He may be no stranger to controversy, but even the right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders has his limits. The Freedom Party leader has pulled out of attending a premiere of a film about him by a US Christian organisation, over homophobic comments made by the group's leader. The group has now cancelled the screening - but says it isn't embarrassed by Mr Wilders' u-turn.
Listen to an interview with Martin Mawyer of the CAN
The Christian Action Network (CAN) decided to make a film about Geert Wilders after seeing him speak in public in Boca Raton, Florida. CAN President Martin Mawyer says he was impressed by the politician's views on Islam: "We thought that churches and leaders from the religious movement needed to hear his words so we decided to take that speech, his Fitna film, and a description of Mr Wilders' problems in the Netherlands in producing Fitna, put it altogether and produce a film called Islam Rising."
U-turn
'Islam Rising: Geert Wilders' Warning to the West' was produced by PRB films and is a montage of clips from Fitna including images of hostages with guns being held to their heads and radical Muslims preaching hate at a gathering in London. It also includes news footage of the PVV leader.
The film was due to be premiered on May 1 in Los Angeles and Mr Wilders originally said he was 'honoured' to be invited. But he backtracked on Wednesday over comments allegedly made by Martin Mawyer, that gay people are child abusers with a filthy sickness, saying: "I don't want to be personally associated with that."
Cancelled
CAN says the screening won't go ahead as planned but Martin Mawyer says the decision isn't embarassing for the group: "We understand that in this movement to fight Jihad and radical extremism in the Muslim world, there's going to be a variety of people with different political viewpoints. Our viewpoint on homosexuality differs from Mr Wilders' and I can understand he has some objections to our biblical views on homosexuality."
Watch the trailer for 'Islam Rising' here (story continues below):
Fitna was released in 2008 with great media fanfare and features scenes of violence and images of people being beheaded. It has been condemned by Muslim leaders all over the world. Mr Wilders recently said he's working on a follow-up film, but it won't be ready before June's parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.
Martin Mawyer says Fitna has had a positive reception in the US, where he is confident his film about Geert Wilders will also be a hit: "We did a pre-screening last night of Islam Rising in Oklahoma city and over 1,000 people attended it. They cheered throughout the film because the Christian churches in America are behind Mr Wilders, they support his message, and we think this is going to be huge in America."
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I don’t understand why religion is so important, don’t get me wrong, if you believe in God, Jesus and that please do so but why do we have to hate on each other because of which religious we have chosen to believe or not believe? I think that everyone knows deep down inside that we are all the same.
Unjust policy causes results.
Answer this question :
Why is Islam the fastest spreading religion in the world? ...
This proves that Islam is the TRUE religion , i wonder if christians pray to god more or to jesus? .. wasent it god who created jesus? ... well you guys make it as though jesus created god?
- All praise is due to Allah (God) ...
I do not agree with some of Wilders's anti-muslim statements. I do believe that he has brought up issues that have to be addressed. However having moved to the Netherlands I have noticed certain things.
1. Who is it that steals and vandalizes- the muslims
2. Who is it that makes crude comments to my wife when she walks up the road- The muslims
3. Who is it who disobeys the community laws as far as everyday life is concerned- the muslims
4. I pay taxes and I work hard..who gets to live in Holland with their 6 children in a nice house and they don't have work while other native dutch are have to go to the back of the queque- The muslims
So before anyone posts a naive statement, think about what the above entails and imagine it happening to you. Then come tell me you do not agree with him or at least think about what we are all fed up with.
bonnetwagon - You Nazis also said same things about Jews before killing them in lot but Muslims are no Jews.
Its your thug armies which are present in Muslim countries and stealing , destroying , ethnic cleansing large area in middle east.
I thought you, and maybe readers too, might be interested in this Muslim perspective. Good to hear different sides of the story:
http://loga-abdullah.blogspot.com/
All the best.
Seems as though Dutsch Propoganda has worked on you
Crime rates in all the muslim countries are the lowest in the world.
And dont forget about what the (white man) did to Iraq and Afghanistan .. isnt that worst than vandalisation .. and bty you'll tell me that this was because of the twin towers?
Well speaking about the twin towers this is a good time to give some in sight to those who have been brainwashed by 'magnificient' american propoganda.
Firstly : A building over 500m, and the twin towers was WELL BUILT , how can a plane cause the whole building to collapse when it hits the top? .. doesnt even conclude with physics .. each floor had its own columns and support walls in the twin towers .. so the plane WOULD have only caused about 30 floors to be destroyed .. watch the falling of the twin towers again and youll see cracks appear from the bottom of the building to the top before the towers collapse .... americans placed bombs in their own building of landmark ... just to get ACCES TO OIL?
and bty u call muslims murderers when u christians have killed over 1 million muslims in the last 10 years?
This story ultimately proves that Geert cannot control what he is advocating, and where and how it ends up. Once other lobby groups get their hands on Geert's work and image, then their ideology becomes his representation. Now Geert really has to watch out for what he has started. He may even need copyright to protect the use of his work and how it may be utilized by others. The question now becomes: Is Geert caught in a trap of his own making?
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