 1, 2; NOS; AD 1, 2, 3; Telegraaf 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; Brabants Dagblad; Nieuws.nl; marokko.nl; HLN
Danish: DR, Nyhedsavisen, BT 1, 2
Norwegian: VG
English: Expatica
