some thoughts on wilders' anti-islam film

I watched Geert Wilders' controversial film this morning and, needless to say, it sparked a few thoughts.

I won't link to the film itself, but you can easily find it on You Tube. The film, aptly entitled Fitna (the Arabic word for "division among people"), intersperses quotes from the Qur'an (Koran), graphic footage of terrorist attacks, and speeches delivered by muslims calling for violence against non-muslims. If it is possible, the film is made all the more disturbing by the soundtrack, which features portions of The Nutcracker Suite.

Tolerance

I'm sure that I'm not alone when I say that this film and the West's struggle with radical Islam has challenged my assumptions about tolerance, about which I have already posted (here, here and here). To summarize my opinion about tolerance (that is, tolerance about beliefs and ideas, specifically those related to religion), I think that the best scenario is one in which the multiple world-views and religions coexist and lay open their cases for the rest to see. I believe that the evidence will single out the true religion, if indeed there is one. I welcome Jews praying for my conversion and even dialoguing with me about the validity of their claims as long as they extend the same courtesy to me.

But this perfect world of my imaginings begins to break down in the face of honest Islam. I say honest Islam because it seems to me that (given that what I know of Islam I understand correctly), people who talk about Islam as a "peaceful" or "tolerant" religion are either mistaken or being dishonest. In a speech given after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush said, "Islam is peace." There is no lack of people who would like to make the President more well-informed about a number of issues, but I would point out to him that Islam is "submission," not "peace." Specifically, Islam is submission to the will of Allah, who may, among other things, require muslims to make those who "disbelieve . . . to enter fire" (Sura 4.56).

As I said in " . . . all Israel will be saved," I hope that believing Jews pray for my conversion, because they believe that they have the true revelation of God. I expect Jews to be good Jews, Christians to be good Christians, Buddhists to be good Buddhists, etc. I hold to that principle when it comes to muslims, but I say so with trepidation. If Wilder's (or Osama Bin Laden's) interpretation of what the Qur'an says in the verse I quoted above is right, then a good muslim should kill me for being a disbeliever.

Does the film quote the Qur'an out of context?

I have only taken the time to read two of the quotes used in the film in their context. One of them is Sura 8.60. Here it is in its wider context (I have bolded the part that Wilder quotes in his film):

"Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve, then they would not believe. Those with whom you make an agreement, then they break their agreement every time and they do not guard (against punishment). Therefore if you overtake them in fighting, then scatter by (making an example of) them those who are in their rear, that they may be mindful. And if you fear treachery on the part of a people, then throw back to them on terms of equality; surely Allah does not love the treacherous. And let not those who disbelieve think that they shall come in first; surely they will not escape. And prepare against them what force you can and horses tied at the frontier, to frighten thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy and others beside them, whom you did not know (but) Allah knows them; and whatever thing you will spend in Allah's way, it will be paid back to you fully and you shall not be dealt with unjustly. And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and trust in Allah; surely he is the Hearing, the Knowing."

- Sura 8.56-61

(I'm not sure if the awkwardness of the language in the above passage is due to difficulty in translation from Arabic to English or if this kind of syntax is present in the original).

Notice that, taken alone, the quote used in Fitna sounds quite frightening, but taken in its context, it loses much of the force that it has when quoted in isolation. I wonder if Wilder read the following two lines when preparing the quotes for his film.

Fitna also quotes Sura 4.56, which I quoted above. Here is the full passage (again, with the part used in the film in bold type):

"(As for) those who disbelieve in Our communications, We shall make them enter fire; so oft as their skins are thoroughly burned, We will change them for other skins, that they may taste the chastisement; surely Allah is Might, Wise. And (as for) those who believe and do good deeds, We will make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them for ever; they shall have therein pure mates, and We shall make them enter dense shade."

- Sura 4.56-57

At first this seems fairly plain - burn the unbelievers, reward the believers. Not being well-versed in the Qur'an, I am hesitant to make any speculations, but I will venture to say that here it is Allah speaking about what he will do, not what he wants his followers to do (this latter is the way Fitna leads viewers to read it). It is difficult to say for sure, since the entire text seems to jump back and forth in POV from Allah's and Muhammad's, but since the personal pronouns are all capitalized ("We," "Our"), it seems to me reasonable to assume Allah is speaking. If this is the correct reading, then perhaps we Christians should remember Our Lord's words: "Cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Matthew 25:30).

Does it matter?

Wilder misinterpreting the Qur'an is one thing, but muslims misinterpreting it is a different problem. And if the Qur'an does not call for the killing of non-muslims, then there are, apparently, a lot of muslims who misinterpret it. One video in Fitna shows Sheikh Bakr Al-Samarai telling a cheering crowd, "If Allah permits us, oh nation of Muhammed, even the stone will say 'Oh, Muslim, a Jew is hiding behind me, come and cut off his head.' And we shall cut off his head! By Allah, we shall cut it off!" Not an ounce of nuance there; Al-Samarai means exactly what he is saying. And the video footage of beheadings and murder speak for themselves.

Being a good muslim

So I am left with my original policy. For now, I (perhaps naively) continue to believe in my perfect world of coexistence and debate between the world's religions and world-views. I'm not convinced either way on whether Islam is a violent and intolerant religion or not (here I am speaking of Islam in itself, rather than Islam as it is actually practiced). If the Qur'an does not, in fact, call for the torture and killing of the "unbelievers," then I say to all muslims: If you believe that the Qur'an is the true revelation of God, then follow it more faithfully. If it does, then I (fearfully) stand by my convictions: I think that a muslim should be a good muslim. I say to him: God will vindicate those who follow His Truth, and that the rest of us will not lie down and let you sift us like wheat. In the meantime, I will pray that God will enlighten all muslims and lead them into the truth of Christ, and that all peaceful peoples will triumph over violence.

On philosophizing about violence and Islam from my armchair

I realize how easy it is for me, a citizen of the United States protected by America's geographical location, democratic government and military might, to say that I think muslims should be good muslims. Having a good imagination, I can picture various scenarios (assisted by the disturbing images shown in Fitna) in which that conviction would be challenged. I also think of the victims of terrorism in other countries (and in my own) and how they would feel about what I have just said. All I can say is that I am not unaware of the difficulties with my position. I am still wrestling with the implications of Islam's presence in the world arena, as is everyone else.

More on this subject in a future post.