FITNA : AZ IMC

It is, for Westerners, perhaps not as shocking as it has been made out to be - we've already seen footage of planes slamming into buildings, non-Muslims being slaughtered, and gays and women being executed. We've obediently watched the educational films coming out of the Muslim world for years, and have seen Nick Berg, Daniel Pearl, and hundreds of others losing their heads repeatedly.

[We've also watched tapes of angry gentlemen with beards sternly lecturing us from such places as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere. We've watched footage of the praestations of their followers with great interest. It's almost an obsession, especially when the football season is over]

English version:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103

Dutch version:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ee4_1206625795

[Update at 3:18 PM: FITNA can also be seen on YOUTUBE here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrCsTMokTU ]

But I can imagine that for some of the more out-of-the-loop people elsewhere, the movie may prove disturbing. Following bloody-minded quotes from the Quran and hate-sermons with actual footage of those messages being taken literally could, conceivably, be offensive to some.

[A few simple cartoons upset them a while back. A work of fiction by a distinguished British author of subcontinental derivation gave Ayatollah Khomeini indigestion. Two office buildings and two subway systems really irritated some people in Afghanistan. Danish butter disagrees with lots of people (especially in the Sudan). These are profound mysteries.]

But the danger that Geert Wilders perceives is real, and the polarization of Dutch society is a fact.
It was not Western liberals who polarized Dutch society. It was not Western liberals who sliced off the heads of captives. It was not Western liberals who rioted against cartoons and screamed threats of death. It was not Western liberals who killed Theo van Gogh, chased Ajaan Hirsi Ali out of the Netherlands, and regularly threaten brutal death to politicians in Amsterdam and other cities of the lowlands.

Far be it from me to say who it is.
But I have a pretty good idea.

FITNA NO LONGER ON LIVELEAK, STILL ON YOUTUBE
The company hosting FITNA, LiveLeak, has removed the Geert Wilders' movie from its servers.

Their statement below makes clear why:

"This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else. We would like to thank the thousands of people, from all backgrounds and religions, who gave us their support. They realized LiveLeak.com is a vehicle for many opinions and not just for the support of one.

Perhaps there is still hope that this situation may produce a discussion that could benefit and educate all of us as to how we can accept one another's culture.

We stood for what we believe in, the ability to be heard, but in the end the price was too high."

Their statement was quoted in an article in the NRC Handelsblad:
http://www.nrc.nl/media/article1029097.ece/Liveleak_verwijdert_film_Fitna_na_bedreigingen

[Note: article includes link to YOUTUBE copy of FITNA, which bypasses need to log in or sign up. YOUTUBE also here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCrCsTMokTU]

REACTIONS

As of this writing, there were over 8050 comments underneath the clip, representing every possible point of view, in the most vociferous and ungentle ways imaginable. Including the two extremes that Islam is a peaceful religion, and that Christianity is a peaceful religion, as explained by armchair savants in such terms as to prove the contrary.
Some of those savants, by the way, are barely literate. As you probably expected.

Meanwhile, in a part of the world where it is not likely that people even know where the country Great Wilds is on the map, or who this person named Miss Fitna Dutchmans could be or why she is so famous, the usual manifestations have already taken place: hundreds of people (nearly two thousand in Peshawar alone) in Pakistan have publicly demanded that the government sever all ties with the Netherlands, and a few militant Muslim leaders have threatened bloody vengeance.

[And, according to Nasrullah Shaji, local functionary of the Jamaat-e Islami in Karachi, the Dutch are barbarians. Certainly he is in a position to know barbarism in Karachi.]

It should come as no surprise that the extremist fringe, on both sides of the ideological divide, are gleefully watching FITNA like it was porn. For the rabid anti-Islamics it shows what they have always known to be the true face of Islam, and for the Jihadis it encapsulates their great victories juxtaposed with Quranic verses in a boffo recitation.

Rational people will not let it affect them much. It is doubtful whether the movie will have any significant effect on Islamic-Western relations.