UPDATE: England's "Guardian Unlimited" reports the following (1/27/08):Koran film delayed
A far-right Dutch politician's anti-Koran film will likely not be broadcast until March, he said in an interview published yesterday.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party, told De Telegraaf the film would be ready two months later than planned. The paper said Wilders had sent it the 10-minute film's opening scene to prove he is making it. Delays in airing the film had led to media speculation that it may have been a hoax.
Wilders's plan to make the film has already prompted the government to alert Dutch cities to prepare for possible violent reactions and warn embassies in Islamic countries.
Dutch politician, Geert Wilders (leader of the right-wing Freedom Party) plans to release a film 10-minute film on Friday (1/25/08) that shows, according to him, how the Koran is used by Islamic radicals to teach homophobia, the abuse of women, and the endorsement of violence. In light of the brutal 2004 murder of another Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh, politicians and Muslim leaders fear a repeat of violence and further strain in relationships between the Dutch and the nation's large Muslim immigrant population. In a proactive response to the movie's release, government officials are first distancing themselves from the filmmaker's movie and are also stepping up security both within the country and abroad at its embassies.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has called for Wilders to exercise restraint. "The Netherlands has a tradition of freedom of speech, religion and beliefs," said Balkenende according to the Associated Press. "The Netherlands also has a tradition of respect, tolerance and responsibility. Unnecessarily offending certain groups does not belong here."
Wilders' movie is scheduled to air on January 25th, but so far no Dutch broadcaster willing to air the movie could be found. If a broadcaster could not be found by Friday, Wilders said he would post the movie on the Internet.
In the past, Wilders attempted to have the Koran banned, calling it "that horrible, fascist book that incites violence," and equating it with Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf." The 42 year-old lawmaker has built a public image on stemming the tide of what he calls a "tsunami of Islamization" in the Netherlands, where a population of 16.3 million now includes 850,000 Muslims.
Go here to read the rest of the article: "Van Gogh Redux?: Another Anti-Koran Film Stirs Up Holland"
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Update: Moroccans want Wilders prosecuted
THE HAGUE – Moroccan organisations in the Netherlands want the public prosecution department to prosecute Freedom party PVV leader Geert Wilders for discrimination against Muslims. If the justice department refuses, then the organisations will approach the court to force the prosecution department to take action. Read more ...
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