"Fitna" Condemned by World Council of Churches

Article from ChristianToday.com
Global ecumenical body the World Council of Churches (WCC joins 349 churches in 100 countries) has condemned a provocative new film released by a Dutch parliamentarian in which he accuses the Koran of inciting violence. The director of the WCC’s Programme on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation criticised Geert Wilders’ short film “Fitna” [link to view film] as "a clear case of Islamophobia".
The word ‘fitna’ is an Arabic term that is sometimes translated as ‘strife’. "Through graphic images the filmmaker depicts violent extremism without any attempt to distinguish it from mainstream Islam. Extremism is a problem for most religions and needs to be countered through interreligious dialogue," Dr. Shanta Premawardhana said.
Wilders, who is leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, launched his short video on the Internet last Thursday to the outcry of Muslims around the world. In the film, images of the September 11 attacks on the US and bombings by Islamic extremists appear alongside quotations from the Koran. European Union foreign ministers condemned the film and expressed their support for the Dutch Government, which has distanced itself from Wilders’ film.
"The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected," the 27 ministers said in a statement. The EU said, however, that the film did not surpass the boundaries of freedom of expression and that those offended by its content should not react violently. "Feeling offended is no excuse for aggression or threats," the ministers said.

EDITORIAL: It looks to me like "the ministers" are talking out of both sides of their mouth. On the one hand, they say a movie depicting Islam as violent is untrue. On the other hand, they call on Islam not to react violently because of the movie. Odd, huh?
Are the ministers tripping over themselves to call for calm because they KNOW Islam is a violent religion? Of course, they are. Everyone with any good sense knows that Islam is a very violent religion built on the premise of conversion or death. Why do you think so many converts from Islam to other religions are MURDERED by their own families?!? Why? Because ISLAM IS A VIOLENT RELIGION. It's a simple fact.
Fortunately, not all Muslims are violent people. However, the Koran (Qur'an) speaks of violence throughout its text -- and anyone who doesn't see Fitna as at least partial truth has their head in the sand. While the WCC is trying to make peace, violent Muslims are killing innocent people EVERY DAY -- in the name of the Qur'an and Allah. Geert Wilders is not someone I particularly admire, but I do support his telling of the truth about the violence within Islam.

OnThisDay: May 21st
1804 - Lewis & Clark Expedition began
1819 - First bicycles (swift walkers) in US introduced in New York City
1832 - First Democratic National Convention (Baltimore, MD)
1881 - American Red Cross founded by Clara Barton
1908 - First horror movie (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) premiered in Chicago, IL
1914 - Greyhound Bus Company began business in Minnesota
1917 - Leo Pinckney became the first American to be drafted during WWI
1927 - Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, France, after first solo air crossing of Atlantic
1932 - First transatlantic solo flight by a woman (Amelia Earhart) lands
1941 - First US ship sunk by a U-boat (SS Robin Moore)
1980 - Star Wars "The Empire Strikes Back" premiered
1990 - Dow Jones average hit a record 2,844.68

TOPIC: "The Ultimate Gift" Movie Producer Claims Moral Content Attacked to Suppress Film

Article by christiansunite.com

Veteran film producer Rick Eldridge was sure he had all the ingredients to cook up a successful box office hit. For his film "The Ultimate Gift," based on the a book of the same name that has sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide, he landed veteran Hollywood heavyweight James Garner and young sensation Abigail Breslin to star in a movie that sought to teach the value of a legacy of hard work and integrity in relation to an inheritance of cash.
The film tells the story of an elderly and wealthy man (played by Garner) who leaves behind a video will that requires his grandson to perform various character- building tasks before he can inherit his grandfather's wealth. Add in the likes of Golden Globe winner Brian Dennehy and screen veteran Bill Cobbs, and it's no wonder that The Washington Post (and many others) have noted that the film is "well-acted by a first rate cast." "The film aims to inspire a generation," observed The Arizona Republic.
But what Eldridge didn't count on was that his film would be given tough reviews by the critics because of what they perceived as being hidden religious and social messages."Reeking of self-righteousness and moral reprimand, Michael O. Sajbel's "Ultimate Gift" is a hairball of good- for-you filmmaking . . . . The movie's messages - pro- poverty, anti-abortion - are methodically hammered home," says New York Times reviewer Jeannette Catsoulis. "There's an anti-abortion message jammed into one scene with all the subtlety of an avalanche. Just in case you miss it, it's repeated in the credits too. Some gift, eh?," wrote Chicago Tribune critic Lou Carlozo.
These assessments have been a surprise to Eldridge. "The film's single mom says she was glad she had her child. Calling that an anti-abortion message is a stretch," he said. "And while the film certainly does inspire people to be giving and compassionate, what does that have to do with being 'pro-poverty'? It's hard to know how to respond to that kind of criticism, except to say that it clearly incites the wrong things." Mostly, it seems that there just isn't any violence, cursing or sex in this movie, so a host of critics are calling it "sappy" or moralistic and wondering why moviegoers would pay to see it.
These days in Hollywood, it seems that it is rare to see a family movie critically acclaimed. "The Ultimate Gift is a people's film, not a critic's film," said Eldridge. "And there is, increasingly, a big difference between those two things." Eldridge points to this week's independent exit poll results from CinemaScore, which showed that a remarkable 99% of all respondents rated the film in the "A/B" category."This 'little film with a big heart', as one critic called it, celebrates the great American values of thrift, integrity, honor and family," Eldridge said. "I'm hoping that millions of Americans will ignore attempts to keep this film down and vote with their feet to send a message to the movie industry that a values- driven family movie about virtue can be a box-office hit."

The Sope-Bocks: I read the excerpts from reviews over at RottenTomatoes.com. It's offensive to me to see some movie critics give The Ultimate Gift a slight thumbs-up because the Christian values message isn't overt. It's as if a movie would be totally unacceptable if it directly spoke of God, salvation and the "s" word [sin]. With the likes of all of the truly EVIL movie content available these days (Saw, Hostel, 300, Dead Silence, etc), I can't see how anyone wouldn't want to embrace a clean, moral story that doesn't glamorize sadistic murder and disgustingly grotesque images.