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Dutch MP Geertz Wilders has gained his 15 seconds of global fame (or
infamy) with the posting of the 15-minute short movie “Fitna.”
What is the meaning of fitna or fitnah? Fitna is
a very complex Arabic word. Its definition depends on the context in
which it is used. It originally meant testing and refining of metal
[removing the dross] and now means testing or trial of one’s
faith. It can refer to misguidance, disagreement, schism, secession
or civil war. Www.islamqa.com has posted one of the most
comprehensive answers, some listed below:
“And fight them until there is no more Fitnah
[disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah]” (al-Baqarah
2:193)
Ibn al-Atheer said: “Fitnah: trial or test . .
. The word is often used to describe tests in which something
disliked is eliminated. Later it was also often used in the sense of
sin, kufr [disbelief], fighting, burning, removing and diverting.”
Wilders displays his ignorance and rabid
anti-Muslim feelings thru this movie. It is sickening and
disgusting. Should Muslims protest against it? Most certainly we
should. After all, Christians protested the “Da Vinci Code,” a
very entertaining work of fiction. Muslim reactions have been muted,
thank God. Our Philippine ulama, leaders who participated in the
National Ulama Summit organized by the Philippine Council for Islam
and Democracy last January, have issued statements condemning the
film but calling for restraint.
Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, PCID convenor and
spokesperson of the Assembly of Dharul Ifta of the Philippines,
cautioned Muslims against violent reactions, believing the movie
intends to draw violent reactions among Muslims to justify its
making, and “gain for its writers, instant fame at the expense of
Islam and the Muslims.”
The Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Maxime Verhagen, disassociated the Dutch government from the work of
Wilders, emphasizing, “these views do not in any way reflect the
perspective or policy of the Dutch government.” Condemning
violence and terrorism, he stated, “But Islam must not be equated
with the commission of atrocities. The vast majority of Muslims
condemn extremism and violence, of which many Muslims are also the
victims.” Verhagen described the film as having “invidious
generalizations and its polarizing effect.”
I empathize with the constraints faced by
democratic governments like the Netherlands. As they protect freedom
of religion, they must also freedom of expression and the press.
Verhagen clarifies, “However, I would not interpret freedom of
expression as a license to insult other people at will.” The Dutch
government, according to him, “repeatedly drew the attention of
the politician in question to the possible consequences of his film
and appealed to his sense of responsibility. The Dutch government
regrets that he nonetheless decided to release this film. The film
serves no purpose whatsoever other than to trample on people’s
feelings.”
He requested, “Let us keep a cool head while
preserving the warmth of our relationships.”
In contrast, Pope Benedict, knowing how
sensitive Muslims are to the issue, made the conversion of a
controversial Muslim journalist the high point of his Easter Mass
last month. The Pope baptized Magdi Allam, a non-practicing Muslim
news editor and staunch critic of Islam, acclaiming the
“miracle” of conversions. Talk about insensitivity while
trampling on the feelings of billions. At least Wilders is a
politician, ignorant about religion.
Luckily, the majority of Muslim faithful have
not reacted harshly towards either Wilders or the Pope.
Dr. Hamid Barra, PCID convenor who represents
the ulama in the Bishops-Ulama Conference, said: “Muslims have to
thank individuals, groups, institutions, and goverments who are not
carried by tide of Islamophobia and the current of undermining Islam
and the Muslims. …There are a lot of them who are also by nature
morally upright and are committed to justice and peace. These are
the Abu Talibs of our times who are not Muslims but are willing to
defend the Muslims from all forms of injustices and persecutions. As
Muslims, we need to be objective so that we can be just.”
To my Muslim brothers and sisters in the
Philippines, perhaps we should look at fitna in the Philippine
context and move to eliminate the source of our severest trial and
tribulation: the corrupt core of our government that has kept us in
poverty and trampled our rights, shackled our children with
ignorance thru the poorest educational system in the country, killed
our innocents and passed their massacres as mere collateral damage.
Let us keep our heads cool and reserve our fire
to burn away the cancer, the corrupt core, that destroys our
communities.
aminarasul@yahoo.com
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