The Washington Post runs an online section of its paper that concerns itself with religion: ‘On Faith’.

Currently, there’s a piece by Irshad Manji excoriating the film ‘Fitna’. As Manji is herself the object of many arguments about the ‘true nature’ of Islam (is she a reformer, an apostate, an ‘enemy of Islam?’), her words have a particular poignancy. Definitely worth reading.

Anti-Muslim Film Boorish and Boring
Irshad Manji

Last week, the anti-immigrant Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, released on the internet a film intended to smear Muslims. But his movie “Fitna” is such a bore that it has only given freedom of expression a bad name.

“Fitna,” the Arabic word for “social strife,” is being trumpeted as a provocative manifesto with the potential to create yet more strife in the cosmic confrontation between Islam and the West.

I have watched it. Others should too, not because it is compelling but because, in its utter predictability, the film reminds us why freedom of expression is worth defending. To remain powerful, freedom demands creativity — the very creativity that Fitna lacks.

It is a patchwork of scenes plucked straight from the stock image warehouse: news footage of 9/11 and the Madrid train bombings spliced with clips of hate-spewing Muslims, interrupted by headlines about Theo Van Gogh’s murder in the streets of Amsterdam, all juxtaposed to incendiary passages from the Qur’an.

To be sure, egregious events, preachers and scriptures exist. By no means am I suggesting that they be sanitized. Put them on the public record, in all their vileness.
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