Roger L. Simon: Movies on the Edge

Three controversial films were screened at the AFR festival in Hollywood Sunday afternoon - The Full Story (a settler-sympathetic short from Israel), Submission - Part 1 (excerpted scenes from the movie that cost Theo van Gogh his life) and the world premiere of the documentary Islam: What the West Needs to Know. Security was tight because, in these odd times, it is the non-PC films that bring us to the edge of danger in the way movies like Battle of Algiers did in the old days. The VIP lounge and the balcony were closed for these screenings because of unspecified threats. But enough about the perils of movie-going, here's my take on the films themselves.

The Full Story tells the tale of the supposedly accidental, but actually terrorist motivated, death of a settler mother and child on the West Bank. I am not a supporter of the Israeli settler movement, but I found Yehezkel Laing's crudely-made first film oddly affecting. Part of the reason is that it contrasted the warm family life of the Orthodox settler dad with the self-involved hedonism of a secular Israeli (an anchorman, no less). A stacked deck, yes, but a passionate one.

I had seen Submission, Theo van Gogh and Aayan Hirsi Ali's famous attack on the misogyny of Islam, some months ago on the web. But seeing it on screen in a theatre (as it was intended) is a different experience. What surprised me about the excerpt we saw Sunday was the visually-stunning level of the filmmaking (not to mention its star, Ms. Hirsi Ali - I knew that already.) This is the only film of Theo van Gogh's I have ever seen, but he clearly knew what he was doing with a camera - another reason to lament his hideous premature death. As for Submission itself, the excerpts were too brief to make much comment. I wonder why the festival didn't show the whole thing. Were they not allowed to or were they simply too anxious under the circumstances?

From what I understand, the makers of Islam: What the West Needs to Know (director: Bryan Daly) were reluctant to screen with Submission because they didn't want to be associated with the notorious film, which is strange since their documentary is easily as hard on the Islamic faith as van Gogh's work. The documentary is ninety-five minutes of non-stop recapitulation of the history of the religion, its belief system and political intent narrated by well-known scholars and critics Robert Spencer, Walid Shoebat, Serge Trifkovic and Bat Ye-or. I have read all these people exept Trifkovic and respect them all. Speaking one after another as talking heads on the film (it's that kind of old-fashioned documentary) they raise the question of our time that few dare speak, at least on any level of serious analysis. Is jihadism the real Islam or is there an actual moderate strain of the religion? Clearly, from its title, it's obvious this film takes the former view and warns the West to heed the consequences of its dire conclusion.

Does it convince? Not entirely. But I think documentaries - particularly talking-head documentaries - are not ultimately a convincing form. They are too easily subject to manipulation by the filmmaker. The various writers who speak here are more interesting in their books, which develop their arguments at much greater length and depth. Still, this is a necessary film and I hope it finds distribution. Even though I wish its arguments were at least partly wrong, I fear that they are not.

CLARIFICATON: I received the following in email from Andrew Leigh of the film festival:

The reason we showed only a clip [of "Submission"] was not because we were afraid to show the whole thing, but rather, the copyright owners refused to allow us to show the entire film (they said it was due to security concerns). We begged them to let us screen the film in its entirety, but alas they said no. We showed as much as they gave us in the hope that this will help to break the "taboo" which appears to be developing against this movie and others like it.

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On Islam: What the West Needs to Know and the question that you raise, Roger, the answers can be found in Tony Blankley's book, The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?

I'm reading it now, and by coincidence I happened to have read the part dealing with the questions you say are raised by the film--specifically, about moderate versus extremist Islam. Chapter 3, The Threat, provides the answers and their not good. They can be found in the words and actions of Moslims themselves, and Tony quotes them, line and verse.

I've read several of the authors you've cited, and so far in my reading of Blankley's his is one of the clearest expositions of the grave threat that faces Western civilization today and which, too many are oblivious to.

I shudder to think what lies ahead for my children and grandchildren in the years ahead unless our politicians and the MSM wake up soon.

"I shudder to think what lies ahead for my children and grandchildren in the years ahead unless our politicians and the MSM wake up soon."

And if they do "wake up" -- doesn't what lies ahead then make you shudder as well?

Sorry to post twice. I know it is useful as propaganda to bemoan the alleged indifference of Hollywood to Theo Van Gogh's fate. I for one would rather challenge the powers that be on this matter. And I'd like to see the film. In Silver Spring, MD we have the American Film Institute -- perhaps they can be lobbied to show this film. There are also a wide range of film festivals on a yearly basis, all of the country. And perhaps the "PEN" organization - the writers group that created a lot of support for Rushdie in the late eighties - can be supportive.

" Is jihadism the real Islam or is there an actual moderate strain of the religion? "

"Unfortunately, it’s entirely based on fact. The Qur’an, the holy Traditions (sayings of the Prophet) and shari’a law all enshrine an unshakeable policy of discrimination on a purely religious basis."

"But so long as Muslim children watch animated films (like one I saw this week) showing Jews turning into apes and pigs, so long as anti-Semitic books and pamphlets outsell most other items in Muslim bookstores, so long as Christians are persecuted in Egypt, the West Bank, Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere, so long as Islamic schools tell children that Muslims are superior to all others and that they should not make friends with non-believers, ..."

>Is jihadism the real Islam or is there an actual
>moderate strain of the religion?

This quote from Marco Polo's Diary when he traveled around what is known today as the middle east is very instructive on what the "REAL" nature of Islam has been for nearly 1000 years. (From:The Travels of Marco Polo, pp57-58 Peguin Books 1958):

"The Muslims in Persia are wicked and treacherous. The law which their propehet Mohamet[Muhammad] has given them lays down that any harm they may do to one who does not accept their law, and any appropriation of his goods, is no sin at all.. And if they suffer death at the hands of Christians, they are accounted martyrs. For this reason they would be great wrongdoers, if it were not for the government. And all the other Muslims in the world act on the same principle. When they are on the point of death up comes their preist[Mullah] and asks whether they believe that Mahomet was the true messenger of God; if they answer "Yes" then he tells them that they are saved."

Marco Polo saw the very SAME things we see today with Islam and this was 800 YEARS AGO!

Islam is Islam, always has, always will be. Its simply an evil religion, with a twisted, primitive and scary belief system.

"I shudder to think what lies ahead for my children and grandchildren in the years ahead unless our politicians and the MSM wake up soon."

And if they do "wake up" -- doesn't what lies ahead then make you shudder as well?

Of course it does, but at least then non-muslims in general and western civilization in particular will have a chance to survive and possibly even win the war that islam is waging on us now, and for the past 1400 years.
If the MSM keeps up the sedition, sabotage and outright treason, I don't think America can win. Perhaps what the MSM in the US needs is a couple of US media personalities to be savagely murdered for criticizing islam before the MSM here wakes up. But maybe they won't wake up even then.

WhiteDemon -- i can imagine defeating the vast majority of radical Islamist terrorist cells, or defeating a few backward, rogue dictatorships that rule over Muslims. I can't imagine winning a "clash of civilizations" with a billion and a half people. I don't think any other SANE person can imagine doing this either.

January 15, 2006: Movies on the Edge

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