Mar 27, 2008
Discussing Fitna the Movie
Timing could not be better (or worse). On 27 March 2008, just one hour after the notorious internet film by Geert Wilders was released online, the debate on Fitna started in SPUI25. To jumpstart the discussion, statements were made by Frank van Vree, Jaap Kooijman, Herman Pleij, and Jeroen Bons. Rather than focusing (too much) on the film itself, the debate resulted in the discussion of the responsibility of the media professionals, politicians, and academics to move beyond the media hype and address the issues at hand. In a strongly polarized political and public debate, there is little room for nuance, not in the form of denying political realities, but as an attempt to open up rather than close the debate.