Dutch fear Muslim anger as anti-Koran film hits web

The Netherlands government tried to defuse Muslim anger after the release of a film by a Dutch lawmaker that accuses the Koran of inciting violence and shows an image of the Prophet Mohammad primed to explode.

Islam critic Geert Wilders launched his movie on Thursday evening. Titled Fitna, a Koranic term sometimes translated as "strife", it intersperses images of the September 11, 2001 attacks and other Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran.

The film warns that the rising number of Muslims in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe threatens democratic societies. It urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Koran.

After the caption "The Netherlands in the future?" the film shows images of gay men being executed, children with bloody faces, a woman being stoned and genital mutilation.

It concludes with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, originally published in Danish newspapers, accompanied by the sound of ticking.

The Dutch government has distanced itself from Wilders' views, hoping to avert the kind of Muslim backlash Denmark suffered in 2006 over cartoons of Mohammad.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said he hoped there would not be a violent reaction to the film.

"We believe it serves no purpose other than to cause offence," Balkenende said. "But feeling offended should never be used as an excuse for aggression and threats."

He said the Netherlands was in contact with Muslim countries and Dutch exporters and that he was heartened by the initial restraint of Dutch Muslims.

Before the film's release, demonstrators had already taken to the streets from Afghanistan to Indonesia to burn Dutch and Danish flags, and the governments of Pakistan and Iran sharply criticised the project.

Nato has expressed concern the film could worsen security for foreign forces in Afghanistan, including 1650 Dutch troops.

Brahim Bourzik, a spokesman for a Dutch Moroccan group, said mosques would open their doors to the public on Friday in an effort to defuse tension.

A court in Rotterdam is due to hear an injunction against Wilders on Friday brought by the Dutch Islamic Federation. The politician said on Thursday the film did not break any laws.

Wilders has been under heavy guard because of Islamist death threats since the 2004 murder of Dutch director Theo van Gogh after he made a film critical of Islam's treatment of women.

His killing by a Dutch-Moroccan militant triggered a wave of unrest in the Netherlands, home to almost 1 million Muslims out of a population of 16 million. Mosques, churches and Muslim schools were firebombed.

Earlier this month, Dutch security officials raised the national risk level to "substantial" because of the Wilders film and perceptions of an increased al Qaeda threat. They also asked all Dutch politicians to register their public appearances.

Dutch exporters have expressed fears of a possible boycott in the Muslim world, though trade with such countries makes up only a few percentage points of total exports. There is also concern for 25,000 Dutch citizens living in Muslim countries.