Koran Film Fuels Dutch Ethnic Tensions as Muslims Call for Ban

Three years after Theo van Gogh was murdered in Amsterdam for making a film critical of Islam, the Netherlands is embroiled in another row over religion.
Nationalist lawmaker Geert Wilders plans to release a short film called ``Fitna'' this month, in which he links verses from the Koran to violence. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has called for Wilders to scrap the movie after protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.
The worst ethnic violence in the Netherlands since the end of World War II erupted in November 2004 after Van Gogh was shot and stabbed by Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutchman of Moroccan descent. Muslim schools and mosques were torched in the days after the murder. As recently as October, racial tensions prompted youths to fight with police and set cars on fire in Amsterdam.
The film ``is very, very dangerous and can lead to war between Dutchmen and with other countries,'' said Mohammed Bichiri, 62, who moved to Amsterdam from Morocco 37 years ago. ``It's a threat to all Dutch people. That means also to us.''
The furor follows protests last month in the Gaza Strip and violence in Copenhagen after Danish newspapers printed cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.
The film may carry ``grave risks'' to citizens abroad, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said at a Feb. 29 press conference. ``It is our responsibility to point out to Mr. Wilders the possible consequences of his deeds,'' Balkenende said. ``Freedom doesn't relieve anyone of responsibility.''
`Submission'
Van Gogh released ``Submission,'' a short film he made with former parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali about the oppression of Muslim women, months before his murder. Somali-born Hirsi Ali received death threats for writing the script. In 2006, a political row over Hirsi Ali's right to Dutch citizenship brought down the government. She quit her job as a member of the Dutch parliament and then left the country.
Wilders, 44, says he doesn't want to incite violence.