Dutch lawmaker to edit Mohammed cartoon out of controversial film News
Dutch lawmaker to edit Mohammed cartoon out of controversial film

[JURIST] Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders [personal website, in Dutch], who released a controversial 15-minute film titled "Fitna" through his website last week, agreed on Monday to edit out a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad [JURIST news archive] after its creator threatened to sue [JURIST report] Wilders for copyright infringement. The film, dismissed by the UN secretary-general as "offensively anti-Islamic" [JURIST report] shows images of the Quran contrasted with images of violence and protest. Wilder's Internet site for the film has since been suspended by network administrators following complaints.

Several Muslim nations have lodged protests with the Dutch government over the film and Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said Monday that prosecutors are considering charging Wilders for breaking laws governing hate speech, but a final decision has not yet been made. Last week, a police complaint [Dutch News report] against the film was lodged, arguing that the film violates the law by linking the Muslim population in the Netherlands to the increasing violence in the country. Earlier this month, a district court in the Netherlands agreed to hear a lawsuit [JURIST report] filed by the Dutch Islamic Federation seeking to ban the release of Wilders' film. AP has more.