THE HAGUE, Nov 28: The Dutch government on Wednesday expressed concern at plans by a far-right member of parliament, Geert Wilders, to make an anti-Islam film. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen met the head of the far-right Freedom Party to highlight the risks of such a film, the minister’s spokesman said.
“After Wilders announced he was making an anti-Islam film minister Verhagen met with him to point out the risks in making such a movie for himself and his entourage, and for the Netherlands and the Dutch interests abroad,” Verhagen’s spokesman Bart Rijs said.
Wilders, whose party holds nine of the 150 seats in parliament, has said he is making a film about Islam’s holy book, the Quran.
He added that he did not intend to insult people with his film but if it happened “that’s too bad, but not my problem. I hope that it will open people’s eyes to the fact that the Quran should be banned like (Adolf Hitler’s book) Mein Kampf”, Wilders told ANP.
Wilders is known for his harsh anti-Islam stance and has been under round-the-clock protection since the November 2004 murder of outspoken Dutch columnist and filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a radical Muslim. He has received a number of death threats.
Previously he has called for a ban on the Quran and an end to immigration by Muslims.
According to Dutch media, Wilders plans to air the film on television in January, but Dutch public broadcasters said they have received no request to show the movie.—AFP
