Muslim communities around the world condemned the online release of a Dutch legislator's anti-Qur'an film on Friday, but many Dutch Muslims advocated for calm, saying it was less inflammatory than expected.
"Fitna," a 15-minute film by Geert Wilders, was released on the video sharing website LiveLeak on Thursday evening and soon posted on the internationally popular YouTube.
It prompted a barrage of both supportive and critical comments about its anti-Islamic content, mainly comprised of passages from the Qur'an recited to images of terrorism and bloodshed.
Segments of "Fitna" were also shown on Dutch television.
After seeing the footage, a prominent leader in the Netherlands' Moroccan community said the film was "less bad" than expected.
But Mohamed Rabbae, chairman of the moderate National Moroccan Council, said Wilders was mistaken in his claim that the Qur'an justifies aggression.
Rabbae urged Muslims worldwide to react peacefully to the film and refrain from targeting Dutch interests in revenge. He said his group would appeal for Wilder's friendship in an effort to come to an understanding.
"We Muslims living in the Netherlands are best placed to handle Wilders," he said.
Other prominent Muslims, including Dutch social affairs minister Ahmed Aboutaleb, dismissed the film as Wilders' attempt to earn votes by instilling a fear of Islam.
Wilders, the founder and leader for the Party for Freedom, has focused much of his political career on issues such as limiting immigration from non-western countries and preventing the "Islamization" of Dutch culture.
He has been a long-time advocate of freedom of speech despite his well-publicized desire to ban the Qur'an in the Netherlands.
The film features numerous Muslim clerics preaching holy war to their followers, and begins and ends with the infamous cartoon of the prophet Muhammad wearing an exploding bomb instead of a turban.
His use of the Muhammad cartoon, first published in a Danish newspaper, has angered its creator, Kurt Westergaard. He says he did not give his permission for it to be used in the film.
The Danish Union of Journalists referred to the film as "political propaganda" and is planning to sue Wilders for copyright infringement.
Muslim world reacts
Pakistan's largest Muslim political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, staged a protestFriday outside a large mosque in Karachi. Dozens of protesters demanded Pakistan sever its ties with the Netherlands.
Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, officially condemned the film. A spokesman for the foreign ministry, Kristiarto Legowo, said it was "misleading and full of racism."
Iran's foreign ministry also condemned the film. Spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini described it as "anti-Islamic and insulting" in a report by the state-run media, saying it belied a greater prejudice against Islam in the western world.
"Such a dirty act... reveals continued enmity and deep hostility of such Western nationals against Islam and Muslims," he said.
Wilders defends 'Fitna' at home
Wilders defended his work after the Thursday release, saying he believed it carried an important message because "Islam and the Qur'an are dangers to the preservation of freedom in the Netherlands in the long term, and I have to warn people of that."
Prime Minister Jan Peter disagreed, reacting publicly on Dutch TV.
"We ... regret that Mr. Wilders has released this film," said Peter. "We believe it serves no other purpose than to cause offense."
The Dutch Islamic Federation is seeking a court order to order Wilders to make a public apology. The verdict is expected from a Rotterdam court on April 7.
His lawyer, Serge Vlaar, responded that the Islamic Federation was trying to use the courts to ban a point of view, something that is not in the justice system's best interest.
Wilders' Party for Freedom is know for its reactionary politics and holds nine seats in the 150-seat Parliament.
Thousands of Dutch citizens attended a Saturday demonstration aimed to show the world that Wilders' views dos not represent the country's majority.
With files from the Associated Press
