Monday, December 08, 2008

Ehsan Jami’s Movie Debuts in the Hague

Ehsan JamiI’ve written previously about the Dutch apostate Ehsan Jami and his movie, Interview With Mohammed, which debuts tomorrow in the Hague. We can expect a strong reaction from the usual suspects — in fact, just as with Fitna, the outrage has already begun.

Our Flemish correspondent VH has translated some recent material about upcoming planned event. First, from Spits Nieuws:

Jami presents Interview with Mo

This Tuesday in The Hague Ehsan Jami will present the English-language film “Interview with Mohammed.” The creator has received a green light for the film’s presentation. The fourteen-minute film will portray the Prophet himself realizing that he has made mistakes. To do this the maker interviews an actor who plays the role of Mohammed.

Jami does not find his production to be an anti-Islam movie. Major themes in the film, according to him, are women’s rights and apostasy.

Extra security

The AIVD [Dutch Intelligence Service] and NCTb [he National Coordinator for Counterterrorism] were able to preview the film. Jami says that additional security measures will be taken during the premiere, but can not go into details.

The film, Interview with Mohammed, has already led to negative reactions according to the Moroccan newspaper Al-Jarida al-Ula. The newspaper reported last month that European Muslim organizations are calling for a boycott of Dutch products with the appearance of the film.

From Ex-Moslims:
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Jami will show his Mohammed film this Tuesday in “Nieuwspoort”

Ex-Muslim Ehsan Jami found a venue after all in which to show his Islam-critical movie “Interview with Mohammed”, after the cancellation of the TV program “Pauw & Witteman”. International media will also attend the viewing, says Jami.


Preview

This Monday, a number of government officials will get to see a preview, as confirmed by Jami. They will then be able to assess the possible consequences for state security of the Mohammed movie.

But Jami did not want to disclose who these officials are. He stressed that he did not tell the AD [Algemeen Dagblad] who exactly will be present, as the newspaper reported today.

Jami will present his Mohammed film this Tuesday, in the Hague Nieuwspoort press center [next to the parliament building], as seems from a press release that he sent out today. “Nieuwspoort” was not willing to confirm the preview.

Jami previously announced that the film — in which a masked figure, Mohammed, is interviewed — would be shown this Wednesday, on Human Rights Day.

‘Anxious’

Jami was in talks with various news shows, he told elsevier.nl. But they pulled out because they — according to Jami — where “afraid of the reaction.” The TV programs had been given “signs”. From whom, they did do not want to tell, says Jami.

Veto

Last week Jami reported that he will not be welcome on the news show “Pauw & Witteman,” because Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen (CDA, Foreign Affairs) will be there. The CDA minister was said to have vetoed Jami’s presence.

A spokesman for Verhagen said that it is not the minister, but Pauw & Witteman, who invite their guests. According to the program talks were still continuing and the word “veto” had not yet been mentioned.

Pro-Human Rights

Jami tells Elsevier that the film will be shown next Tuesday to national and international media. At the end of the film Jami will answer questions about the film.

The film will also be posted on the Internet this Tuesday.

Jami wrote the script for the film, which as he says is no ‘anti-Islam film’, but a pro-human rights film.

And now for news about the movie from English-language sites. First, from Klein Verzet:

New Dutch movie: An interview with Mohammed

Upcoming Wednesday it will be international human rights day and it’s also the day that the movie “an interview with Mohammed” will be presented to the world, reports Dutch news site spitsnews (NL). This latest Dutch movie production is made by Ehsan Jami, founder of the Dutch Committee for Ex-Muslims and is made in collaboration with international artists.

On Dutch state television Ehsan explained that the movie has three main themes: the suppression of woman, anti-Semitism and the rights of Islamic apostates.

The Dutch talk show, Pauw & Witteman, planned to show a few minutes of the movie on Dutch state TV, but foreign affairs minister Verhagen blocked it (apparently because he is also a guest in the same TV show). It stays unclear where and how the film will be shown.

Update (1): English language movie

Dutch Opinion magazine Elsevier just published more details about the movie (NL). They report that the 10 minute movie named: “an interview with Mohammed’ is an English language production. In the movie Jami will interview the prophet Mohammed. The prophet is shown as a masked person (see picture) who will look back on his life 1400 years ago and tell the audience if he is satisfied. The magazine also asked Jami who played the role of Mohammed, but he did want to reveal the name because of security reasons.

The idea of Mohammed masks does seem to resemble the art work of the Dutch-Iranian immigrant Sooreh Hera. But the magazine does not name her name and neither does the mask seem to be an exact copy of her Mohammed masks as shown in her (censored) photo exhibitions. […]

And from Weasel Zippers :

European Islamic Groups Calling for Boycott of Dutch Goods Because of new Mohammed Movie

According to Moroccan newspaper Al-Jarida al-Ula, European Islamist organizations are calling for a boycott of Dutch products because of Ehsan Jami’s movie. The movie will premier December 10th, Jami announced this week in an interview with weekly HP/De Tijd.

The unnamed organizations are upset that Jami is coming out with a cartoon move about Mohammed. The ex-Muslim originally planed that, but called it off at the end of March at the urging of justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin. The organizations are calling, according to the newspaper, for a boycott because of the publication of ‘a cartoon movie about the wives of the prophet Muhammad.” Already since last month there have been calls to boycott Dutch products circulating on the internet.

In the 10 minute long movie “Interview with Mohammed”, the former chairperson of the Committee for Ex-Muslims questions Muhammed about women’s rights, Jews and apostasy. In the clip the actor who plays Muhammed will be unrecognizable. The movie will be in English. Jami invited Hirsch Ballin to the movie’s pre-premiere. The anti-Koran movie Fitna of PVV head Geert Wilders led in the past to protests in the Muslim world and several calls to a boycott of Dutch products. […]


Previous posts about Ehsan Jami:

2007 Sep 8 Ex-Muslims Against… Ex-Muslims!
2008 Mar 27 Another Prophet-Insulting Dutch Movie
  Apr 1 Ehsan Jami Succumbs to Government Intimidation
    17 Ehsan Jami Closes His Organization
  Sep 19 Ehsan Jami’s New Movie
  Nov 29 An Interview With the Prophet

1 comments:

Czechmade said...

They should call for boycott of Iranian products...

The discussion could be conducted more leisurely:

In the past some foreigners islamized Iranians. Now from eighties onwards the home "Iranian" islam effectively de-islamized Iranians. This is a fact. Islam in Iran was reduced to political position securing and business privileges...
Replace it with a normal job providing agency, more transparency and do not call it "islam".

Friends, be realistic and allow such movies to be made at home - in Iran. It could be a success in the local cinemas and provide necessary means for fostering growing Iranian film industry.