Faux Fitna Sites Propagate

After Network  Solutions suspended Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilder’s Fitnathemovie.com site the swirl of controversy has created a flock of imitators hoping to cash in or opportunistically leverage the sudden interest. (Yes, you could even call this article opportunistic, but I have a point to make here separate from Geert’s initiative.)

There have now been several “faux fitna” sites, and people are capitalizing on the buzz. What we do know is that the film has not yet been released, but Geert has said now that it will be released by April 1st. 

The last statement I can find in print from Geert Wilders after the suspension of the Fitnathemovie.com site by Network solutions states that he will “go hand out DVD’s on the dam if necessary.”

From the New York Times:

An American company that hosts 7 million domain names has decided to jump into one of the biggest controversies in Europe — a Dutch politician’s film about Islam:

Network Solutions has suspended the fitnathemovie.com website while Network Solutions is investigating whether the site’s content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy.

The shutdown might spare Network Solutions from being ensnared in any fallout from the film, which has fueled increasing amounts of anxiety even before its release, but it has already provoked criticism elsewhere.

Television stations in the Netherlands have refused to air the film based on vague descriptions of it juxtaposing excerpts of the Koran with execution scenes, and European politicians have widely condemned the move. Both reactions have led to an an offer from a nationalist party in Czech Republic to host the film.

So there’s a lot of opportunism out there, both politically and on the net. I would advise Geert to stay away from the far-right party, they hold zero seats in government for a reason.

There’s also a site on Youtube that’s running a previously-made documentary on Islam and billing it as Fitna; while the documentary featuring Robert Spencer, Walid Shobat and others is very well done and factual, don’t get sucked in by it as it is not Fitna. The documentary featured there is “Islam, What the West Needs to Know,” it’s well worth watching.

Here’s a search at Youtube on Fitna, as you can see Faux-Fitna is being added with regularity.

The main wrong here is pre-emptively silencing speech as Network Solutions has done. It is flatly wrong in America, and I would advise everyone to stay far away from their DNS registration, and far away from their hosting services. After all who knows who might get offended next? We don’t need Network Solutions to become everyone’s net-nanny, Google is already trying hard enough.

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