This is an opinion piece. Kthnxbye.
Submission: The film that started it all. An assuredly avant-garde endeavor, Theo Van Gogh blows open the issue of female oppression in Islamic culture. Van Gogh uses the camera as a character in itself; the camera is the object to which the women are speaking, in this case, they pleading to Allah. Garbed in faux-robes and veil, designed to preserve modesty in this case, provides just the opposite - all gauze and silk, her robes are translucent from neck to knee, she kneels - face covered by an opaque veil, only her piercing eyes locked on the lens. This short piece is an intimate intrusion into the private world of prayer, exploited to show the abuse, oppression and general mistreatment of Muslim women. It is intensely disturbing because it is personal; though we know absolutely nothing about this woman except that she is young and she is Muslim, we feel as if we know her; the way in which she presents these horrifying scenarios - stories of her past - is powerfully disturbing. Interestingly enough, despite your internal alarms blaring, there is no judgement made by Van Gogh or Ali; while there is this sense of pleading and want for change, it is only implied. The subtext, as I understand it, is that these women are so devoted to their religion that they, too, are in disbelief of these goings on and further, this is not a unique occurrence. Islam is not the only culture - religious or otherwise - in which these horrific events transpire, nor is it the only culture wherein these events are hidden away, thrust under the rug.
Fitna: Geert Wilders' response to Submission, released 27 March 2008 to Liveleak, but removed the 16 minute film from the site after reporting threats to their staff. It was reposted on 30 March 2008 after increasing security measures. This short film, in sharp contrast to Van Gogh's piece, is anything but artistic. It quotes the Qu'ran, shows media clips of the bloody and violent aftermath of extremist Islamic attacks around the world, and other clips from Muslim leaders supporting these equally violent quotations and proclaiming war on the world, death to all non-believers. Essentially a spiffed up slideshow, this short 'film' takes quotes out of context, shows violent connotative images, shown to incite an emotional response and disregard logic. This film evokes a very intense emotional response, but it is not the least bit intellectual; it does not present any new information, merely highlights the actions of radical groups that are not the norm, are not the standard of behavior. The extremists ARE frightening, there is no denying that , but not every Muslim is an extremist and the way in which Wilder encourages the audience to 'overcome the Islamic threat' is much the same as the extremist leaders who want to eradicate non-believers. Where Submission attempts to promote awareness of an often hidden aspect of Islamic culture, something no one wants to admit to or claim ownership for, with the goal of changing something, of making progress - Fitna is no better than the extremists they are trying to destroy, advocating, essentially 'Destroy this extremists group! Listen to OUR extreme opinion!' They blame an entire culture for the actions of few; a very loud, frightening few, but few all the same.
To say the least, while I was impressed and disturbed by Submission, for its bold, yet somewhat subtle, attack on Muslim culture and the advocacy of women's rights; Fitna disgusts me and, in my opinion, is a contradiction in and of itself.
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