Criticism and Islam

Written by Afshin Ellian, who fled Iran in 1983, excerpted from Criticism and Islam:

The message of "Fitna," a 15-minute movie by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, is that the Koran is the living inspiration for jihadists. Without the Koran's violent passages, the film suggests, Islamic terrorism would not exist. While the Western world long ago learned to criticize, even mock, religion, the Islamic world isn't accustomed to such discussions. The issue isn't really Wilders' movie, or whether it incites hatred, which I doubt. It's whether we are capable of defending our values against the intolerance of radical Muslims.