Culture And Media
Islam: European Commission braces for anti-Islam film
Brussels, 5 March (AKI) - The European Commission has warned all its offices around the world that the release of an upcoming Dutch film criticising the Koran could spark violent protest by Muslims.
"We have informed our delegations that the film - due for release soon, although we don't know exactly when - could draw protests," EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner's spokeswoman, Christiane Hohmann, told Adnkronos International (AKI).
A series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which first appeared in Danish daily Jyllands Posten two years ago and which were republished in scores of papers around the world, angered many Muslims.
At least 50 people died in anti-cartoon protests in dozens of countries, including Afghanistan, and the cartoonist and his colleagues reportedly received death threats. Several Muslim countries boycotted Danish goods.
Afghan MPs on Tuesday staged a protest outside the country's parliament against the 10-minute film, 'Fitna' by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders. The MPs have called on the Danish and Dutch government to prevent such acts.
NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also said last Sunday he was fearful the film could put troops at risk in Afghanistan. The same day, hundreds of people protested in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, burned the Danish and Dutch flags and demanded that the government close the two countries' embassies in the capital, Kabul.
"We're not raising any alarm, and there's no reason to panic. It's just that after what happened over the Danish cartoons, we want to be prepared," said Hohmann.
"For this reason, we have issued guidelines on what course of action to take if similar protests do occur, and orders to closely monitor when the film is released," she added.
The Dutch government has warned Wilders of the consequences the film - expected to be released this month - could have against Dutch political and economic interests, and is has reportedly considered banning it.
The film project has already been condemned by several Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, for its harsh criticism of the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed. Iran and Egypt have already threatened the Netherlands with an economic boycott over the film.
In an interview earlier this month with Italian daily La Stampa, Wilders called the Koran a 'fascist' book and said European culture was "clearly superior" to "stunted Islamic culture."
Wilders said it was certainly possible he might be killed like Dutch film director Van Theo van Gogh, murdered by a Dutch-Moroccan jihadist in 2004, after he made a short film slamming Muslim women's treatment under Islam.
Wilders has in the past called for a ban on the Koran and compared it to Adolf Hitler's writings.
"We have informed our delegations that the film - due for release soon, although we don't know exactly when - could draw protests," EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner's spokeswoman, Christiane Hohmann, told Adnkronos International (AKI).
A series of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which first appeared in Danish daily Jyllands Posten two years ago and which were republished in scores of papers around the world, angered many Muslims.
At least 50 people died in anti-cartoon protests in dozens of countries, including Afghanistan, and the cartoonist and his colleagues reportedly received death threats. Several Muslim countries boycotted Danish goods.
Afghan MPs on Tuesday staged a protest outside the country's parliament against the 10-minute film, 'Fitna' by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders. The MPs have called on the Danish and Dutch government to prevent such acts.
NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also said last Sunday he was fearful the film could put troops at risk in Afghanistan. The same day, hundreds of people protested in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, burned the Danish and Dutch flags and demanded that the government close the two countries' embassies in the capital, Kabul.
"We're not raising any alarm, and there's no reason to panic. It's just that after what happened over the Danish cartoons, we want to be prepared," said Hohmann.
"For this reason, we have issued guidelines on what course of action to take if similar protests do occur, and orders to closely monitor when the film is released," she added.
The Dutch government has warned Wilders of the consequences the film - expected to be released this month - could have against Dutch political and economic interests, and is has reportedly considered banning it.
The film project has already been condemned by several Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, for its harsh criticism of the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed. Iran and Egypt have already threatened the Netherlands with an economic boycott over the film.
In an interview earlier this month with Italian daily La Stampa, Wilders called the Koran a 'fascist' book and said European culture was "clearly superior" to "stunted Islamic culture."
Wilders said it was certainly possible he might be killed like Dutch film director Van Theo van Gogh, murdered by a Dutch-Moroccan jihadist in 2004, after he made a short film slamming Muslim women's treatment under Islam.
Wilders has in the past called for a ban on the Koran and compared it to Adolf Hitler's writings.
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