Consider for a moment the following two quotes that are from a reliable source. "The Muslim religion is so unreformed since it was created that nowhere in the Muslim world has there been any real advance in science, or art or literature, or technology in the last 500 years" (Lord Tebbit). "The true Islamic concept of peace goes something like this: 'Peace comes through submission to Muhammad and his concept of Allah' (i.e. Islam). As such the Islamic concept of peace, meaning making the whole world Muslim, is actually a mandate for war. It was inevitable and unavoidable that the conflict would eventually reach our borders, and so it has" (Vernon Richards). Consider yourself a Westerner and what your view would be about Islam based on such quotes. Now consider yourself a Muslim who has, over the years, cornered himself partially and been cornered marginally by the West so that in time which is the present you are seen as a terrorist and that is all. No arguments and no negotiations. Against such strong currents, you do not stand much chance of survival, nor of an explanation that would defend you. The ground is too weak and will not let you stand firm. In such fragile times come Fitna, a short film by the Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. The film has selectively used Quranic verses to show Islam as a religion of terror, of an attempt to universally use force for Islamisation and specifically at some point in the film it shows Islamisation in the Netherlands. Fitna, is an Arabic word used to describe division among people. The word as implied in the film is self-explanatory, but those of us who are familiar with Arabic or are native Urdu or Persian speakers know well that fitna is not a word with a positive connotation whether said aloud or whispered under the breadth. Thus the title itself is derogatory to Muslims. We live in times when the word Muslim leaves a fingerprint that says "murderer, killer or abuser." When did all this come full circle is another day's story, but for now our concern is this movie. Released in March 2008, and is available for viewing finally after going online and offline three times. The link will follow this column. The movie shows a selection of Suras from the Qur'an, interspersed with newspaper clippings and media clips with hyperlink "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker" \\o "The Nutcracker" The Arabian Dance and hyperlink "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_Gynt_Suites" \\o "Peer Gynt Suites" ses dd as an hyperlink "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underscore_%28music%29" \\o "Underscore (music)" underscore. Wilders says that the fifteen minute film shows how verses from the Quran are being used to instigate modern day Muslims towards violence and to behave in an anti-democratic manner. Interesting point but stated in a vacuum, one can question it philosophically. Later, Wilders has described the film as a call to "shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamisation." Are we scary or are we scary. The movie starts with a warning that it contains very "shocking images." It starts with a caricature of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) holding a bomb to his head counting down from fifteen. Furthermore, Quranic Suras are used to juxtapose imams teaching from the Quran. Madrid train bombings, the World Towers coming down are among the little footage used. The final segment revolves around the Netherlands under the "spell of Islam." May I add a snicker and grin here. Spell of Islam. By all means but no one is forcing it down their throats. The pictures are used for his own purpose because the ones with Shia children covering their faces with blood is something only the Muslim world (if it exists anymore) can comprehend. It is not cannibalism and something totally different and need not be explained here. Ashura is a day that need not be misrepresented by anyone who does not understand it. The fact is that the world must understand this: hate is a seed that grows wild and cannot be tamed. Fitna is just another example, like the so-called cartoons by the Dutch cartoonist Jylands Posten, where he made cartoons of the Prophet (PBUH). Wilders has gone beyond that by making a film to show Muslims as barbarous people who must be curbed and crushed. The sweet tune that President Bush is singing when he attacks a check post of a sovereign country like Pakistan and does not feel the need to take permission or inquire beforehand of the situation on ground. Wilders and many like him want to stop the construction of mosques in Netherlands (and other countries) stop or slow down Muslim immigration and narrow it down to a minimal. He does not hate Muslims, only "hates Islam." That is worrisome to say the least. The reaction from the Muslim World should not be violence, for Islam is not that nor does it encourage it. Those who use religion for their personal objectives are to be discouraged as much as possible otherwise religion will vanquish from the face of this earth, and this goes for all religions and with that goes faith. Sad shall be the day when mankind loses faith. In his interview, Wilders states that Islamic ideology must be fought against and at the "end of the day" Islamisation must be stopped. Nobody has the right to decide for others what faith they should follow. It is against human nature. Wilders has put the world at risk and more the Muslims. The glorious point is that he mentions Pakistan specifically in his interview and that is dangerous. It is coming full circle, and we are ignoring it by not acknowledging our responsibility to educate ourselves about what religion(s) mean to human beings. We have scholars of Islam who are on satellite television stating the truth about Islam. What is required now is a movement, peaceful and intellectual to counter this anti-Islam movement which has taken speed far beyond our pre-emption. That would be the answer that people like Wilders are not expecting from us, but it is an option we must exercise in order to answer with words and not agitation. The writer is a freelance columnist E-mail: aaakn92@gmail.com